Rachel’s Grasp is a new project from solo developer, Jeffrey Gachoka Gichuki. The 2D platformer which was recently revealed as an intriguing prototype is also looking to follow in the footsteps of games like Celeste and Senua’s Sacrifice by exploring themes tied to mental health.

Speaking on the games focus, the 23 year old Kenyan developer touched on his motivations for wanting to make a game on such a prevailing subject matter.

“I wanted to make a game like this because of a long time interest in mental health and wanting to help people. Growing up I’d always suffered from extreme anxiety and I wanted to help people who felt like I did. I started making the game before I started therapy. When I start doing therapy I was diagnosed with Mixed Anxiety Disorder and that lead me to wanting to make a game that’s more accurate and descriptive of anxiety disorders in general. Thus the wanting to talk to more people about their experiences and seeing how I can convert them into a story as well as looking for more professionals to consult about it to more accurately depict anxiety disorders and people’s struggles with them,” Gichuki said.

Currently a one person team, Gichuki does the programming and collaborates with seeks out collaborators depending on the projects he is working on. This has been the case since 2019 which has seen him produce two previous titles.

Rachel’s Grasp has been in development since August of 2020 and is a long way from being a viable product, but anyone keen to experience the prototype or follow the games progress, can do so by heading to the Itch.io page.

For others interested in sharing their experiences with anxiety disorders or mental illnesses such as depression they can contact Julian directly by sending an email to julian.gichuki@gmail.com.