Press Kit
Fact Sheet
Developer
Developed In Melbourne, Australia
15 Minutes Of Game
Release Date
Oct 2023
Steam Demo
Website
15minutesofgame.com.au
Platorm
PC
Description
Trash is an open world co-op adventure game where you customize your character with crafted forms and abilities. Jump, Glide, Shield or Smash your way around a wild open world, completing puzzling challenge zones and surviving weird and wonderful creatures.
Set in the once global island base for the biggest energy corporation on the planet, the island has now fallen into dangerous disrepair after human life has been wiped away. In its stead a new lifeforce has emerged: Resin. Playing as a resin-based Morphite, you hold the power to restore the balance of the island and discover the mysterious origins of Resin life. Players must explore the island’s different open world biomes, collecting materials and crafting different character forms which give them unique abilities to survive the environment and solve procedurally generated Challenge Zones found throughout the world, ensuring no one playthrough is ever the same. You can play trash on Windows PC, solo or cooperatively online with your friends!
The Story Behind Trash
Trash began as a game designed to give hope when it came to climate change, nature, and survival of the planet. After profound experiences of talking about climate change with important young people in their lives, Trash’s game designers were struck by the sense of hopelessness: for Creative Director Charlie Kenihan, that sense came from speaking with his young cousins about the state of the earth at a family picnic. As a former teacher, Technical Director Nick Margerison found the same thing when he spoke to his students.
‘It’s always heartbreaking to hear people be pessimistic about the future,’ Kenihan said, ‘but when you hear that pessimism come from an eight-year-old it’s something else entirely.’
After a discussion with Nick the first seeds for Trash were planted. Then in early 2020, bushfires hit Australia, and Nick and Charlie saw their country engulfed in smoke. ‘We always knew we wanted to make something to address climate change, but the fires strengthened our resolve,’ Margerison said. ‘Climate change is an urgent problem, and if humans don’t address it the earth will find a way to continue on without us. That’s when the ideas of resin and post-human life started brewing.’
In late 2020, they started pre-production on Trash and assembled a team of creatives from around Victoria. In early February, they received an Assigned Production Investment Grant from Film Victoria. ‘The responses to Trash so far have been really positive,’ Kenihan said. ‘Trash’s themes clearly resonate with players of all ages. I’ve always been a fan of exploration and creativity to help solve problems, and seeing Trash bring people together to enjoy a game and reflect on climate change playfully has been incredibly empowering.’
History
15 Minutes Of Game strives to create culturally relevant and impactful content. With Trash, the team is keen to creatively explore the important issues of climate change and sustainability, through an engaging and accessible gaming experience for all. We’re aiming to secure our next round of funding for our unique game once our public alpha has been successfully released!
Features
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Recycle: Within the open-world Trash has challenge zones containing procedurally generated puzzles, meaning that no two playthroughs will be the same. (Alpha comes with two different procedurally generated puzzle types.)
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Play together: Play solo or with friends online through Steam.
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Evolve: Craft different attachments for your Morphite, unlocking new abilities in the process. Jump to new heights, break down walls with a single punch, and more!
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Explore: Trash features a beautiful hand-crafted low-poly environment that will be a joy to explore. The (Alpha comes with a full jungle biome to explore, as well as unique buildings, caves, and creatures.)
Video
Trash - YouTube
Awards & Recognition
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2021 - Exhibited - Melbourne International Games Week
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2021 - Exhibited - Games For Change
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2021 - Exhibited - Australian booth at G-Star
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2021 - Exhibited - Tiny Teams Steam Festival
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2021 - Funded - VicScreen funding
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Plus MANY awards to come!!
About 15 Minutes Of Game
Boilerplate
15 Minutes of Game (15MOG) is a Melbourne Based Indie games company, created in 2019 by designer Charles Kenihan & developer Nick Margerison. Passionate about creating unique high quality content, 15MOG specializes in creative, message based games and strives to create culturally relevant and impactful content. Their first game I Want To Go To Mars was released in early 2020, and the team is currently working on their first PC title, Trash.15MOG features a team with a broad skillset and promotes the use of young and upcoming local talent in the creation of their games. In November 2021 the studio released the Alpha build of their upcoming game Trash via Steam. To know more about the full release of Trash, keep an eye on their Steam page or Twitter account.