Kickstarter is full of failed video game ideas. But every now and then, one breaks through with a successful funding campaign, and then goes on to promise a hugely exciting experience. Shape of the World is one of those games.

Coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC in Early 2018, Shape of the World will see you cast as an outsider in a surreal world – one that reacts to your presence in fact. You’ll get to journey through vibrant ecosystems that spring to life with psychedelic colours, before gazing in awe at splashing waterfalls, luminous monoliths and graceful creatures.

You’ll be thrust into a realm that leaves you free to progress at your own pace, without the incessant ticking of the clock. Ever wanted to find yourself pleasantly lost as you summit mountains, fly with whales, raise precipitous boardwalks and slide swiftly to new and ever stranger environments? Shape of the World will allow you to do all that, and a whole load more.

Features include:

Experiment with an organic and mysterious ecosystem: Play with mystical animals, ephemeral vegetation and intriguing monoliths.

A dynamic soundtrack that responds to the player’s travels: The audio environment is a central component of the game, amplifying your experience of the world.

Procedural Population: The forest only materializes around you when you get close, regrowing in a new way each time you pass. Will you find your way back?

First-Person Exploration: More than just a walking simulator. Slide, soar and dive through a living world, at once familiar and alien.

Shape of the World was successfully kickstarted in 2015 by Stu Maxwell, who brings a stack of experience as a senior VFX artist having worked on Gears of War 4. “I’ve been pushing hard to bring Shape of the World to life on and off, in my spare time after work, for a few years now. It’s a colorful and surprising place I’ve made for people to relax after a busy day, inspired by all my stress-relieving hikes and bike rides through the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest where I live. I’m stoked to finally be so close to getting it into players’ hands!” –Stu Maxwell, Lead Designer at Hollow Tree Games.

We’ll most definitely be keeping a keen eye on Shape of the World over the coming months, and will be sure to bring you further details as and when they drop.