Indy game developer WayForward Technologies today announced it is developing LIT exclusively for Nintendo’s upcoming WiiWare service, which is set to launch on May 12 in North America.

WayForward describes LIT as a 3D horror puzzler set in a dark high school infested with evil creatures. Players will follow the story of protagonist Jake, a young man who yearns to escape from the cursed school and reunite with his girlfriend Rachael.

A release date for the title has yet to be announced. WayForward are responsible for the development of Contra 4 and the acclaimed Game Boy Color platformer Shantae. That said, this title definitely has potential.

Valencia, Calif. – (March 5, 2008) — Independent game developer WayForward Technologies announced today that its forthcoming game LIT will make its debut exclusively on Nintendo’s upcoming download service, WiiWare. LIT utilizes the unique features of the Wii to bring a tense and unnerving adventure to the Nintendo Wii audience.

“This is the first time in recent memory that our team has felt the freedom to begin experimenting on consoles outside the confines of established IP, budget, or publisher dictates,” said John Beck, CEO of WayForward Technologies. “The scope and business model for WiiWare really make this possible.”

LIT is a 3D horror puzzler set in a dark high school overrun by creatures. The game follows Jake, a below-average student and the game’s protagonist, as he makes his way through each classroom, utilizing what light he can find to create safe paths across the darkness. Jake’s objectives are to escape his school and reconnect with his girlfriend, Rachael, who uses the school’s phones to keep in contact with him. LIT combines environmental puzzling with horror combat and boss battles to create a uniquely unsettling Nintendo Wii experience.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be working on an original game for the WiiWare platform,” said Adam Tierny, director of LIT. “After settling on the concept of light vs. shadows, a horror theme seemed to make sense. The team working on LIT had also recently finished a creepy demo for the Nintendo DS that I think whetted everyone’s horror appetite. We decided to make it an action-puzzler because of how infrequently horror and puzzling gets combined in games, and to squeeze out the greatest amount of gameplay possible from a limited file size.”

LIT is WayForward’s first internally-developed property since the hair-whipping, belly-dancing Shantae was released by Capcom on the Game Boy Color in 2002. LIT currently does not have a release date or price point.

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