Ebenezer and the Invisible World brings the Christmas spirit

Of all the recent reinterpretations of public domain properties, from Winnie’s Hole to Lies of P, a 2D metroidvania action game featuring the miserly protagonist of A Christmas Carol is one of the more left-of-field. Whatever the case, developers Orbit Studios and Play On Worlds have announced Ebenezer and the Invisible World during the PC Gaming Show 2023, a video game sequel to Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic novel. The game already has a playable demo available on Steam for those interested in trying it out.

Set a year after the misanthropic miser Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three Christmas Spirits, Ebenezer and the Invisible World sees him once again visited by another spirit. This time, he is warned that Caspar Malthus, another wealthy London businessman, had been similarly visited by three spirits this Christmas. However, following the visitations, Malthus had been  corrupted by a Dark Spirit, who has convinced him to use his future knowledge from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come to create an invention which would crush London’s underclass once and for all.

To stop Malthus, Ebenezer must use his connection to the Invisible World of spirits to aid him in his quest. As you complete side quests and progress further through London, you find and recruit new spirits who can lend Ebenezer their skills, such as the trapeze artists Rose and Flossie Reed and the mountaineer Victoria Peak. In classic metroidvania fashion, the player is encouraged to backtrack to unlock previously inaccessible areas as they obtain new movement abilities.

However such a premise will work out in execution, only time will tell. At any rate, this is shaping up to be the most Christmassy metroidvania ever. Ebenezer and the Invisible World currently has a playable demo, however a specific release date is yet to be confirmed.