When people first see LOTT, they often ask if it’s based on a real place.
The short answer? Yes — but not the way you might think.
LOTT’s world isn’t a direct recreation of Malta. It’s a reimagining — a memory of it.
A mosaic built from limestone, sea spray, folklore, and a kind of sun that only exists on this island.
It’s the Malta you feel, not the one you can point to on a map.
🌾 Building a World From What We Know
When we started designing LOTT, we made a decision early on: no humans.
Instead, the island’s history would be told through its creatures.
A Maltese weasel — the ballotra — became our protagonist.
A falcon, a mouse, a blue merill — all characters shaped by their place in Maltese myth and ecology.
And the antagonists? Lizards, inspired by both nature and legend, representing the foreign forces that once invaded these shores.
It sounds simple, but it changed everything.
By removing people, we freed the story from literal history — and found space to explore emotional truth.
Each animal became a symbol: of courage, of fear, of resilience.
They carried the island’s memory in their design.
🧱 Limestone, Light, and Legacy
Malta’s geography has a personality — sharp and soft at once.
Its limestone cliffs glow warm at sunset, but they also crumble with time.
We wanted that same duality in every part of LOTT’s world design.
The color palette draws from real limestone hues.
The architecture hints at crumbling bastions, watchtowers, and winding village paths — not as historical recreations, but as emotional cues.
Even our soundscape uses field recordings from Malta: church bells carried by the wind, cicadas near dry stone walls, echoes in catacombs.
Every corner of LOTT whispers, “You’ve been here before — even if you haven’t.”
🦦 Why It Matters
Games set in small countries rarely explore their own culture without exoticizing it.
We wanted to do the opposite — to make something authentic, not aesthetic.
A story that feels personal to Maltese players but still resonates globally.
Because courage, heritage, and belonging aren’t just Maltese themes — they’re human ones.
As we bring LOTT to PLAYCON 2025, we hope players feel that connection:
the sense of standing on a familiar cliff, heart full of purpose, even if they’ve never stepped foot on our island.
Follow our journey:
