In the soft, rolling hills of the Derbyshire dales the grass is clipped to just a few centimetres by gently bleating sheep. For game artist and designer Harry Nesbitt who grew up here, this countryside is in his blood. “There’s something there deep in my subconscious,” he says. “I always want to tell stories or depict worlds that are close to my heart.”
Nesbitt’s fondness for this terrain is visible the very first time you look at Summerhill, his forthcoming puzzle-adventure game that tasks the player with herding sheep through a bucolic landscape. You’re accompanied by a dog who provides key assistance; you’ll come across intriguing ruined structures, the remains of an ancient civilisation whose culture was centred on shepherding, through which you must guide your growing flock. Nesbitt says these ruins are designed in order to “contain, funnel, or sort” sheep in certain ways, causing the player to “rationalise” and “reconfigure” the space in order to progress.
