Ithaca, the latest game from the reality-inspired studio the Pixel Hunt, opens with a startling scene: Penelope, a disillusioned environmental lawyer, discovers the unconscious body of an oil company CEO in her car boot, his hands hog-tied. This eco-thriller setup is far from typical fantasy RPG fare, drawing more from films like How To Blow Up a Pipeline than Dragon Quest.
A Studio Known for Reality-Inspired Games
The French developer has previously made games about a Syrian refugee couple's migrant journey and the effects of child sexual abuse. Founder Florent Maurin says the climate crisis was always in the back of his mind, as it is "the uber problem of our day, the problem that touches all others."
The idea for Ithaca came when Maurin's wife asked him how they would explain to their daughters that they didn't spend every weekend protesting for climate action. "I had no fucking clue," he says. "I had no answer to that question."
Gameplay and Ethical Questions
In Ithaca, players drive along a procedurally generated road, taking in windfarms and mountain passes, while talking to family and friends. Decisions affect the storyline, uncovering what the radical climate group Earth Protection Association plans to do with the oil executive.
The game's ethical questions are influenced by real-world events. Maurin notes reactions to Luigi Mangione's alleged killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk. "A sizable part of the population in the US cheered and was like: 'This is right. It's deserved,'" he says.
A Metaphor for Our Collective Future
The road Penelope travels is a metaphor for "where we are all heading," says Maurin. The destination, Ithaca, references the mythic home of Odysseus, offering a way to think about home in a planetary sense. He sees the moment as "trying to discover where we want to go collectively as a species."
Maurin is also struck by environmental changes in Burgundy, where he lives. Once verdant, the region now suffers droughts every summer, killing trees. "Every time, I look out of the window and I think, 'We have to talk about this very fast,'" he says. "Because things are changing way too quickly for nature to be able to adapt." Ithaca is in development for PC and consoles, with a release planned for 2027.
