It’s rare you get to experience an extended demo for a game alongside the developer at an event such as BitSummit. It’s even more rare that the developer in question is the creator of one of your favorite games from the last decade or so. So you cannot begin to understand how happy I was to sit down with Tali Faulkner from Origame Digital, creator of Umurangi Generation to experience his next title, Penguin Colony. Which is currently, without a doubt, my most anticipated game of 2026.

Penguin Colony wears its inspiration on its sleeve, yet it is hard to explain what it is about. As a red flare lights up the Antarctic's night sky, you control a Penguin. Why you’re exactly drawn to this light isn’t immediately clear. The penguin isn’t straightforward to control and can only waggle and slide down. It wasn’t long before I was trying to slide around most of the landscape covered in a thick pile of snow. Think Journey but set in the Antarctic but with a layer of uneasiness. If you’ve played Umurangi Generation you know that atmosphere is everything and Penguin Colony is dripping with it. Whether it is snowstorms, the howling of the wind or that voice. That alluring, yet deeply disturbing, voice of Howard Blakely, voiced by Lenval Brown of yes, Disco Elysium fame. Blakely keeps going on about his urge to explore this inhabitable region and what has drawn him to it. As you keep exploring, perhaps you may need to switch to a different kind of Penguin. The chicks are smaller but cannot swim. They do fit through tight gaps. The emperor penguin has much more stamina but isn’t as fast with his slide or waddle.

Exploring the different structures and settlements on Antarctica presents you with new monologues from Blakely providing more insight into the world and his story. There’s no set path to follow but there are subtle ways in which the game provides direction. Not just the aforementioned flare, but also by following the direction of the wind or other environmental effects. While I did get through the opening pretty fast, I wouldn’t be surprised if many players end up spending quite some time in these snowy wilds. That’s not a punishment though, as there is plenty to discover out there. Along the route you’ll find strange symbols that reveal words such as ‘Colony’ or “Northern”. They seem to puzzle together a sort of language as the narrative unfolds. Giving more meaning as to what is going on and how the characters and stories you come across are part of this tale.

There’s little I want to say about the story itself. Partly because I think of it as a narrative-driven game where going in blind is worth the effort. But also given that the demo is clearly a prologue for the story that is about to follow. That narrative hook is however why I’m so excited about this game. Given that Fellow Traveler, publisher of 1000xRESIST has picked up this game for publishing and the previous work from Origame Digital I think this could really be the narrative hit of the year. There is a sort of confidence that Penguin Colony extrudes. Here is a team that wants to tell this story. A team that has honed their craft after the success of Umurangi Generation and isn’t shy of making an authentic and possibly inaccessible story for the masses. Hell, a team that recreated the title sequence from The Thing with practical effects on film for their opening. You may look at Penguin Colony and expect another narrative driven adventure game and while I’m sure you’ll get that. But Origame Digital is aiming for something deeper. Something that reflects the urgency of the times. Making a statement that’s reinforced through gameplay and one that hopefully will resonate. At the very least it did with me. And while I still have no idea what penguins will be up to, I’m beyond excited to see where this journey will lead.

Penguin Colony releases later this year. A demo for the game is available now on PC.