Factsheet
Developer:
MoaCube
Based in Warsaw, Poland
Release date:
PC/Mac: Jun 2012 | Switch: Feb 2019
Platforms:
PC / Mac
Steam
GOG
Nintendo Switch
Website:
moacube.com/games/cinders
Regular Price:
| USD | $19.99 |
Description
A mature take on Cinderella that's all about player choices and breaking the classic fairy tale in any way you like.
Cinders is a witty young woman living with an overbearing stepmother and her two daughters, as if she was reenacting a certain well-known fairy tale. But unlike its protagonist, Cinders is not afraid of taking fate into her own hands. Even if it means breaking the rules.
The game takes a look at four women and what made them who they are. It’s a story about freedom, dreams, sisterhood, and finding your own Happily Ever After that may not exactly agree with the stale morals of classic fairytales.
With multiple endings, 120 decision points, and over 300 choices, Cinders gives you total control over the main character’s personality and how her story unfolds.
History
Cinders was MoaCube's first project. Something Gracjana & I have been mulling over for months after playing other indie visual novels. We wanted to take a stab at an established fairytale canon, deepen the side characters, let the player take the story wherever they want, and see what happens.
Due to the shoestring budget of small private savings, development was supposed to take 6 months at max. It took a year and a half, putting the team in quite a few close calls. A 100k+ words script with hundreds of choices was simply impossible to complete in time without additional writers. Finally, Agnieszka Mulak and Hubert Sobecki - Gracjana's friends with no former experience in game development - were brought to the team and MoaCube was able to finish the game.
The game was an unexpected critical and financial success, securing the studio's future (for a while at least) and providing funds for our next project: Solstice.
In 2019, MoaCube teamed up with Crunching Koalas to bring Cinders to Nintendo Switch.
Features
- A serious take on a classic fairytale story.
- Gorgeous artwork and soundtrack.
- Your choices actually matter.
- Active and witty female protagonist.
Videos
Launch Trailer YouTube
Switch Trailer YouTube
Images
Logo & Icon
Selected Articles
- "Cinders is not a cut-and-dry morality tale, but rather a story about a woman trying hard to make a better life for herself."
- Becky Chambers, The Mary Sue - "MoaCube focuses on the women of the tale and what made them who they are. The game is about nuance, is about understanding the motivations of another human being."
- Patricia Hernandez, Kotaku - "Asides from being delightfully well-written, highly replayable and filled with complex, convoluted characters, Cinders is also beautiful."
- Cassandra Khaw, IndieGames.com - "Cinders is a brilliant retelling of a classic tale, and a fine example of how visual novels should be done."
- Cassandra Khaw, PocketGamer.com
Additional Links
Cinders OST on Bandcamp
Cinders original soundtrack is available on robwestwood.bandcamp.com.
About MoaCube
Boilerplate
MoaCube is a small collective of indie game developers, started by two industry vets: designer Tom Grochowiak and artist Gracjana Zielinska.
We aim to make games that are diverse, personal and highly polished and are mostly known for our narrative titles Cinders and Solstice.
More information
More information on MoaCube, our logo & relevant media are available here.
Cinders Credits
Tom Grochowiak
Development, Story
Gracjana Zielinska
Artwork
Hubert Sobecki
Writing
Agnieszka Mulak
Writing
Rob Westwood
Music, Freelancer
Contact
Inquiries
tom@moacube.com
Twitter
twitter.com/TomGrochowiak
Facebook
facebook.com/MoaCube
Tumblr
moacube.tumblr.com
Website
MoaCube.com
presskit() by Rami Ismail (Vlambeer) - also thanks to these fine folks