“Metamorphosis” Dev Diary #1: A Kafka-esque Puzzle Platformer

Become a bug in an existential adventure through surrealist landscapes

Ovid Works has revealed its first Dev Diary for Metamorphosis, a first-person puzzle platformer about a man mysteriously transformed into a little bug.

Metamorphosis drew much acclaim upon its reveal to the press at GDC a few weeks ago. Most notably, Gamespot included it in their roundup of indie games that shouldn’t be overlooked, and Game Informer called it one of the best indie games at the show.

Coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, Metamorphosis is inspired by Franz Kafka’s seminal short story The Metamorphosis. Ovid Works’ video game reimagines salesman Gregor Samsa as he turns into a tiny bug and embarks on a quest to save himself and his friend Joseph, who has been arrested for reasons unknown.

In this Dev Diary, Ovid Works dives into their philosophy of making games that tell an interesting story, while still being fun to play.

“Franz Kafka was almost the first game designer. He was putting into his stories those labyrinths. And all of these things are possible to recreate today as a world which the player can experience,” said Game Director, Zaq Chojecki. “And by experiencing such complicated, impossible worlds, he arrives at the same questions and the same reflections as the characters of Franz Kafka.”

Metamorphosis places players on a perilous journey that’s as strange, twisted, and thoughtful as Kafka’s literary works. Set in 1920s Prague, players will have to leap, climb, and chart their path through a wide variety of settings from a micro perspective, including the human world, an underground world of insects, and a host of surreal environments.