Failbetter Games, the studio behind Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, and the Fallen London universe has moved onto slightly brighter pastures with its new game, Mandrake.
In a world reveal trailer shown during the PC Gaming Show 2025, we've had a first look at what to expect from the new game and as someone who loves a farming simulator, and anything vaguely dark and whimsical, it's definitely a game I plan on keeping a close eye on.
It's got all your bog standard elements of a farming simulator, but there is something whimsical about a few of the residents we meet in the trailer which helps to give Mandrake the feeling of something more compared to a game exclusively about crop cultivation. For example, we briefly see a gargantuan cat-like beast perched in a tree and labelled "horrifying creature" which suggests there is something out of the ordinary waiting for us.
However, outside of trying to grasp a sense of the story and the world's inhabitants, the environmental design of Mandrake is what captivated me most. Even though we don't exactly get an in-depth look at the world during the very brief trailer, the clips we do see give the impression that it's full of life without giving much away. From luscious forests to bustling towns, Mandrake's world has a lot of potential to hide secrets away, and there's no chance of it running the risk of feeling empty or visually boring.
The home customisation is also an element worth noting. We're shown this very briefly during the trailer and it definitely looks like something I'll sink hours into once we can play. It looks like we'll have quite a sizable home to upgrade or decorate from ceiling to floor, matching the same cluttered appearance of the rest of the world. But hey, a little clutter goes a long way in games like this, and can be the key to making your house feel like a home.
The bad news, however, is that no release date or even window was given to conclude the trailer. Mandrake is available to wishlist on Steam, but we could be a way out before the adventure comes to life. Still, that gives us all the more opportunity to speculate what the adventure could hold between times.
Check out every game, trailer, and announcement in the PC Gaming Show 2025
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