1 week Ago By Republished By Plato
IKUMA: The Frozen Compass, a co-op adventure title developed by the team behind Lost Ember, received a trailer today during the Triple-i Initiative Showcase, and wow, it’s a looker. Set in the arctic in 1864, the co-op game allows you to freely swap between Sam and his sled dog Ellie or play with a friend.[embedded content]Normally I wouldn’t make a news post about something that’s releasing more than a year off unless it was a delay or something.
Lost Ember was a really cool atmospheric experience that was also very pretty for the time. Releasing in 2019, Lost Ember had you navigating a world that had moved on from humanity through the lens of the animals left behind. I enjoyed it for what it was, and I thought it was technically very impressive from a small studio of only five people.
Since then, Mooneye Studios has been primarily publishing solo developer work while secretly working on IKUMA: The Frozen Compass. Impressively, I might add, because it looks gorgeous and who doesn’t like a good story about a boy and his dog? I just love the way the world looks, especially the dang ice. Pitched as a touching tale of friendship, loss, and endurance, it’s a survival story that’s apparently fully voiced, which is pretty cool.
CEO and story writer Tobias Graff has this to say about IKUMA: The Frozen Compass:We’re ridiculously nervous, yet, thrilled, to finally be able to talk about what we’ve been working on in secret for the past 5 years. We cannot wait to hear what people think of Ikuma.Yeah, I can imagine but the animation style and art on that trailer alone has me so interested.
Mooneye Studios has a little paragraph setting up the story and talking about what you’ll be doing in the game.Ikuma is a coming-of-age story, where you play as cabin boy Sam and his sled dog Ellie who are stranded on an uncharted island in the Arctic in 1864. The player can either take on the adventure solo and freely switch between the two protagonists, or play cooperatively with a friend at their side.
Sam and Ellie’s journey takes you through unfamiliar terrain and harsh weather. You’ll make use of the few tools you can find on the island, fish, forage for food and try to keep yourself and your companion warm. On your way through the open world, you’ll find fading traces of a long lost expedition and uncover a dark secret.
Sounds like they’re trying to make an open world survival type game with a more focused narrative. It’s surprising that style of storytelling isn’t more common considering how ubiquitous the survival genre has become. If Mooneye Studios can pull this off, IKUMA: The Frozen Compass could be a surefire hit.
Let’s look at what you’ll be doing in the game, as it stands a year out from release.IKUMA: The Frozen Compass Key FeaturesA spectacular frozen environment – Traverse breathtaking Arctic landscapes, from glaciers and caverns to forgotten ships buried in the ice with the few tools you can manage to find.A haunting mystery – Gather clues and uncover the fate of a cursed expedition left buried beneath the ice.
Fully voiced emotional narrative – Experience a powerful story of love, loss, and endurance.Play solo or cooperatively – Share the journey with a friend as you work together to overcome the Arctic’s challenges.Survive the Arctic – Manage limited supplies, endure the bitter cold, and rely on your trusted sled dog for guidance.
From the creators of award-winning narrative-driven adventure Lost Ember comes a new, deeply emotional experienceIKUMA: The Frozen Compass has no official release date except for the release window of 2026. However, if this game seems at all like it’d be your jam, you can wishlist the game on its Steam page, on the Sony PlayStation Store or the Microsoft Xbox Store. As always, we’ll be keeping an eye on IKUMA: The Frozen Compass over the course of the year so keep an eye on MonsterVine for more details as they’re released.
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Access Here.Source: https://monstervine.com/2025/04/ikuma-the-frozen-compass-2026/.
