Thursday, October 3rd 2024
Shyborg Games Readies "The Art Collector" For Launch on October 22nd
Shyborg Games, an indie developer, is launching its first game—The Art Collector—on Steam on October 22nd. The game places you in the role of an artist tasked with taking over an art gallery to help your mentor. Customize your gallery and home, befriend local artists, help them gain exposure, and master the art of selling fine art in this narrative-driven, capital management, shopkeeper RPG.
Created by a team of two brothers whom I have personally known for most of my life, it is an awesome experience seeing their passion project, which took a monumental amount of effort, reach this point. With other close friends, family, and myself contributing through playtesting and offering feedback, the game has advanced at a remarkable pace. Considering all the effort that has gone into building this unique experience, I wanted to share it with our community. A demo is available on Steam now, with a launch price of $12.99. You can view the full trailer, history, and all the in-game features after the break!
Key Features:
The Art Collector began as a passion project born from a deep love for both art and management games. Early in development, the goal was clear: to create a game that blended the creative freedom of running an art gallery with the cozy, fulfilling experience of managing resources and interacting with local artists. Inspired by classic shopkeeper and management games like Recettear and Potionomics, as well as cozy titles like Stardew Valley, we aimed to craft a world that felt alive and reactive to player choices.
The concept evolved as we began to focus on the artists themselves, deciding to make them key figures within the game. Each artist has a unique personality and set of quests, allowing players to build deeper connections. We spent months refining the core mechanic of buying, haggling, and selling art, with a focus on creating an experience that was both challenging and rewarding, but also funny and fun to play.
Throughout development, we experimented with different art styles, settling on a retro aesthetic that felt both charming and accessible. Music also became a key focus, with the decision to use variations of French Accordion to create a warm, cohesive atmosphere throughout the gallery.
What started as a small idea blossomed into a fully realized game where every mechanic—from collecting art to decorating the gallery—was carefully crafted to immerse players in the role of an art curator. After countless hours of iteration, The Art Collector stands as our first title, one that we're incredibly proud to share with the world.
Shyborg Games
Shyborg Games is an indie development studio founded by brothers Jason and Jesse Hinman. Jason is a seasoned dungeon master with nearly a decade of experience crafting stories for tabletop games. Jesse has been interested in game development since age 11 when his parents gave him RPG Maker for PlayStation 2. At that age he was practicing 3D modeling, recreating Rockstar Games trailers for fun.
Created by a team of two brothers whom I have personally known for most of my life, it is an awesome experience seeing their passion project, which took a monumental amount of effort, reach this point. With other close friends, family, and myself contributing through playtesting and offering feedback, the game has advanced at a remarkable pace. Considering all the effort that has gone into building this unique experience, I wanted to share it with our community. A demo is available on Steam now, with a launch price of $12.99. You can view the full trailer, history, and all the in-game features after the break!
Key Features:
- Dynamic Art Gallery Management: Create, curate and fetch the highest price for artwork. Utilize frames and wallpapers to match your strategy, and attract buyers with a keen eye for quality.
- Personalized Spaces: Showcase your unique style by customizing both your gallery and home.
- Artistic Expression: Unleash your creativity by crafting and selling your own masterpieces. Explore various mediums and styles to leave your mark on the art world.
- Rogue-lite Elements: Each purchase or decision can lead to record profits or financial ruin for your gallery. Balance finances, time, and relationships to grow your gallery and ensure its success.
- Engaging Narrative Quests: Interact with a cast of local artists, complete quests that pose dilemmas, and influence the story and world around you.
- Non-linear Gameplay: Choose how to run your gallery with the freedom to make decisions at your own pace.
- Art Acquisition: Buy artwork from local artists, haggle over prices, and select the perfect pieces to display.
- Gallery Customization: Upgrade your gallery, select frames and wallpapers, and design your space to maximize appeal and sales.
- Artist Interaction: Level up artists by completing quests and selling their work, influencing their growth and the value of their art.
- Strategic Decision-Making: Make choices that impact your gallery's reputation, success, and overall narrative.
The Art Collector began as a passion project born from a deep love for both art and management games. Early in development, the goal was clear: to create a game that blended the creative freedom of running an art gallery with the cozy, fulfilling experience of managing resources and interacting with local artists. Inspired by classic shopkeeper and management games like Recettear and Potionomics, as well as cozy titles like Stardew Valley, we aimed to craft a world that felt alive and reactive to player choices.
The concept evolved as we began to focus on the artists themselves, deciding to make them key figures within the game. Each artist has a unique personality and set of quests, allowing players to build deeper connections. We spent months refining the core mechanic of buying, haggling, and selling art, with a focus on creating an experience that was both challenging and rewarding, but also funny and fun to play.
Throughout development, we experimented with different art styles, settling on a retro aesthetic that felt both charming and accessible. Music also became a key focus, with the decision to use variations of French Accordion to create a warm, cohesive atmosphere throughout the gallery.
What started as a small idea blossomed into a fully realized game where every mechanic—from collecting art to decorating the gallery—was carefully crafted to immerse players in the role of an art curator. After countless hours of iteration, The Art Collector stands as our first title, one that we're incredibly proud to share with the world.
Shyborg Games
Shyborg Games is an indie development studio founded by brothers Jason and Jesse Hinman. Jason is a seasoned dungeon master with nearly a decade of experience crafting stories for tabletop games. Jesse has been interested in game development since age 11 when his parents gave him RPG Maker for PlayStation 2. At that age he was practicing 3D modeling, recreating Rockstar Games trailers for fun.
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