BEAK: 213

GAME OVERVIEW

BEAK: 213 is a first-person mining game with a strong narrative focus.

Working for the ever-greedy Beakenburg Corp, Weston the Weasel mines for survival—tethered to a rope to harvest avarite, a precious material coveted by Beakenburg. Beneath crushing ice and corporate greed, you dive into the abyss, tethered to survival, chasing a dwindling breath and a mineral that may be your escape—or your end. Help Weston meet the daily avarite quota while uncovering the truth about Beakenburg and, hopefully, find salvation and freedom.

Manage your oxygen, harvest Avarite, and meet your quota, but in the crushing isolation of an ice-covered abyss. Survival means uncovering the truth, breaking free, and reclaiming your fate.

The game revolves around three key elements:

• Drilling – The core interaction for progression.
• Exploring – Uncovering secrets and navigating unknown depths.
• Puzzling – Encouraging players to use the core mechanic, drilling, to progress.

The games appeal is to evoke a tense and immersive experience where players face constant danger, limited visibility, and a hostile environment. The narrative presents a first-person survival experience where players defy a corporate mining company, fostering a sense of rebellion and self-liberation.

CREATION PROCESS  

In this first-person adventure game survival, corporate oppression, and personal agency blends to tell a tale of disobedience against an evil mining company. The game emphasizes self-emancipation and exploration in a world of isolation and alienating working conditions. The core gameplay loop demands strategic balance between resource collection (Avarite) and survival, requiring players to manage oxygen levels while navigating dark, icy depths.

The game pillars reinforce the experience:

• Pressure – The constant challenge of survival and meeting quotas.
• Exploration – Discovering new paths by breaking through ice and rock.
• Endurance – Managing oxygen and surviving the harsh environment.

The game project brief was Growth and Fragility. The team approched these by having the player character grow in development throughout the game. What start out as wage whispers and strange messages on the readio or in the enviorment, gradualy leads the  oppressed worker into an act of rebelion. The fragility is ever present, sourounding the player in every facet of the game – if its breakable things the player needs to destroy in order to progress or the fragility of the habitats left in shards.

In a divers team, working partially remotely, having different needs, working at different pace, having different priorities and various degrees of knowledge and a very limited timeframe  -  communication is challenging. We countered this by being open, supportive and understanding and respectful towards each other. We kept the focus on the process as well as the product – believing that a good, healthy and safe workspace provides the best product in the end.

Designers:

• Viktor Drakenberg
• David Johansson
• Yanlin Liu
• Christopher Thompson
• Cecilia Wretemark-Hauck

Programmers:

• Lorik Fejzullahu
• Simon Landin
• Ilyas Kaya
• Yongqin Yu

 Artists:

• Mimi-Lee Eriksson
• Luke Löfgren
• Simona Klapatauskaite
• Kristin Walkhed