Perhaps you were in grade school when you first learned about George Orwell’s novella Animal Farm, a story about a group of animals that fight for equality as they revolt against the farmer Mr. Jones. This allegory is as relevant in 2020 as it was in 1945, especially with the November 3rd election in the United States, one of the most monumental elections in history. The new teaser trailer for Orwell’s Animal Farm is more like a political campaign than a videogame announcement, with the narrator quoting directly from Orwell’s satirical tale, “No one believes more firmly than comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal.”
Orwell’s Animal Farm is a choose your own adventure game developed by The Dairymen and Nerial that sets the player in Manor Farm, home to a variety of animals whose fate depends on the choices you make. There are 8 possible endings, 6 destinies, and 40+ achievements in this adventure that takes place over the span of seven years in this Animalism uprising. Will you bring sustainability and cultivation to the farm to grow its resources? Will you protect your fellow animals and fight against the human enemy? Or will you make sacrifices for the greater good?
There are familiar characters in this game such as Napoleon the boar, leader of the farm, and Boxer the horse known for his loyalty and firm belief that Napoleon is always right. It is up to the player to decide the fate of each of these characters, navigating through the political strategies that can either destroy or nurture the happiness and population of Manor Farm.
The hand-drawn artwork, with its muted color palette and folk-style design, helps set the tone for the game, set to be released for PC and mobile platforms on December 10th. You might even recognize the narrator of Orwell’s Animal Farm, Abubakar Salim, known for his role as the voice of Bayek in Assassin’s Creed: Origins. If you’re like me and like to get alerts for upcoming releases, don’t forget to add this game to your Steam wishlist. After all, some games are more equal than others.
