{{Infobox video game | title = Saint Kotar | image = Saint Kotar cover.jpg | developer = The-Mark Entertainment | publisher = [[Soedesco]] | director = Marko Tominić | producer = Marko Tominić | designer = Marko Tominić | programmer = Luka Maljić<br />Dawud Albouz<br />Goran Vinković | artist = Mirko Ćalušić<br />Luka Stojanac | writer = Marko Tominić | series = | engine = [[Unity (game engine)|Unity]] | platforms = {{ubl|[[Microsoft Windows]]|[[Nintendo Switch]]|[[PlayStation 4]]|[[PlayStation 5]]|[[Xbox One]]|[[Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]]|[[macOS]]|[[Linux]]}} | released = '''Microsoft Windows'''<br />October 28, 2021<br />'''Nintendo Switch''', '''PS4''', '''PS5''', '''Xbox One''', '''Xbox Series X/S'''<br />November 22, 2022<br />'''macOS''', '''Linux'''<br />September 02, 2022 | genre = [[Point-and-click adventure game|Point-and-click adventure]] | modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] | caption = | alt = | composer = Jurica Buljević<br />Borna Buljević }} '''Saint Kotar''' is a psychological horror detective [[Point & click adventure|point & click]] adventure game with branching storylines and multiple endings, set in a hand-painted world. Developed by Croatian independent studio The-Mark Entertainment (formerly known as Red Martyr Entertainment<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pavelić |first=Marin |date=2025-04-03 |title=Tvorci Saint Kotara promijenili ime, razvijaju i dark fantasy o istarskom vampiru Juri Grandu |url=https://www.netokracija.com/marko-tominic-the-mark-videoigre-saint-kotar-233761 |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=Netokracija |language=hr}}</ref>) and published by [[Soedesco]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Romano|first=Sal|date=July 6, 2021|title=Soedesco to publish point-and-click psychological horror game Saint Kotar for consoles, PC in 2021|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2021/07/soedesco-to-publish-point-and-click-psychological-horror-game-saint-kotar-for-consoles-pc-in-2021|access-date=January 12, 2022|work=Gematsu}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=SOEDESCO® and Red Martyr Entertainment Partner to Launch Saint Kotar |url=https://www.soedesco.com/news/soedesco-and-red-martyr-entertainment-partner-to-launch-saint-kotar |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.soedesco.com}}</ref> it was released for Microsoft Windows on October 28, 2021,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Kotar now available for PC! |url=https://www.the-mark.com/news/39/saint-kotar-now-available-for-pc/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.the-mark.com |language=en}}</ref> Mac and Linux<ref>{{Cite web |last=B |first=Todd |date=2022-09-03 |title=Saint Kotar horror detective hits Linux |url=https://linuxgameconsortium.com/saint-kotar-horror-detective-hits-linux/ |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=Linux Game Consortium - gaming news, reviews and support |language=en-US}}</ref> on September 2, 2022 and consoles, in both digital and physical forms, on November 22, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-31 |title=Lovecraftian Point-And-Click 'Saint Kotar' Will Spook On Switch This October |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/05/lovecraftian-point-and-click-saint-kotar-will-spook-on-switch-this-october |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Saint Kotar for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch launches October 14 |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2022/05/saint-kotar-for-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-launches-october-14 |access-date=May 31, 2022 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Watton |first=Neil |date=2022-05-31 |title=Saint Kotar dated for October release |url=https://www.thexboxhub.com/saint-kotar-dated-for-october-release/ |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=TheXboxHub |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Kotar is a Much-Lauded Lovecraftian Point-and-Click Horror Coming to Xbox in October |url=https://www.xboxachievements.com/news/news-41765-saint-kotar-is-a-much-lauded-lovecraftian-point-and-click-horror-coming-to-xbox-in-october.html |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=XboxAchievements.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrak |first=Andrej |date=2022-12-20 |title=VIDEO U Saint Kotaru zađite u virtualni Gorski kotar: Najbolja hrvatska video igra odsad na svim konzolama |url=https://www.novilist.hr/ostalo/sci-tech/tehnologija/video-u-saint-kotaru-zadite-u-virtualni-gorski-kotar-najbolja-hrvatska-video-igra-odsad-na-svim-konzolama/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=Novi list |language=en}}</ref>
==Gameplay== The game takes place in the rural town of Sveti Kotar in [[Croatia]], where two characters, Benedek Dohnany and Nikolay Kalyakin, uncover a series of murders that are connected to witchcraft.
The player controls both characters and can influence the outcome of conversations, plot and fate of NPC, by choosing different dialog options and making decisions. Furthermore, the player can discover more than 110 locations, find and use special items to solve puzzles and quests and unlock subplots to learn more about the lore and background story. Seven secret locations, if uncovered, give all of the above and unlock rare achievements.
==Story== Two godly men, Benedek and his brother-in-law Nikolay, wake up in a house in Sveti Kotar after having nightmares. Together they attempt to find Benedek's sister Viktoria, who has mysteriously disappeared.
==Development==
The studio first started working on the free prologue to the main game ''Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask'', which was released June 18, 2020. It was described by [[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] writer as a "strong foundation for an extremely creepy mystery".<ref>{{cite web |last=Davidson |first=Amy |date=July 3, 2020 |title=Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask Is a Mystery Prologue That Is Free, Creepy, and So Unique |url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/saint-kotar-the-yellow-mask-is-a-mystery-prologue-that-is-free-creepy-and-so-unique/ |access-date=January 12, 2022 |work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]}}</ref> The game was written in English and was translated into 14 different languages. Its release was on the same day of the Kickstarter campaign launch, with the goal to show what the studio is capable of creating the vision they have for the main game and to attract players to back the project on Kickstarter. In agreement with publisher Soedesco, The-Mark Entertainment decided to delist it from all stores in September 2021, as it was deemed obsolete due to many technical and creative changes that were made during development of the main game.
Development of the main game was successfully funded through a [[Kickstarter]] campaign <ref name="neto">{{cite web|last=Pavelić|first=Marin|date=October 28, 2021|title=Donacije, prodana kuća i tvrtka te 5 godina razvoja konačno su doveli do izlaska hrvatske igre Saint Kotar|url=https://www.netokracija.com/saint-kotar-marko-tominic-steam-184757|access-date=January 12, 2022|work=Netokracija|language=Bosnian}}</ref> The campaign<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Saint Kotar funded on Kickstarter |url=https://www.the-mark.com/news/25/saint-kotar-funded-on-kickstarter/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=Kickstarter |language=en}}</ref> started June 18, 2020 where backers could choose from 20 different funding options, each with rewards catering for all tastes and budgets, some of which included a physical copy of the game as well as other various physical and digital goodies (all shipped as of January 10, 2023). By closing date of the campaign on July 25, 2020, and with the help of 1,163 backers, €50,178 in total were raised <ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Kotar funded on Kickstarter |url=https://www.the-mark.com/news/25/saint-kotar-funded-on-kickstarter/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.the-mark.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sharp|first=Jamie|date=July 28, 2020|title=Saint Kotar, dark point-and-click adventure, is funded & coming to Switch|url=https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/saint-kotar-gets-fully-funded-on-kickstarter-nintendo-switch/|access-date=January 12, 2022|work=Nintendo Enthusiast}}</ref> and the game was fully funded. On 6 July 2021, The-Mark announced<ref>{{Cite web |title=SOEDESCO and Red Martyr Entertainment partner to launch Saint Kotar! |url=https://www.the-mark.com/news/35/soedesco-and-red-martyr-entertainment-partner-to-l/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.the-mark.com |language=en}}</ref> the partnership with [[Soedesco]],<ref name=":0" /> an independent publisher/developer/distributor founded in 2002 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to bring the game to PC and consoles.
===Post-release support===
The-Mark Entertainment has provided post-release support and patches to fix issues reported by players. Additional endings, tweaks to the existing ones, added cut scenes, animations, sounds, achievements, exploration, tasks and more, as well as other tweaks and more bugs fixing were added in a major update known as "The Void".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Kotar - The Void Update Now Live |url=https://www.the-mark.com/news/43/saint-kotar-the-void-update-now-live/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.the-mark.com |language=en}}</ref>
On 31 May 2022 the developer announced that the DLC, "The Ritual", is near completion and is due to be released in the second half of 2022. It will be available on all platforms. Regular updates are provided both on The-Mark Entertainment website and their Kickstarter page.
==Reception== [[Adventure Gamers]] gave it a mixed review criticizing its presentation and puzzles, but praising its atmospheric and detailed world, characters, story progression and optional content.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/saint-kotar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114170153/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/saint-kotar|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 14, 2022|title = Saint Kotar review|date = 14 January 2022}}</ref>
In a 3 minutes review video,<ref>{{Citation |title=Saint Kotar {{!}} Review in 3 Minutes | date=6 November 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIpwaVDibSw |language=en |access-date=2022-06-05}}</ref> Will Cruz of ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'', while not shying away from aspects he did not like much, gave it a mostly positive reception: "Being enthralled with the mystery and narrative made me appreciate all the title offers. (...) It's gritty, simplistic, and it doesn't shy away from its origins. If you're seeking a spooky narrative focused mystery game that integrates point and click mechanics, Saint Kotar might be right up your alley."
==Awards== Saint Kotar won the Croatian Game of the Year award in December 2021. The CEO of HCL.hr<ref>{{Cite web |title=HCL Gaming Portal - recenzije, vijesti i više za esports, igre i igrice |url=https://www.hcl.hr/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=HCL.hr}}</ref> handed the Golden Beaver award statue to the developer in February 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Kotar Croatian GOTY 2021 |url=https://www.the-mark.com/news/42/saint-kotar-croatian-goty-2021/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.the-mark.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Interactive comic books== These are stories about characters players came across while playing Saint Kotar.
Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man is the first installment in the series titled Saint Kotar: Tales from the Cursed Valley, released on December 2, 2022 for PC Windows, Mac and Linux.
Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple Tv) and Google Play (for Phone, Tablet, Tv) stores, released on December 28. 2022.
Features: animated interactive panels, full controller support, achievements Windows, Mac and Linux), cloud saves (Windows, Mac and Linux, mobile devices have panels saves), sound effects and soundtracks.
The Crawling man tells the story of Rudolf Mojsek, a respected and beloved teacher and man of faith. Nicknamed 'Mojse' by his students, his life takes a turn for the worse as he becomes a vengeful cult leader.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.saintkotar.com/ Official game website]
[[Category:2021 video games]] [[Category:Video games about murder]] [[Category:Kickstarter-funded video games]] [[Category:Point-and-click adventure games]] [[Category:Mystery video games]] [[Category:Nintendo Switch games]] [[Category:PlayStation 4 games]] [[Category:PlayStation 5 games]] [[Category:Single-player video games]] [[Category:Video games developed in Croatia]] [[Category:Video games set in Croatia]] [[Category:Video games set in Europe]] [[Category:Windows games]] [[Category:Xbox One games]] [[Category:Xbox Series X and Series S games]] [[Category:Soedesco games]]