What will Le Zoo be to its players?
Le Zoo, the latest mobile game from Mother Games, is not your typical RPG. It offers players a unique and transformative experience that aims to awaken their minds and expand their inner worlds through play. The game takes place in a surreal and psychedelic world, where players are invited to answer questions about themselves and discover which of the five houses they belong to. From there, they embark on a journey through a multi-tiered theme park filled with diverse neighborhoods, park attractions, and challenging characters that challenge their perception of reality.
But what sets Le Zoo apart from other video games? According to Kelsey Falter and Raissa Chagas, two of the founders of Mother Games, the idea of using a video game as a message-delivery system was at the core of their vision. They wanted to create a game that went beyond entertainment and offered players a deeper, more meaningful experience.
In an interview with GamesBeat, Falter explained, “We were like, ‘We want to do something that has the ability to deliver a message.’ That’s where we started looking for a really good message-delivery system, and a game came to our purview.” The result is Le Zoo, a game that challenges players to look within themselves and explore their own perceptions of reality.
The gameplay of Le Zoo revolves around an open-world platform with a library of mini-games. It’s like an ongoing theme park that is still under construction, serving as a metaphor for the game of life itself. As players navigate through the game, their behavior and choices feed into their house membership, which opens up the class and skill system. This dynamic creates a personal and immersive experience for each player.
Chagas added, “Our tagline is ‘The only way out is within.’ The game is bringing us to look within ourselves. When you’re in the game, you don’t see any similarity to this physical world that we’re in. In my experience, when I’m exploring and jumping around, it makes me feel inspired to explore this physical world in a different way.” Le Zoo encourages players to see the world from a new perspective and apply that way of seeing things to their everyday lives.
One of the key objectives of Le Zoo is to offer players a different kind of sensation than the dopamine rushes typically associated with video games. Falter explained, “Part of what we’re trying to do is say, ‘If you experience a new way of being, like feeling like flying while you’re flying in Le Zoo — what does that feel like if you apply that way of seeing things in your day-to-day life?’” The game aims to provide players with an experience that goes beyond the game itself, allowing them to explore new possibilities and expand their minds.
Le Zoo has already attracted significant attention and support from investors. Mother Games recently announced that it has raised $5 million in pre-seed funding for the development of the game. BoxGroup, Shine, and Lerer Hippeau Ventures are among the contributors. David Tisch, partner at BoxGroup, expressed his excitement about the project, stating, “Mother is breaking new ground in the gaming industry with its visionary understanding of how to change your mind and their commitment to creating deeply transformative experiences.”
Overall, Le Zoo represents a new frontier in the gaming industry. It challenges traditional notions of what a video game can be and offers players a unique and transformative experience. With its focus on self-discovery and personal growth, Le Zoo has the potential to impact players on a deeper level, inspiring them to explore new perspectives and expand their inner worlds. As Mother Games continues to develop the game, it will be interesting to see how it resonates with players and the impact it has on the gaming industry as a whole.