The Gecko Gods is an upcoming exploration and puzzle game by Louis Waloschek (and other collaborators) that puts the player in control of a gecko crawling its way around an open island. The game saw a bit of an uptick in interest yesterday as the developer announced it will come to Switch, and it sure looks cute.
What sticks out, to me, is how, because the gecko can climb on walls and ceilings, it opens up new dimensions for you to explore and for the team to design puzzles around. Because of this, entire rocky structures within its temples become space for level design, and it’s a neat way to have to think about the environment as you climb around it and solve puzzles.
The Gecko Gods also has sailing segments, and it’s adorable to watch the little gecko try to man the boat all by itself, as it has to steer with its mouth while also managing the motor to start and stop. It’s an interesting design decision that can ground you in what it’s like to be an inhuman thing operating something built for humans. Hopefully the novelty keeps that from getting frustrating. The exploration and puzzle solving seems to be broken up by combat sections, and while our gecko friend here isn’t sporting any weapons in the trailer, it looks like it has a mean bite and is quick on its feet.
The whole thing seems to take clear inspiration from different eras of The Legend of Zelda series. The sailing is evocative of Wind Waker, the environment and character design feels plucked from Breath of the Wild, and all-in-all, it just looks like it’s going for that sense of mystery and serenity. Color me intrigued.
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The Gecko Gods is set to launch on Steam and Switch in 2023.
