Osada is the first of three new releases from the minds of Samorost and Machinarium developers, Amanita Design. It's perhaps best described as an interactive music video that takes a colourful and unpredictable journey through a world of singing and dancing cowboys and indians. It's deeply, deeply strange, and free to play in your browser right now.
It's a sedate opening. A band of banjo playing Mexicans lay down a jam around a campfire. Then You have to make wolves howl so the moon will rise. Then you have to grow some plants to attract some bearded, camo wearing warrior bugs. It's around the time when the bottle-blowing American Indian's head starts expanding and contracting that the Osada effect starts to kick in.
clicking on certain objects in each area will start the next unpredictable scene change. The visuals take bizarre and unknowable twists every minute or so, so it's down to the low-fi country and western soundtrack to hold the whole thing together. Simon Ornest's shifting arrangements are the reason to give Osada a shot. You can get your Osada fix now from the Amanita Design site.
Amanita tell us that Osada must be played all the way through to be understood. If you figure it out, do let us know in the comments below, because we don't have a clue. Amanita Design are releasing two more games later this year. You can read about all about them in our recent interview with Jakub Dvorsky .
