K Bros to release Albert & Otto on console (and why the whole thing feels a little off)

Albert & Otto: The Adventure Begins was originally released in 2015 for PC. It was announced this morning that the game will be coming to Xbox One on January 10, and PS4 on January 16. Obviously inspired by Limbo, but with an interesting art style all its own, Albert & Otto is a game set in 1939 Germany. The setting lends the game a weird militaristic vibe, with the culture of Germany at the time obviously reflected in the game’s design, font, etc.

The story centers on a boy and his magic bunny on a journey together to find the boy’s abducted sister. According to the press release, Albert & Otto offers “2.5 - 3 hours of unique puzzles that utilize a bunny, levitation, electrical switches, wolves, piranhas and more”. Gameplay seems to be divided between puzzle-platforming sections that can be taken slowly and methodically, and more frantic “gauntlet sections” that require the player to move with speed and precision.

Albert & Otto was originally planned to be the first episode in a series of four. Due to low sales volume and insufficient funding, developer K Bros Games has been unable to complete the subsequent episodes, leaving Albert & Otto as an orphaned game. The developer makes no bones about the fact that they are hoping that the console release will afford them the opportunity to continue working on Albert & Otto, with the hopes of completing the story.

Frankly, I have a lot of questions about this game.

Looking at the developer’s website, it seems like Albert & Otto represented something of a step forward for the studio, following a run of mobile and (silly but admittedly amusing looking) novelty games. However, with the developer’s history of poop and sex games, I am wondering about how they are handling the 1939 German setting. Was the setting chosen with the intention of being provocative?

While reviews from the game’s original release don’t mention the art style and setting much, its difficult not to see the obvious Nazi imagery in the promotional materials, which has me wondering about the overall slant the game takes. It is unclear how much the actual game leans into the historic German setting in comparison to the marketing materials. Perhaps the game doesn’t take a slant at all, which then makes me wonder if it is okay to set a game in Nazi Germany and not take a position. Who was the intended audience for this game? The image accompanying this article (which I pulled from Steam) shows the main character holding some sort of weapon or tool in what is obviously a simulated Nazi salute. The color scheme is clearly that of the Nazi flag. Even the game’s title logo contains hooks on the ampersand that make the character reminiscent of a swastika. This is provocative artwork, and there is no way on Earth that the art team missed that reference when designing the art for this game. 

I am forced to wonder why the developer did not include text clarifying the point of the setting in the press release.  It literally just says “Albert & Otto is a story set in 1939 Germany about a boy and his abducted sister's magical bunny”, etc. There is no mention as to why the game is set in 1939 Germany, how that setting is reflected in the story, or how the imagery informs the mood or the gameplay.

I’m not quite sure what about this game announcement got my hackles up. I’m not one to rush to judgement, and I want to give the developers the benefit of the doubt. I often roll my eyes at folks that seem to be overly sensitive. I’ve played tons of games with Nazis, mostly on the receiving end of my sniper rifle, but still, I would say that Nazi Germany is a legitimate setting for a video game. But just the fact that I carefully typed this article, deleting and re-typing sentences, shows what a sensitive topic is in play with Albert & Otto, which at once makes it intriguing and creepy. What is this game doing with this setting? Does the setting enrich the story? Is it appropriate to set a game involving levitating sheep in Nazi Germany? Might the setting have contributed to lower PC sales for the title? Is it even fair to be having this discussion about the imagery before playing the game?

Considering the shifting cultural dynamic at play in the United States over the last couple of years, it is possible that the dev team at K Bros began designing this game in 2014 with no idea what a hot button topic Nazis would be in 2018. But, really, even though they have unfortunately risen to the front and center of public attention in 2017, haven’t Nazis always been considered provocative subject matter?

I don’t have the answers to any of these questions, but I reached out to K Bros via email seeking a statement from them. I have thus far not heard back from them, but I welcome their input. I will update this post to reflect any communication I receive. In the meantime, Albert & Otto: The Adventure Begins is currently available on Steam and mobile platforms, and will release for console later this month.