A Siamese cat, his mech and a floating city built inside a whale are at the heart of Bolt of Whalington, which now has a free demo on Steam. Developer Orca Studio and publisher UltraPlayers have released the demo for the exploration-focused Metroidvania, ahead of the full game’s PC launch in 2027.
The demo covers four areas of Whalington: Sardine, Kitchen, Cabins and Residence. The Kitchen area is included in full, with parts of the other three. The main path takes around 60 to 90 minutes, or up to two and a half hours for players looking for every secret.
One of the game’s main features is the Rule Terminals found around Whalington, which let players rewrite certain rules of the world, such as turning a cat into a rat or converting HP into keys. The full game also includes areas where walls become paths and platforms react to light, with each region bringing its own new mechanics.
Josh, Founder and Producer at Orca Studio, said the team wanted players to feel free to experiment with the world.
We wanted Bolt of Whalington to feel like a world you can poke at, with a cat, a mech and a floating whale-city full of things that don’t always behave the way you expect.
Everyday objects often have more than one use. A wall that looks solid might give way with a bit of soap, and a room that seems sealed might have another way in. Many challenges have multiple solutions. To reach a catnip can that is just out of reach, for example, one player might launch Bolt from his mech at the top of a jump, while another might use shotgun recoil to get extra height.
Harry, Publishing Director at UltraPlayers, said this approach makes exploration feel more personal.
When two players can reach the same goal in different ways, exploration starts to feel more personal and surprising.
Bolt and his mech can both exist in the world at the same time, and players can switch between them to combine their abilities. Bolt can squeeze through narrow gaps the mech cannot reach, while the mech brings its own equipment and powers. Boss fights also reward exploration, with NPC comments, scrolls or item descriptions sometimes hinting at an enemy’s weakness, and hidden upgrades and equipment opening up new options in battle.
