- A unique encounter between the Siamese cat ‘Volt’ and a mecha suit… Targeting an official release in 2027
- Metroidvania combining an original puzzle mechanism that manipulates the rules of the world
- Orca Studio’s debut work inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle and Kato Roboto
Developer Orca Studio and publisher UltraPlayers announced on the 27th (local time) that they have released a new teaser video for the new Metroidvania title ‘Bolt of Whalington’ and will be releasing a free demo version on Steam on November 5.
‘Vault of Weillington’ is a work about a curious Siamese cat named ‘Vault’ and his mecha suit exploring a whale city floating in the air.
The game is characterized by combining a Metroidvania structure, where players explore organically connected maps while acquiring new abilities, with a unique puzzle system that allows players to directly alter the world’s physical laws and rules.
‘Rule Terminal’ that changes the rules of the world
The core mechanism of the work is the ‘Rule Terminal’ system. Through this device, players can arbitrarily change the physical laws and operating methods of the game world.
For example, you overcome obstacles in extraordinary ways, such as shrinking to the size of a mouse to break through a narrow passage, conversing with hostile creatures to elicit their cooperation, or tearing down a solid wall with an ordinary bottle of soap.
The developers emphasized that not all obstacles necessarily need to be solved using specific abilities. They explained that the game was designed so that free thinking and creative approaches, breaking away from conventional stereotypes, serve as the key to opening new paths.
Rules that vary by zone, an exploration between cats and mechs
Each district of the floating city of ‘Walington’ is subject to different physical laws and rules.
In certain areas, anti-gravity allows you to walk on walls as if they were floors, while in other areas, ‘Schrödinger’s Platforms’ appear, whose existence depends on the presence or absence of light. The area is filled with unique gimmicks, such as ordinary toilets being utilized as a high-speed means of transportation between zones.
Players will alternately control ‘Bolt,’ a cat with agile mobility, and a ‘Mecha Suit’ equipped with powerful firepower. Both characters exist simultaneously within the game world and forge different paths by utilizing their respective unique abilities.
It implements the unique exploration fun of Metroidvania games, where players can return to previously passed areas to find hidden passages or rewards after acquiring new abilities as the game progresses.
Boss battles also require a strategic approach. You must analyze the boss’s attack patterns and combine your weapons and combat skills to seize opportunities to defeat it.
In particular, crucial clues regarding the boss’s fatal weaknesses are hidden in scroll books obtained within the game, item descriptions, and dialogue with NPCs, making thorough information gathering key to the strategy.
Hand-drawn world and playful atmosphere
The newly released teaser video fully captures the worldview realized in a beautiful hand-drawn style, unique gameplay, and distinctive, quirky, and witty exploration elements.
The developers emphasized that they focused on providing an experience where the exploration process itself is the enjoyable reward, rather than pressuring players with high difficulty or a heavy atmosphere. They explained that humorous direction, unexpected discoveries, and the “Eureka” thrill of overcoming obstacles have been placed throughout the map.
In particular, the development team stated that they personally designed and handcrafted all the characters, background artwork, and core gameplay systems featured in the game without the aid of generative AI.
Rich demonstrations opening up 4 zones… Up to 150 minutes
The free demo version, set to be released on November 5, includes a total of four zones: Sardine, Kitchen, Cabins, and Residence, which are the core stages of the whale city of Waylington. Of these, the Kitchen zone will allow players to play the full content without restrictions, while only partial areas of the other three zones will be open.
The estimated playtime is about 60 to 90 minutes if you only follow the main story path, and it is composed of a rich amount of content that can be enjoyed for about 90 minutes to a maximum of 150 minutes if you explore every corner of the map in detail.
This demo supports gamepad (controller) controls and Steam cloud saving, and will be available for long-term download rather than being a one-time event. Interface subtitles are supported in a total of nine languages, including Korean, English, German, French, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.
A 3-Person Studio Formed by an Online Community: What Are the Behind-the-Scenes Development Stories?
Orca Studio, the developer of ‘Vault of Weillington’, is a small indie studio founded by three developers who joined forces after meeting in an online game development community.
Based on a shared affection for the Metroidvania genre, they formed a team to continuously develop their own unique indie games. This project materialized as team member Josh’s deep affection for the anime *Howl’s Moving Castle* coincided with the entire team’s shared interest in exploration games.
The development team cited Hayao Miyazaki’s *Howl’s Moving Castle*, the Metroidvania *Gato Roboto* which featured a combination of cats and mechs, the innovative puzzle game *Baba Is You* which allowed players to change the rules themselves, and *The Stanley Parable*, which cleverly communicated with the player through meta-narratives, as major masterpieces that greatly inspired the work.
It is evaluated as a reinterpretation of the core strengths of proven masterpieces through Orca Studio’s unique and fresh perspective.
‘Vault of Weillington’, which fuses the familiar grammar of Metroidvania with a stereotypical puzzle system, will be unveiled through a free demo on November 5.
If you want to get a head start on the quirky yet intricate deep-sea whale city exploration featuring cats and mechs, add it to your Steam wishlist and keep an eye on the upcoming demo release.
Information regarding ‘Bolt of Whalington’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Orca Studio |
| Publisher | UltraPlayers |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action Adventure, Exploration |
| platform | PC (Steam) |
| Play Mode | Single player |
| Demo Release | November 5, 2026, 3:00 AM (UTC, 12:00 PM KST) |
| Release date | 2027 Goal |
| Supported Languages (Demo) | English, German, French, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian |
| price | Unconfirmed |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
