CARETO

A game based on a Portuguese northern folklore.
Language: Portuguese/English
Platforms: Win; Mac; Android.
Website: mastudios.itch.io/careto

CARETO is a game to collect, build and explore. It follows all the steps of Caretos' tradition: playing tricks, shaking their bells in the streets, collecting typical items and burning the wicker man.

CARETO was presented during Carnival of 2023 in Podence, Portugal.It was very special to be able to launch the project during Carnival in the village where Caretos are from, alonside them.

During the Carnival of February 2020 (before the covid-19 pandemic), I visited Podence to work on the pre-production of CARETO. I made a small documentary compiling some interviews and footage of the tradition. That year Podence received the largest number of visitors ever recorded because Caretos were recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This tradition has a lot of energy and a lot of color. The village of Podence is very colorful with the colors of the Caretos and keeps the old typical houses made of schist. So, the goal was always to do something authentic - all the houses in the game exist in Podence. The landscape also has very beautiful colors, and the mist blends in with the hills. So I wanted the color to be a striking and playful element from the very beginning of prodution.



The art and the gameplay were always intrinsic and evolved at the same time from the beginning of the development. From the colors to the characters, the gameplay began to take shape.