"Kingfisher is a crime drama which takes place in the surroundings of the Zwin nature park,
an adventure game where you solve a mystery,
and an innovative way to experience autism."

Screenshot 1, interior of a teenage boy's room
Screenshot 2, a boy waits in front of a zebra crossing. The sun reflects very brightly in the window of a house, and the words 'tap the screen when Thomas is looking in the right direction' are shown on the screen.
Screenshot 3, a man stand on a sidewalk in a typical Belgian street while the sun is rising in the background
Screenshot 4, a closeup of the front of a car driving on the highway. A dialogue window is shown with the text 'And what if Byrne calls in a laywer?'
Screenshot 5, two people talking in front of a modern office build. In the forground, a sculpture of a robotic arm is shown making a bullhorn gesture. A dialogue window is shown with the text '<nods> It is a replica of our first arm prosthetic'.
Screenshot 6, A man is shining a flashlight in a dark forest during a rainstorm

Autism on three levels

A screenshot of the game. It shows two characters talking, and dialogue window with the text 'Things need to be structured. Organized. So if I suddenly start finding apple cores in glove compartments or see illegally parked police vehicles, it can ruin my whole day'.

In the gameplay

You play a game in which several characters have autism. This means that the topic occasionally comes up organically, and you as the player sometimes experience events from the perspective of a person on the autism spectrum.

In clarifying text

Players who seek more information about the events of the game from the autism perspective, can consult clarifying descriptions at any time. These are entirely optional, so if you only want to focus on the game, you can!

A screenshot of an interface from the game. On the left it shows a column with autism events, where one about an inforgram is selected. A description about infograms is shown in the center of the screen. On the right, a small window titled 'autism properties' is shown with a descriptive text about predictability.
A screenshot of an interface from the game. It shows an extensive text about the link between autism and predictability.

In theory

For those who truly wish to deepen their knowledge on the subject, the game contains an extensive autism guide. Here we link scientific research and insights about autism to lived experience testimonies.

Development

It is of course impossible to develop a game which represents autism in a correct and respectful way, without involving people with autism in the development. For this reason, Kingfisher is developed in a partnership between Possibly Pixels, a Flemish game developer with a focus on serious games, and Autisme Vlaanderen (Autism Flanders), an organisation that strives for a society where neurodiversity is recognized as an asset, and in which people with autism can employ their unique qualities, supported by their environment and the power of their experience.

  • Each week we have meetings with an expert group, consisting of both people who are on the autism spectrum themselves, and people who have a close link with autism in a professional and/or personal capacity. They each provide feedback on the game and write the accompanying texts about autism.
  • We are collaborating with several external organizations in the field of autism, to shine a light on their operation. As an example, the game uses paintings from the collection of Wonderweg, and we employed students from Sint-Jozef OV4 to create photographs and drawings for the game.
  • Creators with autism are also directly involved in the development of the game. Several freelancers and interns who are on the spectrum are involved in the 2D and 3D art and the composition of the music. And the game testing, of course!
  • We strive to employ as many actors with autism as possible for the roles of both autistic and neurotypical characters.
  • And let's not forget about science. We have contacts with several academics specialized in autism, and we aim to match our representation of autism with the state of the art on the subject.
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Available January 2027 on Steam, Android and iOS

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