This is a hand-drawn adventure game by indie devs Tmesis Studio in Turin, Italy. Universe for Sale is set in a future world where humans live in the dense clouds of Jupiter.
From there, you explore the world and discover its secrets. With its lush artistic style and offbeat nature (plus, great sense of humour), this is a fine time of it an underrated gem from the genre.
Tearooms on Jupiter in Universe for Sale
This game launched in November 2023 and you can it up on most consoles and PC (Steam etc.). From this adventure you get just over four hours of gameplay, so its £10 price tag is rather decent on that front.
It’s one of the more reflective adventure games we’ve played. Not as abstract as Amanita Design’s work (such as Samorost 3), but its sci-fi themes are very intriguing.
Players take control of a robot character called Master. You head into a tearoom, find a character called Lila, and discover she can create universes. From there, you can have a long discussion with her and craft your very own universe… just at a price. Here’s a segment in action.
It’s a very narrative-driven game, of course, and one that goes on to explore themes of human relationships and self-acceptance. The initial grand nature of universe creating parts way to focus on what it means to be a thing,
Universe for Sale is a very distinctive looking game. Tmesis Studio really did wonders with its art style, it’s lovely to look at and feels like a living, breathing world.
The narrative (no spoilers here) as it unfolds can be a little unclear. Plus, there’s a lot of text to click through here. Almost like it’s on the level of a visual novel (Coffee Talk Tokyo style).
What keeps it ticking over for a satisfying time of it is the use of humour, well established characters, and (again) the glorious animation style. It’s frequently beautiful as an experience and set its ambitions as homely and wholesome, making it a relaxingly stark experience.
Plus, a Nod to Universe for Sale’s Fab Soundtrack
The score is by Turian-based composer and musician Guglielmo Diana. The game’s publisher, Akupura Games, has very kindly put it all online for free. In an animated music video, too!
Ambience is the name of the game, but all sorts of different styles are explored. Our favourite of the lot is Infinite Sale, which reminds us a bit of Floex’s work on Amanita Design games.
It’s experimental at times and almost like it’s deliberately offkey to sound off kilter. Like it represents the retro-futuristic world of wonky technology and a ramshackle colony. All very cool.
