NIDUS: “A nest, especially one in which insects, spiders, etc., deposit their eggs. A place or point in an organism where a germ or other organism can develop or breed.”
NIDUS is an arcade game about symbiosis, parasitism, and growth. The player inhabits a symbiotic duo, a flower and wasp, and must survive their conjoined lifecycle in a threatening and surreal ecosystem. Its gameplay is inspired by early arcade games that explored novel methods of player input. Its visual style is an exploration of visceral imagination, utilizing psychedelic sensibilities in hand drawn 2D animation with a focus on insects and flowers. Development of NIDUS started in 2022, and took roughly 2 years to produce. It is a solo developed project from artist Caleb Wood.
Caleb is a USA based artist, who’s body of work primarily focuses on experimental animation. NIDUS is the first game produced by him, and marks a turning point in his career veering away from static media towards interactive experiences.
NIDUS will be available on Steam for PC
Price TBA
Release Date: Q1 2024