Game:
Across the Grooves,
An interactive graphic novel.

Game’s Website
Dev’s Facebook
Dev’s Twitter

Press contact:
contact@nova-box.com

Release Date:
June 17th 2020.

Platforms:
Steam, itch.io,
and Nintendo eshop.

Languages:
English, French.

Suggested Age Rating: 16+
mild mature/suggestive themes,
mild alcohol/tobacco/drugs references,
non-graphic nudity and sexual content.

Developer:
Nova-box
based in Bordeaux, France.
founded in 2007.

Address:
21 rue des Retaillons
33 300 Bordeaux
France.

Phone:
+33 (0) 981 896 150

Game Icon:

 

— LudoNarraCon 2021: Official Selection, online convention, April 2021,

— “#9 of the top 10 games of 2020”, Les Inrockuptibles, n° 1307-1308-1309, 16 décembre 2020,

— “Top 11 Games of 2020”, Digital Spy, 12/22/2020,

— Institut Français, Exposition “Machine à Bulles”: Official Selection, traveling exhibition, 2020-2021,

— EGX London 2019, The Leftfield Collection: Official Selection, London, England, 2019,

— Indie Game Factory 2019: “Best Game”, Bordeaux, France, 2019.

— “[Across the Grooves] is ultimately a gorgeous visual spectacle that is complemented by an inclusive and thrilling mystery.”, “The Games We Play” Column, June 26th 2020, Natalie Flores, Paste Magazine,

— “If you’re after a mature tale with interesting characters and solid writing, you may want to check this one out.”, Mini Review: Across The Grooves – A Time-Travelling Tale That’s All About Relationships, Ollie Reynolds, Nintendo Life,

— “Without exaggeration, I would recommend this game to anyone (any adult!) who is eager for a good story that could entertain for hours.”, Across the Grooves Review, Milaina Penzer, Bonus Stage,

— “We can place Across The Grooves next to the likes of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Gone Home and What Remains of Edith Finch as essential representations of a genre that constantly surprises me.”, Across the Grooves Review – Memories and Melodies, Ross Keniston, Finger Guns,

— “This time travelling, introspective visual novel picked a thread of my affection and tugged at it.”, Be your best self with time travel in Across The Grooves, Sin Vega, Rock Paper Shotgun,

— “Across the Grooves has a lot of potential to help the visual (graphic) novel genre break out even more than it has.”, Wireframe Magazine – Issue 24, October 10th 2019,

— “It seems to be very methodical and surreal, which is certainly how I like my narratives”, Across the Grooves explores music, existantialism, and destiny, Peter Glagowski, Destructoid,

 

— “On ne doute pas qu’une vie puisse être changée aussi par un jeu vidéo. Quel que soit son effet à long terme, l’arrivée du follement romanesque Across the Groove dans la nôtre est un merveilleux cadeau.”, “Paper Mario”, “Across the Grooves” et cinq autres jeux à emporter en vacances, Erwan Higuinen, Les Inrockuptibles,

— “Across the Grooves propose une histoire prenante et de jolis visuels […] et si vous aimez la musique, je ne doute pas du fait que vous passerez un chouette moment en sa compagnie.”, Test – Across the Grooves, Le mur du Songe, “Ellen Replay”, Canard PC n°410, Septembre 2020,

— “Admiratif des qualités visuelles et d’écriture d’Across the Grooves, on ne peut que conseiller la plongée dans cette histoire dans laquelle la musique se mêle au mystique.”, Test – Petites histoires d’un disque oublié, “Hachim0n”, JeuxOnLine,

— “[Une] élégante direction artistique de (très belle) bande dessinée”, Dans Across the Grooves, la musique transporte Alice dans le passé, Jarod, GameKult.

Nova-box is a small independent game studio, created twelve years ago (in October 2007). During the first years, they worked mainly as subcontractors specialized in Artificial Intelligence and user experience design for larger game studios. Since 2013, they’ve been creating and publishing their own narrative games, starting with “Echoes, Season 1: Greenhearth” on iOS from 2013 to 2015, and followed by two critically acclaimed interactive graphic novels: “Along the Edge” in 2016, and “Seers Isle” in 2018.

Nicolas Fouqué is an illustrator. School of Fine Arts graduate, he also has a degree in Game Art and started making video games in 2007 at Mad Monkey Studio. Freelance illustrator since 2010, he was the art director of “9 Elefants” (Microids, 2013). He formed a long term partnership with Nova-box, and is the main artist and art director of all their games since 2013.

Geoffroy Vincens is a writer. He wrote “Along the Edge” in 2016, “Seers Isle” in 2018, and co-authored “Echoes” (2013-2015), “Orphan Age: Diaries” (2017), and “My Hero Firefighter” (2008).

Raphaël Le Bobinnec is a game developer. He is in charge of all things technical at Nova-box.

Camille Marcos and Julien Ponsoda, from the collective “Illustrason”, are soundtrack composers for movies and video-games. They composed and recorded the soundtrack and created the sound design of “Seers Isle” (2018).

 

Team

Geoffroy Vincens — Words
Nicolas Fouqué & Mélanie Ertaud — Art
Raphaël Le Bobinnec & Daniel Borges (Manufacture 43) — Code
Camille Marcos & Julien Ponsoda (Illustrason) — Music

Rachel Capie — English Localization
Alix de Yelst — Proofreading
Korina Abbott (Neonhive) — Marketing & PR
Charlène Lebrun (Player Two PR) — Marketing & PR

Alizé Giraud — Art Intern
Cyndie Cazeaux-Corp & Victoria Cribier — Marketing Interns

Made with the support of la région Nouvelle-Aquitaine.