Project Introduction

Set in Madagascar in 1942, Hiboka is a single-player third-person survival horror game that tells a moving tale of grief, love, and deception. The game features two main playable characters: Alexandre Leblanc, a wealthy teenage boy grieving the loss of his mother, and Ramala Fifaliana, a Malagasy girl whom Alexandre encounters during his search to find the entrance to Hiboka, the spirit underworld of Malagasy folklore.
Key characteristics:
- A beautiful story of intrigue and horror based on folklore from Madagascar.
- A unique real time decision system that affects both main characters through their respective timelines.
- Play as Alexandre and then as Ramala in perfect synchronization in order to uncover the truth behind the Sanatry Mansion.

Trapped in the cursed Sanatry Mansion in the deep woods of Madagascar, you first play through the story as Alexandre and then replay the events from Ramala’s perspective. Making decisions as Alexandre will affect the outcome of your playthrough with Ramala.
The gameplay revolves around:
- Third person action (combat, exploration, item management).
- Escape room puzzle solving.
- Meaningful decisions with consequences.

About Developer

Flying Carpets is an independent video game studio founded in Montreal in July 2012.
Our mission is to make the games that we want to play, with unique and original designs that can inspire players. Our work is founded on passion, love and gratification.
Our studio strongly believes that art is the key to change the world. Through art, creators send messages, give new viewpoints and bring the audience to a new understanding of what could otherwise be misunderstood.

We have 2 impact goals in mind:
Make people discover multicultural beauty through our games.
Ultimately help other underrepresented game developers by providing a safe working space.
Also create a healthy working space that promotes diversity.
Our studio strongly believes that art is the key to change the world. Through art, creators send messages, give new viewpoints and bring the audience to a new understanding of what could otherwise be misunderstood.
Our games aim to show to the world that all cultures are beautiful and that understanding them can break the barriers of discrimination and misconceptions.
For example, Hiboka, our current project, gives us the opportunity to show many aspects of the beautiful culture of Madagascar. It acknowledges the accomplishments, beliefs and struggle of that country in a respectful and educative way. And although not necessarily the main focus of the story, it can also show the complexity and subtlety of the relationship between the French and the Malagasy people during their days of colonization.
It’s also worth mentioning that Salim, the game designer behind the project, has a Malagasy and French-Canadian background and is personally invested in telling this story that encompasses elements of both cultures.
Our second goal is a long-term project in the event that our studio becomes more financially independent. We would like to open a space for small teams of developers to work. This would either be in the form of a co-working space or a coffee shop. This would be a place of inclusion giving the chance to people of all backgrounds to work in safe space. This space would also host different events mostly aimed at showcasing games and promoting diversity in games.