Gibbon: Beyond the Trees

Lore & Background

The idea for Gibbon: Beyond the Trees originated with Broken Rules' CEO Felix Bohatsch, who liked gibbons. After visiting a zoo with his children and watching the animals move, he wanted to emulate their brachiation. Bohatsch made a prototype in 2018 with co-founder Peter Vorlaufer, inspired by endless runners like Alto's Adventure and Canabalt, but it was deemed too physical and simulation-heavy, so it was set aside. Months later, Apple asked the team to make something for Apple Arcade, prompting them to revisit the game and begin full production, with Apple also coming on as producers and helping fund it. Bohatsch further developed the idea with creative director Clemens Scott and animator Sascha Vernik, and Wolfire Games' David Rosen contributed his own prototype for the movement simulation.

Research revealed that gibbons were very endangered and their habitat was being destroyed, leading the team to decide on two core themes: swinging through the jungle and environmental consciousness. The team connected with NGOs such as the Thailand-based Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, Rainforest Rescue, and the Bruno Manser Fonds to learn about gibbons, deforestation, and indigenous cultures. They also hired a cultural liaison expert and consulted Austrian documentarian Werner Boote about dealing with difficult topics in entertainment. Development took three years, with a team of up to 14 people, about half based in Vienna and the rest in other cities and countries, including art director Catherine Unger and main artist Kitt Byrne in London, and Canadian developer Eddy Boxerman contributing to physics and animation. Music was composed by Andrew 'scntfc' Rohrmann, and Vienna-based Wobblersound handled sound design and audio implementation.

Reader's Guide

Gibbon: Beyond the Trees received mixed or average ratings, scoring 63 out of 100 on Metacritic. Reviewers praised its beautiful visuals and ecological message but were divided on its controls, short length, and repetitive gameplay. Some reported performance issues on the Nintendo Switch version, noting a stuttering frame rate in some areas. The game won several awards, including the Apple Design Award for Social Impact, the International Award at Bitsummit 2022, the Digital Viking Award 2023 for Best Art Style, the 2022 Pedagogic Media Award in Germany, and a Webby Award for Social Impact in the games category. It was also nominated for Game Beyond Entertainment at the 2023 BAFTA Games Awards, Mobile Game of the Year at the 2023 D.I.C.E. Awards, and the Visual Design Award at IndieCade. The game features three modes: a short story mode that avoids points and timers to emphasize narrative; an endless liberation mode where the player rescues caged animals in a procedurally generated jungle; and a daily run mode added later, challenging players to cover as much distance as possible within a time limit. The game was the largest in terms of team size and budget that Broken Rules had worked on up to that point, and development was complicated by remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Did You Know?

• The game was inspired by a prototype made in 2018 that was initially deemed too physical and simulation-heavy.
• Wolfire Games' David Rosen contributed a prototype for the movement simulation.
• The team consulted the Thailand-based Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and Rainforest Rescue during development.