#HelpForUkraine #Ukraine

[ 2022-02-26 17:30:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Here comes another glorious update! If you appreciate our work for the bestest country in the world, dont forget to leave a Steam review! The newest revolutionary update includes:

• added manual saveslots;
• added gamepad vibrations;
• added cheats for GORK Park Competition and for skipping minigames;
• fixed block that could occur while skipping one of the cutscenes in the Hotel with a gamepad;
• fixes in gamepad controls for better user experience;
• minor gameplay fixes;
• minor SFX fixes;
• outlines for active inventory items;
• fixes in German and Polish localizations.

We strongly recommend using saveslots when starting the new game, since older versions may have compatibility issues. For the glory of Matryoshka! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-06-25 17:58:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Its been over two weeks since Matryoshka has opened the Iron(y) Curtain to the Western World and were overwhelmed by all positive feedback weve received from you and from the press. (By the way, if you didnt leave Irony Curtain steam review yet, now its the best time to do it!) If you hadnt come across to any of the reviews in the web (which is, in the words of our Matryoshkan Scientists 99,9% impossibru), heres a small digest to what was going on since the release: "Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is a wonderful point-and-click adventure that simultaneously feels very nostalgic and yet very much a modern evolution of the genre classics that inspired it. () the journey is filled with fantastic art, lovable characters, varied gameplay, and loads of fun gags, all wrapped up nicely in a story about being the change you want to see. This game comes highly recommended for those looking to have a good laugh and enjoy a very polished adventure at the same time. - Adventure Gamers (4,5/5) Irony Curtain is the funniest game of the year. Its also a great tribute to the PC clickers of old, and a good PnC game in its own right. - WellPlayed (8/10) It is brilliantly written, carefully designed and put together; and most of all, seriously brilliant satire. GO PLAY THIS GAME - Impulse Gamer (5/5) "To be honest, I didnt expect to enjoy Irony Curtain as much as I did, but when I found myself chuckling at even the first lines of the game, I was a goner." - Darkstation (4,5/5) "Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love delightfully intertwines a playful and original concept with an intelligent gameplay, making it one of the most memorably games of the year so far." - All About Casual Game (4,5/5) "(...) Irony Curtain is an enjoyable puzzle game that delivers an outlandish yet compelling narrative and will definitely keep your attention all the way through if youre a fan of off-beat humour and absurd puzzles." - Critical Hit (8/10) Thank you so much for your support all the positive reviews and comments on Steam, the private messages, and social media comments. Glory to Matryoshka! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-05-31 09:47:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Our Leader has granted us another glorious update! If you appreciate our work for the bestest country in the world, dont forget to write a Steam review! The newest revolutionary update includes:

• fixed a blocking bug that could occur when exiting MG Floor Run (For Real This Time);
• fixed a blocking bug that might occur on MG Switchboard;
• fixed a bug that changed the mouse cursor into MG Brick Wall cursor after saving the game;
• fixed a blocking bug occurring on Palace Courtyard with invisible Choir Leader not allowing Evan to use the ladder;
• fixed a blocking bug that made throwing a photo into trash almost impossible;
• fixed a blocking bug that allowed Evan to use oar on the curtain in Leader's Chamber after finishing a minigame;
• fixed a blocking bug that might prevent the train at the end of the game from stopping;
• fixed few typos in English and German language versions;
• fixed a few minor navmesh errors;
• fixed position of a few dialogue pivots.

IMPORTANT! We are trying our best to ensure that fixes work for the games that have been already started, but you might be forced to start the game again in some cases (e.g. bug with throwing a photo into the trash or using the oar on the curtain after finishing the minigame). For the glory of Matryoshka! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-05-23 11:29:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Thank you for purchasing the Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love! We hope that your journey to the bestest country in the world was as great as babushkas compot! If so, leave as a Steam Review for the glory of Matryoshka! This is the first of a few updates to Irony Curtain. We are aware that Western Spies have planted some bugs here and there, but our special antispy forces are ready to eliminate them once and for all! Thats why were presenting you the official Revolutionary Update with some fixes and polishes, including:

• fixed a few active area points for better cursor feedback;
• fixed a blocking bug that could occur when exiting the Floor Run minigame while Evan is still running;
• fixed sound timing for two final cutscenes;
• fixed errors and typos in the German version of the game;
• made The Butcher's line of business more obvious.

As you might have noticed, the premiere build is missing manual save slots. Weve found that there is a possibility that reloading the manual save might fail to call all of the proper actions and changes on a scene, which can cause errors. Since those errors might be game blocking in specific cases, we decided to turn this feature off and only bring it back when we are 300% sure that it works properly. Hopefully, this happens very very soon. Dont forget to spread the love for the bestest country in the world on your social media, using #IronyCurtain hashtag. You can also reach us on Irony Curtains Steam Forum. https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-05-18 11:36:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Were at the finishing line of accomplishing a dream weve had for a very long time publishing our own point and click adventure. Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is now live! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/ Throughout the years of avid gaming, sleepless nights filled with solving puzzles and laughing at all the jokes we kept dreaming of bringing something to the table, enriching the genre somehow and now we put Irony Curtain in front of you to gauge how we did. We tried to give you a classical point and click with all the things we loved about the old-school games such as the Monkey Island series, but also do something based on the experiences that shaped us such as the reign of communism in Poland, which affected most of us in one way or another. https://youtu.be/UIMTQysqbOg We joked about Irony Curtain being Deponia meets Papers, please and we hope its true! Its a classic point and click adventure, with a story that will keep you hooked, with fleshed out, relatable characters, full of humour and well-placed easter-eggs, riddles that will keep you puzzled, with a familiar interface, known from other pnc titles all that without the elements that made us grit our teeth in the classics the riddles can be solved by rational thinking (no dream logic!), some of them even have more than one ways they can be solved, it has good music created by Peter McConnel and Arkadiusz Reikowski and will keep you entertained for up to 10 hours! So, were calling on all point-and-click fans we know youre out there! Play Irony Curtain, tell us how we did! We hope that we managed to bring you a wave of nostalgia, laughter and some insight into the absurdities of communism. If you'd like to reach us, please don't hesitate to check out the Steam Forums. See you there! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-05-16 13:30:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

We love classic point and click adventures. Thats why we decided to write a love letter to classic pncs - in the form of Irony Curtain. Creating a game that channeled our nostalgia and allowed us to include our collective experiences of the communist regime in Poland in a humorous way was a dream come true.
We believe there still are people who love this particular genre as much as we do and maybe that there are more who will be hooked on point and clicks after playing the right game, hence the mixture of nostalgia and improvements we presented in Irony Curtain.
Since the story is one of the most important elements in classic p'n'c games , so we made sure to have a well-written plot and interesting characters - Irony Curtain is about a goofy pen-pusher who gets tangled up in the spy-standoff between two powers. We wanted Evan to be likeable while also making him Guybrushingly funny he's an unwilling troublemaker and works really well juxtaposed with all the other characters, such as the ruthless Leader or Anna - who's smart, capable, mysterious... We wanted strong personalities to match the story and then we peppered it all with puzzles. A lot of puzzles.

And when we say a lot - we mean it. And mini-games too. This is where our HOPA background comes in we're really good in mini-games. Theyre not a classical pnc mechanic, but we know they enrich the gameplay, allow to pace it and also are a good excercise for the brain. Its also a tribute to our legacy we even have one hidden object scene in Irony Curtain as an easter egg! And believe us when we say - theres plenty easter eggs for you to enjoy try to find out if there really are 1951 hidden around Matryoshka. You can also read our previous Steam announcement on the topic here. Thats another point where the past intertwines with the present, bringing in jokes for both the fan of The Lord of the Rings and F.E.A.R alike.

We strived to create a game both familiar but also somehow innovative that's why the interface is exactly as you know it from other games. If youre a pnc player, youll know your way around from the getgo the inventory, the icons telling you what kind of an action is available, etc.
As both players and creators we know that being frustrated is not fun the game is supposed to be a challenge (like in the old, golden days) but at the same time we wanted the solutions to be more reasonable than use chickend and bucket to make a helicopter. The point is to get the satisfaction of solving a riddle using your brain, not a walkthrough. The puzzles in Irony Curtain can be ambigous, challenging but never absurd (and some of them can even be solved in multiple ways). The only absurdity youll encounter is the historical absurds that we really lived through. Yes, bribing people was normal. Yes, TP was a precious commodity and we stood in unending queues. But we hope that thanks to this youll not only get some mind excercise but also will learn about the oddities we had to live through back in the day.
When we pitched the game as Deponia meets Papers, please we were hoping to add value to the genre we loved talking about topics we cared about. And we believe we did. We hope we brought to the table all the things classical pncs represent: humour, wit, riddles and story thatll draw you for long hours (up to 10 ) so that the fans of classical point and click adventures will feel at home with Irony Curtain and those who are new to the genre will get hooked! Irony Curtain premieres on the 16/05 https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-05-15 13:28:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

16 May 2019 marks one of the most importantest events in the country of Matryoshka! The Great Leader will be celebrating his birthday and for this reason the Enlightened Father of the Nation has decided to bestow Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love to the Matryoshkans! The game will be available on Steam ! The Departament of Propaganda prepared a short teaser introducing the citizens of the West to the details of Evans visit in the bestest country in the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH42MjPlGBg&feature=youtu.be Irony Curtain: from Matryoshka with Love is a satirical point and click adventure game set in the weird, totalitarian country of Matryoshka. It's the backdrop of the misadventures of the lowly pen-pusher Evan who accidentaly becomes a pawn in a spy war between two powers. Irony Curtain will be available on Steam on May 16th 2019. If youd like to disscuss or ask questions talk to us on our Steam Forum! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-05-09 13:27:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Agents! Today we have a top secret, exciting message from our on headquarters! When we first announced Irony Curtain, we promised no elevator music! Thats why we have established a Matryoshkan collaboration with an extremely esteemed, experienced agent: Peter McConnell. All fans of classic point and clicks will recognize that name such hits as the Grim Fandango or Monkey Island series would not be complete without the splendid soundtracks that enhanced the adventures of the wacky, weird heroes. The enormously successful composer collaborated with Arkadiusz Reikowski - best known for his work on Layers of Fear, Kholat and AMs My Brother Rabbit - on the OST to Irony Curtain, which resulted in an larger-than-life Original Soundtrack. Peter created the Main Theme, which inspired Arkadiusz's further work on the OST - the effect of their endavors is available on Soundcloud and Bandcamp as we speak! Irony Curtain from Matryoshka with Love is the satirical, classic pnc adventure about espionage and a bizarre, communist Matryoshka, full of no-nonsense riddles, politically incorrect jokes and vivid, intense characters youll be dying to meet. Click one of the links above and go listen then let us know what you think on twitter or facebook! Check out the whole video: https://youtu.be/qh-AKz5DP4k And add Irony Curtain to your wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-04-29 13:25:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Operation File no: 13498172391 The plan is in motion [stop] We have commenced the implementation stage [stop] New materials on the Matryoshkan Case can be found below [stop] Agents, do not reveal your identities yet [stop] Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is dropping in with a brand new trailer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLfdTL8mPGs Read in the [spoiler][classified][/spoiler] file cases before they are intercepted by enemy agents! Grab the chance to embark on a spy adventure taking place right in the middle of a clash between two powers. Step in the shoes of Evan, a lowly pen-pusher, who visits the weird, communistic Matryoshka and is incidentally involved in a Lukewarm War intrigue. Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love will be coming in Q2 2019. https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-04-12 13:41:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Add the game to your wishlist and stay updated!

You slump into your chair after another day of investigations. Just as you start to lose yourself in the glow of the TV screen, the telephone rings. The museum curator needs your help - a tourist has gone missing. You smirk at his warning of paranormal goings-on; that's what Demon Hunters are for. Demon Hunter 5: Ascendance will be available at a discount for 7 days after the launch. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1020270/Demon_Hunter_5_Ascendance/

[ 2019-03-25 11:32:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is a game full of different characters talking to each other. In fact, some puzzles can be solved only by choosing the right dialogue option. Thats why in todays episode of Behind the Irony Curtain wed like to tell you more about the process of creating dialogues in our game. Writing dialogues is just the beginning of the process. There are over 5471 lines of text in Irony Curtain and every one of them needs to be properly inserted into the game, to make sure all characters say exactly what Game Designer wants, in the exact time and place.
Heres how it looks in Irony Curtain: 1. Every game character usually has more than one dialogue line. One of the ways to operate it is to use logical TRUE/FALSE flags. These flags helps us determine the state of knowledge of a specific character or whether an event of which the character speaks has already taken place. 2. Each dialogue is built in the editor as a separate tree consisting of successive nodes connected with each other by lines defining the order in which the dialogue of the character appears. 3. To be honest, writing dialogues is just filling the form fields. It looks more or less like this:

• Create a new dialogue in the editor and give it a name. Then inform Level Designer about the circumstances in which it should be launched (eg. when Evans checks on the Prisoner);
• Create the first Node (a red dot on the editor screen) and enter the necessary information (into the form on the right side of the screen):
  [olist]
• Who is talking
• The Dialogue text (or several dialogues if they should be drawn)
• (Optional) The Dialogue text when repeating the talk
• (Optional) If the dialogue happens not on the location but on zoom whose head and on which side should it be displayed
• (Optional) Text display time (its useful when testing the game without recorded Voice Overs which determine the text display time in the finished game)
• Where the text should appear on the screen (e.g. over the character or over the radio speaker)
• (Optional) Actions to be made before or after the dialogue (e.g. acquiring an item or activating a logic flag character X already knows about Y") [/olist]
• Create another dialogue node and fill it in
• Connect the first node with the second one
• Rinse & Repeat ;)

4. After creating the entire tree for all the dialogues we generate so-called keys. Keys consist of the location number, dialogue name, text position in the tree and the first letter specifying the character.
5. Thanks to this we can assign a specific Key to a Node, and not just the text. All texts with Keys can be saved to a shared Excel sheet with different languages. As a result, the different language versions of the game have the appropriate dialogues.
That is all in this episode of Behind the Irony Curtain. We hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to add Irony Curtain to wishlist! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love

[ 2019-03-19 12:50:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Today wed like to introduce you to our process of making a stop-motion animation. In one of the previous updates, weve explained what stop-motion animation is and why are we using it in our game. This is how we prepare each asset: 1. The whole process starts with the Game Designer. They prepare a documentation with all animations needed for the specific part of the game. There are several types of animations for example: idle animation, talking, specific animation for beginning or end of the conversation and custom animation.
2. Then the animator prepares everything that was requested in the specification in an animation software (we use Toon Boom Harmony for that). First comes the rough sketch, then the more detailed lineart and some colors and shadows at the end.


3. When the animation is ready, the animator exports each frame as a separate file. Our animations have usually 80 frames on average, so its a lot of files to export! Those files are put into our inhouse tool that does all the magic cropps them, sets the frames size and creates a file that manages animating all the cropped images. 4. Now its time for the Level Designer. They use the graph you see below (a kind of a state diagram) to control which animation should be used in which state (e.g., idle or end of the conversation) by referencing the files generated during step 3.
And that's all! Don't forget to add Irony Curtain to wishlist to stay updated! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-03-01 14:56:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Add the game to your wishlist and stay updated!

There are dark secrets that have an annoying tendency to crawl back into the light, escaping oblivion. But there is also Sarah Pennington, the most skilled agent of the ever-watching Secret Order, who is there to face them. The Secret Order 7: Shadow Breach will be available at a discount for 7 days after the launch. http://store.steampowered.com/app/1004860/The_Secret_Order_7_Shadow_Breach/

[ 2019-02-21 11:23:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello fAM! We have fantastic news! We've been nominated in the prestigious Aggie Awards by the redaction of Adventure Gamers. Aggie Awards are an award for adventure games for merits in several categories from concept, art direction, and story, to the adventure game of the year. This year's nominations have been released and My Brother Rabbit has been nominated in two categories - "Best Graphic Design" and "Best Sound Effects"! We're very happy and very proud that our work has been appreciated! If you'd like to know more about the whimsical artwork of My Brother Rabbit, you can read up on Gamasutra - Daniel Gizicki has written a nice article on the art of My Brother Rabbit. If you'd rather just indulge in the visuals, you can head over to either Luke Saata's instagram or AM's own IG. You can support us in the Reader's Choice awards by voting for for us at the voting page - we're superexcited about this, and hope you're too!

[ 2019-02-20 13:23:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Before we announce some more details about the Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love (which you can still add to wishlist by the way), we have something very special for classic adventure games fans! Although Matryoshkans love potatoes the most, theres also one more thing close to our hearts. Its eggs. Easter eggs to be exact. Irony Curtain is set in the 50s, but we did our best to spice it up a little with pop culture references from modern movies, comics, games and classic point & clicks. Its kind of mandatory thing when creating the classic adventure game. Overall, we keep the balance between the story and the references, and there are places you will have a hard time finding them, but sometimes we literally go crazy with Easter eggs in some locations. Just look at the screenshot below and try to find all the references weve hidden there. Theres also a hint under spoiler below:
[spoiler]ANSWERS: 1. key in the shape of Sauron's Eye 2. shape of the island from Monkey Island 3. sketch of a key game from Machinarium 4. crow from Enigmatis 2 5. Pirates of the Carribean key 6. Konami Code [/spoiler] The medals are more monothematic because they are all inspired by the works of one studio. Can you guess what every one of them refers to?
Don't forget to add Irony Curtain to wishlist! https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190/Irony_Curtain_From_Matryoshka_with_Love/

[ 2019-02-11 12:48:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades, Usually, dictators benevolent Fathers of a Nation dont tend to answer questions they ask them! But today the tables turn go ahead and ask anything: the Irony Curtain dev Team will answer all your conundrums in an Irony Q&A! Ask away in the comments below and at the beginning of February we'll answer them all in a Q&A video. Meanwhile, don't forget to add Irony Curtain to your wishlist!

[ 2019-01-25 13:03:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

This time wed like to acquaint you with the creative process that goes into creating the scenes in the game. Here, for example, we have one of the first locations in the game the conference Evan attends in order to present a speech on Matryoshka. If you'd like to support the game, don't forget to add Irony Curtain to wishlist!
1. First off, we begin with a very rough concept art - mapping out the placement of active elements of the scene (the interactive parts that will contain moving objects), and on this, we build the gameplay (with placeholder dialogues and text and placeholder screens instead of minigames). This is usually the fastest part of the process. If we dont like it or something doesnt play out quite as well, we re-do parts of it until everything fits the way we want it to. PS. Drawing each location out by hand means, that we have concept arts for each and every location in the game! Would you like to see them as bonus material? 2. After the sketch is completed we create a mood board, which sets the color schemes for all locations (we wanted it to not only be cohesive throughout the whole game but also reflect the passing of time morning, afternoon, evening, etc). This is possible thanks to the macrolocation system we have once you go through a set of locations you will not return to them again, so we can give you this sense of passing time.
3. Based on the concept we then proceed to fill in the details this leads us to a complete lineart. A lineart is (just like the name suggests) a picture that has only the outlines, usually in black. If you havent seen one, it resembles a page taken out of a childs coloring book.
4. When were happy with the result we create a color palette from the mood board and roughly place them on the lineart. At this stage, we check out if everything works together if the scene conveys what we wanted to say and if its also pleasant for the eye.
5. Then come the flat colors literally filling in the line art with flat colors. Just one color layer, no shadows, no color blending. You could think of it as colorful paper cutouts placed on the lineart.
6. The second-to-last step is creating all the shading, light reflections, and all small details that will make-or-break the picture, bringing it to life and helping us tell a story even before theres a single word spoken or even before we introduce any of the main characters. 7. Then, of course, with games comes the step of creating the animations, different states of interactive elements (etc. closed/open doors), etc. But thats a different part of this tale. So, did you enjoy this little tour? Would you like to see more from Irony Curtain?

[ 2019-01-18 15:21:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Add the game to your wishlist and stay updated!

In the world built on the shoulders of sleeping giants, join your sister Adrianne to prevent a terrifying annihilation that may irreversibly change the world. Explore the history of a forgotten civilisation to save the citizens of Skyland and reveal the mystery of your father's death. Skyland: Heart Of The Mountain will be available at a discount for 7 days after the launch. https://store.steampowered.com/app/949800/Skyland_Heart_of_the_Mountain/

[ 2019-01-11 11:32:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

There are very few things as great as the Matryoshkan Nation - but The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity - WOP - is definitely one of them. It's a Polish charity dedicated to improving medical care for the youngest and oldest patients - if you'd like you can read more about them at the English WOP website. Long story short - for 27 years now they have been running a fundraiser in order to help provide equipment to hospitals, improve neonatological and senior patient care and even provide CPR lessons in schools. In that time the organization has raised 825 million PLN - that is roughly 198 million EUR! This year we have decided to join this grand cause by submitting two auctions featuring unique and interesting items, which you will not find anywhere else. You can bid on two auctions - one is My Brother Rabbit themed, the other is all about Irony Curtain: 1. IRONY CURTAIN AUCTION
You get:

• a guided communism-themed tour in Krakow, Poland in the company of the developers of Irony Curtain
• the Irony Curtain game (when it's out)
• all and every Irony Curtain gadget ever produced and ever to be produced
• a deerstalker-type hat called ushanka with an Irony Curtain Pin
• Matryoshkan flag, 90cmx120cm
• two Irony Curtain matryoshka cups

as a bonus - eternal glory and the approval of the Supreme Leader of Matryoshka! 2. MY BROTHER RABBIT AUCTION
You get:

• the My Brother Rabbit game
• a plushie, artbook with a dedication from the whole team
• a studio visit and an opportunity to attend a creative workshop with MBR lead artist ukasz Saata
• all Artifex Mundi games for Steam
• a limited, box edition of the game

All auctions run till Jan 21st, 12:15:10! Join in today and become a proud supporter of WOP! There are many awesome rewards to gain, but the biggest one is supporting a good cause!

[ 2019-01-10 11:27:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! Some time ago we showed you how Irony Curtain looked in the early prototype phase and how it looks like now. Today wed like to talk a little bit more about the reasons behind the change and the whole creative process. Its no doubt that Irony Curtain came a long way from the times when it was just a prototype called simply Matryoshka. There are three main reasons why weve decided to simplify the art style:

1. The previous style looked great but it didnt play well

The before screenshots weve shown are undoubtedly the ones that look brilliant detailed backgrounds, vibrant colours and original characters. And thats the whole point. It looked awesome on static graphics but the puzzles and navigating through the level seemed frustrating just BECAUSE of all those things. When everything is so detailed every object fights for your attention so it feels like pixel hunting all the time. It is crucial for us to have the best possible gameplay without any frustrations and unfortunately, the previous style caused a lot of it. One of Irony Curtain's minigames: the very detailed BEFORE (left) version and simpler AFTER (right) version

2. Weve changed the way we animate characters

The characters in the early prototype we've were made with a technique called cutout animation, a form of stop-motion animation that uses flat objects (think about the paper theatre that youve probably played as a child) . Right now Evan and other characters from the game are animated in a traditional stop-motion way that requires simpler textures on the models. And simpler textures mean simpler art style everywhere in order to keep the project consistent. BEFORE:
AFTER:

3. We want the art style to be a part of how we tell the story

When Evan first arrives at the Leaders Heart Hotel, hes overwhelmed by its monumentality and splendor. The location should reflect that, so weve decided to add a lot of empty space and make the character look really small in comparison to the building. There are locations in the game that didnt change that much though (e.g., Evans bathroom in the hotel room), weve only adjusted them to the current style of the game. BEFORE:
AFTER:
In the next episode of Behind Irony Curtain, well show you the creative process behind creating the locations in Irony Curtain. Stay tuned!

[ 2018-12-28 15:09:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades! The festive season is upon us! The good people of Matryoshka celebrate the end of the year with pierogi, uplifting songs and lots of hot beverages that warm their hearts as much as the love for the Leader. Now we want to share this warm, red joy with our Western friends! Since there are no established economic relations between Matryoshka and the rest of the world the only thing thats left is to share some of this festive spirit through a video. We would like to present you the original recipe for borsch, one of the celebratory dishes from Matryoshka. It is the traditional way of making this delicious beetroot soup. Eat the true experience. Enjoy!
Apart from that our development team prepared some special wishes for our present and future fans in a form of a video. Let your Xmass be white, your table full of delicious food, your friends and family always with you, your presents as huge as the Christmas tree, but most of all your Steam library full of awesome adventure games (with Irony Curtain among them, too!). https://youtu.be/Bq9QqzJwNP8 We wishlist you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[ 2018-12-21 10:24:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Comrades! We'd like to show you the past and present of our upcoming point and click game Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love! Below you'll have the opportunity to witness how much has changed and how far we have come from the original idea that we presented at Polish festivals a while ago.
What you see before you is the prototype of Irony Curtain, which back then was called simply 'Matryoshka'. It was always our dream to make a game based on our own experiences, but also tackling the topic with humor and rowdy resistance. And since we love classic point and clicks, there wasn't much of an option but to make one! The pictures you see is from one of the locations which remained almost the same through the evolution of the game - the 'Leader's Heart' hotel lobby, from the beginning of the game.


What's your opinion on these? Which verision do you like most? Let us know in the comments below and don't forget to Add Irony Curtain to your wishlist! We're incoming in 2019!

IRONY CURTAIN CONTEST - WIN 3 ARTIFEX MUNDI GAMES

There's also a contest on Artifex Mundi contests group that we really want you to join! You can not only contribute in the Irony Curtain's future success but also win 3 Artifex Mundi Games of your choice! Head to the contest here!

[ 2018-11-30 12:36:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Comrades, In our efforts to combat the capitalist propaganda, we have launched the most powerful weapon against false information! Add Irony Curtain to wishlist now! We now have our own Steam forums, where we will post all information about Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love and where you can discuss all ideas as long as they're in accordance with the ideology of the Party. [strike]No[/strike] censorship. The purpose of this forum is to discuss:

• News & Reveals
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Suggestions & Ideas

So don't forget to:

• Join Irony Curtain Steam Forums
• Add Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love to your wishlist!

[ 2018-11-22 14:10:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Add the game to your wishlist and stay updated!

In a small tourist town a young girl, the daughter of the towns mayor, falls in coma due to an accident. The impotence of the local physicians forces Mrs. Mayor to seek the aid of a psychiatrist, who is rumoured to possess a unique ability to traverse peoples dreams a Dreamwalker. Enter Drowsy Valley, a small remote tourist town located in the Alps of Austria. A place which bustles with life during summer and depopulates during winter. However, this ordinary and sometimes gloomy city harbours a secret. The people of Drowsy Valley suffer from severe sleep disorders and vivid nightmares. The local physician are powerless against this ailment and when a young girl named Sandra, the daughter of citys mayor, falls into a coma the head of the city decides to enlist the aid of a special psychiatrist. She is rumoured to possess a unique ability to enter and traverse peoples subconscious minds a Dreamwalker. Step into the shoes of the paranormal psychiatrist and immerse yourself in the mystery of Drowsy Valley. Enter the subconscious of your patients, become the detective of the psyche and separate that which is real from imaginary, unravel the mystery behind Mayors daughter and citizens inexplicable condition. Dark secrets loom in the hidden corners of a human mind, will you dare to find them? Never Fall Asleep will be available at a discount for 7 days after the launch.

[ 2018-10-10 09:43:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

TIME TO EMBARK ON A GREAT JOURNEY OF IMAGINATION!

Travel through the wondrous lands of a colorful universe where you must question everything you know about reality. Help the rabbit solve puzzles, find hidden objects, and assemble strange machinery in a world where conventional logic doesn’t apply. Remember your childhood and see the world through young eyes again. Believe in the power of imagination: it always finds a way, even in the darkest of times. Your empathy and ingenuity can save the day. How will this adventure end? Find out now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/855640/My_Brother_Rabbit/

[ 2018-09-21 15:16:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Artifex Mundi has partnered with Emi Evans – the voice behind NieR: Automata and Dark Souls to collaborate on a song "Dreams", together with created by Arkadiusz Reikowski (Layers of Fear, Kholat, >observer_). Recently, the duo met in London to recap the project and record a brief documentary about the experience that you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBA1r5AL3o The song Dreams is available for free on Bandcamp, Soundcloud and Youtube, soon on Spotify and iTunes. https://youtu.be/25rsEmVhQaI ---- My Brother Rabbit is a beautifully drawn exploration adventure and puzzle game set in a surreal world that mixes reality with a child’s imagination. The game will be out on September 21st on Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Humble Bundle, GOG, Windows Store and Mac Appstore. https://store.steampowered.com/app/855640/My_Brother_Rabbit/

[ 2018-09-18 13:55:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

My Brother Rabbit, the heartwarming adventure game from Artifex Mundi, invites players on an emotional trip into the dreamlands of imagination on September 21

In the siblings’ land of make-believe, a sweet little rabbit takes care of his friend flower, who recently became afflicted by a strange sickness. To reach those who can heal her, he sets out on a journey that requires both a keen eye and smart thinking. Collect hidden objects including butterflies, insectoid lightbulbs, and other items and apply them to the riddles hiding throughout the world. To learn more, please visit My Brother Rabbit’s official website or Artifex Mundi’s website. Add the game to wishlist to make sure that you don’t miss the premiere! https://store.steampowered.com/app/855640/My_Brother_Rabbit/

[ 2018-09-06 15:41:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Add the game to your wishlist and stay updated!

It was supposed to be a simple suicide case – a quick inspection and lots of boring paperwork. But the more you delve into this secluded island and the twisted family relations of the owners, the more complicated and unclear this case becomes. Path of Sin: Greed will be available at a discount for 7 days after the launch. https://store.steampowered.com/app/895420/Path_of_Sin_Greed/

[ 2018-08-24 11:48:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Do you want to meet the creators of your favorite games in person? Then you should definitely visit us during Gamescom in Cologne & PAX West 2018! You will have one of a kind opportunity to play our two latest projects ahead of release: My Brother Rabbit (release: Fall 2018) is a beautifully drawn exploration adventure and puzzle game set in a surreal world that mixes reality with a child’s imagination. It is scheduled to release this Fall. Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love (release: 2019) is a satirical point-and-click adventure that takes you out of your bourgeoisie comfort zone and throws you right in the middle of a Cold War class struggle to the death – or until you surrender your toilet paper. We'll be a part of big Polish Booth on both events - and we will have lots of surprises for you! If you want to know more about both events, please visit Gamescom website and PAX West website See you there!

[ 2018-08-08 10:06:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Add the game to Steam wishlist! "Our glorious country of Matryoshka wishes to extend an invitation to the West, and allow them to witness the glory of communism first-hand. Visitors shall be the first outsiders to bask in the [strike]lie[/strike] light of The Leader, who is the embodiment of all that is good and has the finest stash in the whole country. We welcome them with open [strike]armies[/strike] arms to explore our beautiful country by solving puzzles and minigames to understand [strike]the depth of corruption surrounding[/strike] the magnanimity of our fearless leader." Signed: Department of [strike]Propaganda[/strike] Information Irony Curtain is a satirical point & click adventure about a Western journalist visiting the communist regime for the first time. Immerse yourself in a slapstick humor ridiculing dictatorship with hand-drawn, stylized art and all the grandeur sharpness 4k allows! Dive into a brilliant story full of unforeseen twists and turns, taking a look behind the Iron Curtain and discovering the bizarre secrets of Matryoshka! Irony Curtain arrives in 2019 but you can already add it to your Steam wishlist. So, what are you waiting for, Comrade? https://store.steampowered.com/app/866190

[ 2018-07-26 05:32:21 CET ] [ Original post ]