There’s a new game from Fullbright on the way, revealed tonight at the PC Gaming Show, called Springs, Eternal. The studio’s obviously best known for narrative focused games like Gone Home and Tacoma, and Springs, Eternal unsurprisingly looks like more of that, albeit with more of a lo-fi, not-quite PS1 but certainly lower poly kind of vibe, this time set in a hot spring. Sure!
While this won’t be revolutionary for most, apparently Springs, Eternal will feature branching dialogue paths, a first for Fullbright. For the most part, it looks like the main thing you do is have a natter with all sorts of folks – over a dozen, apparently, according to a press release – whether that be in the aforementioned hot spring, with someone who maybe is or isn’t your wife (I can’t tell), or with a bunch of old naked dudes.
Making your way through different conversations can unlock newer threads with others, with flashbacks entering the picture somewhere along the line that “create a portrait of two people, their life together, and who they’ll become.” Not sure what that means exactly, perhaps you’re building the backstory of these people as you play? If that’s so, sounds neat enough.
Some important background: Fullbright is essentially a one man show these days, led by founder Stever Gaynor. Back in 2021, Gaynor stepped down from his role as creative lead on the then unreleased Open Roads after it was alleged that he created a toxic workplace culture during the game’s development.
A report at the time even claimed that since the project started, 15 staff members had left the studio, 10 of whom were women, with Gaynor supposedly targeting the women staff in particular. Since then Fullbright has ostensibly been a solo developer outlet, something confirmed by Spring, Eternal’s press release. All of which might make the choice of an intimate hot springs setting feel a bit peculiar. Fullbright’s last game was the very different Toilet Spiders.
