Cosmic Top Secret (video game)

Last updated
Cosmic Top Secret
Cosmic Top Secret.jpg
Developer(s) Klassefilm
Publisher(s) Klassefilm
Nakana.io
Director(s) Trine Laier
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
MacOS
Android
iOS
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
ReleaseNovember 15, 2018
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Cosmic Top Secret is a video game for PC and Mobile by Danish film- and game-production company Klassefilm. Released November 15, 2018, the game follows the experiences of the heroine Agent T in her search for answers, concerning her parents' involvement in the Danish Defence Intelligence Service during the Cold War. The game was later released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on May 21, 2021, by indie game publisher Nakana.io.

Contents

Story

Cosmic Top Secret is based on real documentary audio recordings made by Director Trine Laier. The recordings were made while she was trying to untangle the secrets of her father and mother's time in the Danish Intelligence. [1]

Cosmic Top Secret is an autobiographical adventure video game about T. The player follows her journey to uncover the truth about her parents’ work with Danish Intelligence during the Cold War. What exactly was it that they did? You must control T on her uncertain journey into adulthood and an atomic war that never happened but yet wounded a family. Surreal elements, human relationships, history, and secrecy come together to form a complex gaming experience. [2]

Art style

The world of Cosmic Top Secret is made to look like a cutout/puppet-theatre. All the characters are flat 2D puppets put in a 3D world. When moving the main character Agent T, she is rolled up in a paper ball, and moves along the ground, or is flicked into the air. [3]

Development

Cosmic Top Secret was first shown under the Danish name of Yderst Hemmeligt in 2012, as a graduation project [4] [5] by director Trine Laier at the National Film School of Denmark.

In 2013 the game received funding from Danish Film Institute to further develop the idea of a documentary game and redesigning the game as an adventure game. [6]

Accolades

The game has garnered some attention at shows and conferences around the world. [7] [8]

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.
2016 A MAZE Festival Berlin Most Amazing Game AwardCosmic Top SecretWon [9] [10]
2017 Indiecade Festival The Culture AwardCosmic Top SecretWon [11]
IDFA DocLab Archived 2018-01-22 at the Wayback Machine Award for Digital StorytellingCosmic Top SecretWon [12]
2018 Independent Games Festival Seumas McNally Grand PrizeCosmic Top SecretHonorable Mention [13]
Independent Games Festival Excellence in NarrativeCosmic Top SecretHonorable Mention [13]
Independent Games Festival Nuovo AwardCosmic Top SecretNominated [13] [14]
Digital Dozen Breakthroughs in Storytelling AwardsCosmic Top SecretFinalist [15]

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References

  1. "Computerspil følger i dokumentarfilmenes fodspor" (in Danish). Politiken. 23 December 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  2. "Official Website". Klassefilm. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  3. "Yderst Hemmeligt on TV2 News". TV 2 News. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  4. "Yderst Hemmeligt". National Film School of Denmark. 22 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  5. "Yderst Hemmeligt". Danish Film Institute. 22 April 2017. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  6. "YDERST HEMMELIGT – ADVENTURESPIL I UDVIKLING" (in Danish). Danish Film Institute. 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-05-18. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  7. ""Cosmic Top Secret" & "Aboard the Lookinglass"". Heinz Heise. 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  8. "8th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling". ICIDS. 14 November 2015. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  9. "International A MAZE. Awards 2016. And the winners are…". A MAZE. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  10. "YDERST HEMMELIGT VINDER SPILPRIS I BERLIN". Danish Film Institute. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  11. "10th Anniversary Festival Awards & Honorees". Indiecade. 7 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  12. "IDFA DocLab 2017 Awards". IDFA. 3 November 2017. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 "2018 INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL FINALISTS". Independent Games Festival. 3 January 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  14. Whitney, Kayla (22 March 2018). "Complete list of 2018 Independent Games Festival Awards Winners". AXS . Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  15. "Digital Dozen 2018". Digital Dozen. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.