Video games, once dismissed as idle entertainment, are experiencing a cultural renaissance. Galvanized by easier manufacturing methods and better distribution channels, a new generation of independent designers and developers have created games that are startlingly original, accessible and artistic. In 2011, one of the most
visionary of those indie developers, Superbrothers, released Sword and Sworcery EP. An immersive, paradigm-shifting adventure game — Wired magazine said it had ‘the best creative direction of any mobile role-playing-
game we’ve seen’ — it became a global phenomenon.

Now, writer Adam Hammond journeys to Superbrothers’ secret headquarters in rural Quebec to chronicle the creation of their eagerly anticipated follow-up title. As one of the first players of the new game, Hammond provides a unique, ringside account of the gaming world. Along the way, he shows how indie video
games have evolved into a socially progressive art form, tracing their creative DNA in everything from modernist fiction to punk rock.