Welcome back, Cryengineers to another Spotlight for a contender in the Indie Development Fund! This time we are featuring Cannibal, an open world survival game set in a world after the worldwide economy collapsed. A place where natural resources are rare, hunger and violence haunts the society on a global scale. We talked to the guys at GameTekBrasil to find out more about their product.

Briefly describe the project you guys are working on!

Cannibal has been in active development since 2013. Since last year it is in early access on Steam . Our goal is to develop a survival game with RPG mechanics. In addition to survive on your own it is possible to interact with NPCs to accomplish missions. Each action has effects in the storyline of the game connecting the player to this world that we are creating.

What inspired you to create Cannibal and the gameplay mechanics needed for it?

We have always been lovers of the survivalist concept and we are taking this to the game. We are planning to make Cannibal a cooperative multiplayer game (PVE). When everything goes as planned, there will be tasks that are better executed in groups than alone following the basic principles of survival.

What strategies are needed to survive in the game? What does the player need to do on the island to overcome it?

In the current version (0.3), the survivor must find food and resources to stay alive. The main strategy is to avoid direct confrontation with the enemies and remain well positioned on a map in your shelter. The player needs to be prepared to explore the environment and he also needs some items as combat and health regeneration. The game also has some optional missions that can be performed. These missions are rewarded with Barilos.

* Barilos are a fictional currency used to purchase rare items.

Has there been any difficulties during the development process and how did you overcome them?

We changed a lot about the gameplay of Cannibal. The first version that was published on Steam was linear and the player was required to follow a script. It was our mistake because in an open world game the player has to be free to make his own decisions. We changed the concept after receiving feedback from the community which helped a lot. Nowadays, the game is becoming more dynamic and the survivor really feels a sense of being in control of his actions which is very important in survival games.

What are the longterm goals of Cannibal and what can we expect to see in the next update?

Our long-term goals for Cannibal are to become a multiplayer game focused on cooperative mode without straying away too much from the essence of survival games. In the cooperative group the players will have access to other regions/cities (we will provide different scenes/maps). The player also will be able to improve skills such as hunting and combat. We will provide new missions (group and individual) over time.

In the next update (version 0.4), Gametek will be providing some additional gameplay mechanics and performance fixes. They are looking at adding crafting tables where the player can craft equipment to help out with survival in the world of Cannibal. Gametek is also looking into providing furnaces where charcoal and metal can be processed and a pickax to collect rocks and iron powder. We wish them the best of luck with the implementations and continued development of Cannibal.

Thanks to Gametek for taking the time to answer our questions! Don't forget to check out Cannibal on the Indie Development Fund. Also check out their website for further information.

Lavi & Nic