An island split into seven zones of grief, an impulse mechanic, and a small team building something intimate on their own dime. Vestige deserves your attention.
Alexandrosse
Imagine an island. Not the postcard kind, the kind full of questions that stay with you. An island that is actually a character's subconscious, split into seven zones, each governed by a different emotion of grief. That's where Pyramide Games is building Vestige.
Vestige is a narrative game. You explore an island guided by an impulse mechanic that evolves depending on the zones you travel through. The story unfolds naturally, never asking the player to connect the dots themselves: the narration does that work, at its own pace, carried by the character's emotions.
The artistic approach is dual: a realistic style for memory sequences, and a more stylised, almost oneiric direction for the island itself. The acknowledged visual reference is Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
Seven zones of grief structure the experience, each with its own visual and emotional identity. The impulse mechanic, central to the game, evolves from zone to zone and guides progression as much as it reveals the character's inner state.
Vestige is a project that grew around a personal vision. Originally an idea from Valentin, the game's Director, whose theme of grief gradually became woven into development, transforming an intimate project into something larger. It's Rémy BAL who leads Pyramide Games, the studio now carrying the project forward.
Pyramide Games has three people at its core. Around them, a team of around twenty contributors, including interns, freelancers, and volunteers, around fifteen of whom are still active. Recruitment goes through Discord forums, video game school networks, and the indie community.
It's the reality of independent development: build with little, but build anyway.
No need to wait: a Vestige prototype is already available on Itch.io, regularly updated as development progresses. It's the best way to follow the game's evolution in real time.
Looking ahead, Pyramide Games is targeting a full release in late 2027 or early 2028, with Steam as the main distribution platform.
Valentin and Rémy are personally financing the project, which is a real constraint on the pace of development. Managing a partly volunteer team also represents a significant coordination challenge.
The team acknowledges pipeline mistakes early in the project: game design was started before the script was finalised, which required adjustments. A lesson shared by many first independent productions.
Vestige is also ineligible for CNC funding due to the proportion of volunteers on the team.
Vestige has a clear identity, an ambitious narrative structure, and a team that learns quickly from its mistakes. The seven zones of grief, the impulse mechanic that evolves throughout the game, the blend of realism and stylisation — all of it sketches a game that knows where it wants to go.
If the project intrigues you, a Kickstarter pre-launch page is already live for those who want to keep an eye on the upcoming campaign.
Preview based on available information and the Itch.io prototype. Release planned for late 2027 / early 2028 on Steam.
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