- Turkish Ürgül Development Studio’s New Title, First Mission Demo Opens on October 28
- A World War III green first-person shooter set in an alternate history of 1965, operated by customer service AI.
Indie game developer Whale Development Studios released a free demo version of its new first-person shooter (FPS) title , ‘Iron Curtain Call,’ armed with unique visuals, on Steam on October 28. In this demo version, you can play the first mission that opens the game.
‘Iron Curtain Call’ is an original title that incorporates the cartoon-style graphics of the classic 1930s ‘Rubber Hose,’ which gained great popularity in titles like Cuphead, into the first-person shooter genre. The distinctive swaying animation and visual effects reminiscent of classic black-and-white comics blend with the first-person perspective, offering a fresh appeal not seen in existing FPS games.
In the demo version released this time, you can experience the first mission that opens the game in advance, and the full version, consisting of 12 chapters, is scheduled to be released on Steam on March 11, 2027.
A fierce battle against an army of clockwork robots commanded by AI… A unique ‘war satire’ worldview catches the eye
The setting of ‘Iron Curtain Call’ is a fictional 1965, in which World War III has been going on for three years.
After all of humanity’s soldiers are annihilated, the battlefield is filled with an army of clockwork robots instead of humans. The setting features an unconventional premise in which the supreme commander leading this robot army is the ‘Supreme Chancellor,’ a customer service artificial intelligence (AI) that has been entrusted with an entire nation.
The player is deployed to the battlefield as ‘Corporal Punishment,’ the last surviving human soldier in the allied command. Uniquely, the dialogue-less protagonist is delivered by mail and dropped off at the front lines, while his superior, ‘Colonel Panic,’ supports him over the radio.
The game features black comedy-style satire as its core element, wittily twisting bureaucracy, the contradictions of modern society, and the horrors of war. The developers stated that elements within the game evoke the brutality of actual war, rigid government committees, or the unfriendly handling of customer service centers, explaining that these are all deliberate directorial choices intended to provoke laughter from users.
Witty resource management using ‘knuckle sandwiches and can openers’
The combat system features a structure where combat and resource management are closely intertwined amidst entertaining visuals. Players recover health by punching flashing robots with the ‘Knuckle Sandwich’ action, and replenish scarce ammunition using the ‘Can Opener’ technique, which involves opening small robots like canned food. Additionally, burning enemies with the shoulder-mounted flamethrower ‘Hot Take’ allows players to acquire extra armor.
The enemy’s pink projectile attacks can be parried, and filling the gauge through combat allows you to activate a powerful special move called ‘Encore’. In addition, a variety of arcade-style movement gimmicks are provided to support three-dimensional battlefield movement, including double jumps and aerial dashes, as well as a grappling hook rope shaped like a broadcast boom microphone, an umbrella for aerial gliding, and moon boots that slam the ground hard.
However, advanced actions such as the grappling hook, parrying, and the special move ‘Encore’ will be fully introduced starting from Chapter 3 of the upcoming official version. In the free demo version released this time, you can experience the unique combat mechanics of ‘Iron Curtain Call’ in a condensed form, centered around the three basic weapons: the punch, can opener, and hot take.
‘Filibuster’ and ‘Veto’… Weapon and enemy designs that wittily express political and business terms
The names of weapons and equipment appearing in the game feature witty satires of politics, bureaucracy, and office terminology.
Players will have the opportunity to wield a total of 11 unique weapon types, starting with the pump-action shotgun ‘Diplomat’, the submachine gun ‘Typewriter’, the rocket launcher ‘Care Package’, the ‘Telegram’ which emits chain lightning, the rotary machine gun ‘Filibuster’ which unleashes a barrage of bullets, and the revolver ‘Veto’ which has a powerful single shot.
In addition, you can utilize the ‘Snow Globe,’ an ice grenade that immobilizes enemies, as a combat support item.
The enemy clockwork robots filling the battlefield also feature humorous settings and names reminiscent of bleak office life. The assault soldier ‘Teen Grunt,’ who salutes first and thinks later; the time bomb ‘Tick Tock,’ who attempts self-destruction asking for a warm hug; and the ‘Paper Pusher,’ who hides behind a pile of approval documents to catch incoming bullets, are set to appear one after another on the battlefield to block the player’s path.
Full voice acting for dialogue… ‘World War III Free Trial’ in the 15-minute demo
The official version, set to be released on March 11, 2027, consists of a total of 12 chapters and 12 unique bosses, and offers three difficulty levels. A variety of imaginative locations are set to serve as battlegrounds, ranging from a burning village and a giant robot factory to a news broadcast tower, an election carnival, a frozen closed city, a world’s fair, a Zeppelin airship summit, and even a lunar embassy and a department store.
The developer stated that they have fully recorded all approximately 3,000 lines of dialogue in the game with voice actors to further enhance the immersion of the narrative.
The free demo version currently available on Steam features the first mission, ‘Welcome to Rubbleton’.
With a gameplay duration of about 15 to 20 minutes, you will traverse a crashed transport plane, a bizarre toothed ‘6:15 Express’, rooftops, and Hotel Majestic to face off against the first boss, ‘Major Disaster’. Major Disaster is a character with the ridiculous backstory that he personally pinned all 17 medals on his chest.
If you safely complete the first mission, the Chief Executive, a customer service AI, appears and delivers a message saying, “The World War III free trial has ended.” The developer is actively utilizing this humorous presentation to promote the demo version with the unique slogan, “A free trial version of World War III is now available.”
The visual direction also actively adopted backgrounds that utilized the rough ink lines characteristic of classic comics and old newsreel-style effects.
Another feature is the complete absence of graphic gore, as enemy robots shatter into bolts, springs, and scrap metal pieces when destroyed, rather than being depicted in a gruesome manner. Combined with ear-pleasing Swing Noir-style background music, this completes the lively yet mysterious atmosphere characteristic of 1930s American cartoons.
Simultaneous support for macOS based on Godot Engine… New independently developed title actively utilizing AI
Whale Development Studios, responsible for the development and global publishing of ‘Iron Curtain Call’, is an independent studio that continues its creative activities without external interference.
This new game was created based on the Godot 4.7 engine, an open-source game engine that has recently been gaining attention in the indie game industry, and the supported platforms are Windows and macOS with Apple Silicon.
The character dialogue voices are provided only in English. Additionally, while the in-game interface and subtitles are available in various languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Hindi, and Turkish, unfortunately, Korean is excluded from official support.
Meanwhile, in accordance with Steam’s latest policy, the use of in-game AI-generated content has also been transparently disclosed.
The developer stated that during the pre-production phase, they received support from AI tools across various aspects of development, including character voices, some background music, 2D art and illustrations, cinematic videos, Steam store page descriptions, and minor translation work. However, they added that the structure does not allow the AI to generate content in real-time while the user is actually playing the game, nor is it connected to external AI services.
Weeil Development Studio’s attempt to overcome limitations by continuing independent development based on an open-source game engine without a publisher, while actively incorporating AI tools into various aspects such as character voices and artwork, is highly intriguing. All eyes are on how this unique clockwork robot horror, clad in a classic cartoon aesthetic, will perform in the global indie game market.
Information regarding ‘Iron Curtain Call’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Whale Development Studios |
| Publisher | Whale Development Studios |
| Genre | Action, Indie, First-Person Shooter (FPS) |
| platform | PC (Steam, Windows/macOS) |
| Release date | March 11, 2027 (Free demo released October 28, 2026) |
| price | Unreleased |
| language | English (Audio/Subtitles), Spanish, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Hindi, Turkish (Korean not supported) |
| Reactions/Evaluations | No Steam user ratings |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
