Istanbul-based game studio Ubik Studios is preparing to release their new game, Leila, available on Steam on April 7th, followed by a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, and Xbox console release on April 17th. The game will also be available on GOG.
Leila features hand-drawn animations and thought-provoking puzzles as players enter the world of Leila (game’s main character) and decipher her story.
Founded in Istanbul in 2022 by Nihan İşler, Uğur Canbaz and İsmail İbiloğlu, the studio’s first game, Havsala: Into the Soul Palace, was co-developed and published by Stratera Games (now Rogue Duck Interactive) and currently holds a 93% ‘Very Positive’ rating on Steam.
Ubik Studios started with a small team with experience in game development and grew in a short period of time, and today it has grown into a studio with 12 people.
Alperen Güner, the Founder of Mindlabor, a game studio that focuses on minimal puzzle games (Quadrata, Lovux) for both PC and mobile, also is working in the company as a game programmer.
Leila’s story and gameplay elements
As we enter the mind of a middle-aged woman struggling to make peace with herself, we travel through her memories, traumas and mistakes, told in her own voice.
Designed as a journey of self-reflection and forgiveness, this game takes players on a fascinating journey through Leila’s past with the help of a technological device gifted to her by her daughter.
The game has creative and original puzzle elements and has been in development for two years.
Key Features
You are not alone!: Through Leila’s journey, players will find comfort in shared struggles, encouraging self-reflection, self-love, and forgiveness.
Lots of creative puzzles: Work your way through the narrative with many intriguing puzzles carefully designed for each episode.
Discover the aesthetics of decades: In the episodes set in the 80s, 90s and 2000s, the decoration, clothing, aesthetics, music and jargon trends of those periods were designed carefully to properly reflect the era. Expect a trip through nostalgia!
Face it or run: As we wander in Leila’s mind and memories, the player is given the choice of confronting or running away from them. But you’ll eventually have to confront all the memories you chose to run away from. Your decision changes the order in which the story is told as well as Leila’s commentary.
Stunning end-of-episode cinematics: At the end of each episode players are rewarded with a traditionally-animated short film!
Music to accompany the emotional rollercoaster: With 16 original tracks, Leila’s soundtrack enhances its emotional highs and lows, sometimes making it cozier and sometimes taking us to a darker place.
