During the recent Kinetic Publishing Showcase Preview, Precognition director Sam Barlow and Kinetic Publishing marketing lead Asim Tanvir offered new insights into the upcoming title's development and core mechanics. The discussion highlighted how the project is being shaped under the partnership between Half Mermaid Productions and Kinetic Publishing.
Understanding Precognition's Core Gameplay
Sam Barlow explained that Precognition centers on a character named Diana, a child prodigy subjected to an experiment involving head implants. As a side effect, she experiences visions of her own future. Unlike others in the experiment who forget these visions, Diana can retain them.
For the player, this translates into a unique inventory system. You collect various "alternate futures" as memories, which you then commit to in order to influence the game's progression. Barlow described the narrative stakes as a "monkey's paw" scenario: while players initially view time manipulation as a powerful advantage, the consequences of using these abilities grow more severe over time.
Development Philosophy and Indie Advice
Asim Tanvir, speaking on the hallmarks of a Kinetic Publishing title, noted that the publisher prioritizes projects with a strong creative vision. Their role is to provide the necessary marketing support to allow developers to focus on the game itself.
Regarding the realities of independent development, Barlow acknowledged the difficulty of the process, noting that creating video games is "harder than brain surgery." He advised aspiring developers to focus on "elbow grease" and suggested that creating a homage to existing titles—similar to how Stardew Valley builds upon the Harvest Moon framework—can be a viable way to inject unique ideas and passion into a project that audiences will notice.
Kinetic Publishing encourages interested players to follow their official channels on BlueSky and add upcoming titles to their wishlists for future updates.