Visually Striking PS4 Exclusive Vane is Finally Releasing Next January

Today’s Kinda Funny Games Showcase was littered with new announcements and trailers for games big and small, but the one game that struck me the most was Vane, an upcoming title from Japanese indie developer Friend & Foe. The game received a new trailer during the hour-long presentation, and we learned that Vane will be releasing exclusively for PS4 on January 15, 2019.

The visuals of Vane are what caught my attention the most. They’re low-poly but are enhanced by some great lighting and animations. We even see the world forming in front of players a few times throughout the trailer, which makes sense as Friend & Foe describes the game as a “hallucinatory adventure” and confirmed that the world actively changes and evolves around the player. You’ll get a better idea for what they are talking about after watching the trailer and from the following comment by Art Director Rasmus Deguchi:

“With Vane, we wanted to make a game that emphasizes mood and atmosphere over more conventional mechanics. While loosely inspired by titles like Journey and Ico, we wanted to make something different. A little more unsettling. A little more surprising. A little more primal. It’s been a long and wild journey making Vaneand we can’t wait for the world to experience what we’ve cooked up!”

Vane follows a child who can transform into a bird as they explore a ruined desert that has intriguing caves and ruins scattered about it. Storms will also occasionally become very harsh, leading to some interesting scenarios. Overall, the game is structured in a way so that player can “find their own path through the world,” which in turn should make the game feel special and impact in slightly different ways to each player.

Developer Friend & Foe is made up of developers who worked on titles like The Last Guardian, Killzone, Battlefield 3, and Bionic Commando, and have actually been working on this game for over four years. Vane will cost $24.99 when it releases, though it is already available for pre-order in both North America and Europe.

You can watch the release date announcement trailer for Vane from the Kinda Funny Games Showcase for yourself below alongside some new screenshots that really highlight the gorgeous visuals. On January 15, Vane will become available exclusively for PS4.