Today, all of us at Little Sewing Machine are thrilled to share five details about our upcoming horror-platformer Bye Sweet Carole that make us feel proud. This is a game born from passion, nostalgia, and four years of hand-crafted artistry. We hope that you will like playing it as much as we loved making it.

So, let’s get into it!

Every Frame Is Hand-Crafted

Bye Sweet Carole is our love letter to the golden age of animation and the emotional resonance of childhood classics. Every single frame is drawn by hand by us – no shortcuts, no cut-out, no automation, no AI.

Over three years, our team meticulously animated each movement, expression and eerie twist. We wanted to create a visual style that channels the lush, expressive worlds of Don Bluth, from “The Secret of NIMH” to the legendary Dragon’s Lair saga, and traditionally animated Disney masterpieces like “Snow White” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

We hope that our visual style will hit a bit of that nostalgia – the feeling of old times, old movies, watching cartoons when we were kids. A way to transport back in time, using our memories and mind as a time machine. We hope that players will feel that when they play our story and I hope they’ll see and appreciate the little details in our animations that we poured our hearts into.

Childhood Wonder Meets Unsettling Horror

At first glance, Bye Sweet Carole might look like a whimsical fairy tale: birds flutter, gowns billow, and Lana, our protagonist, wanders through painted environments that echo forgotten animated reels. But beneath the surface lies something darker.

Inspired by the quiet terror of childhood classics like “The Fox and the Hound,” “The Secret of NIMH” and “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” our horror doesn’t rely on gore or shock. Instead, it disrupts comfort zones, turning familiar spaces into sites of unease. We hope that players will like the slow burn and discover a fantasy land that is not as picture perfect as the surface might suggest. It’s always the things that are below the surface that show the true overall self, isn’t it!

A Story Rooted in History

Bye Sweet Carole is more than a game: it’s a narrative experience that delves into complex, human themes. It explores issues such as emancipation, human rights, loneliness and loss. Through Lana’s journey, we also touch on the impact of bullying and the silence of a society struggling to confront its own injustices.

Rather than presenting Lana as a damsel in distress, we’ve shaped her as a resilient protagonist whose story reflects the quiet strength of those who dare to challenge the status quo. Her path is a tribute to the voices often overlooked that have inspired us to tell stories that go beyond entertainment and speak to the heart of social change.

A Fusion of Gameplay Genres

Bye Sweet Carole blends multiple gameplay styles into an experience of its own. You’ll find platforming, puzzle-solving, exploration and hide-and-seek mechanics woven throughout the journey. This genre fusion is designed to keep players engaged and surprised, constantly shifting between curiosity and caution, giving a feeling of wonder and adventure. We want you to explore the world together with Lana, through her wide-open eyes.

A Modern Homage to ‘90s Adventure Games

We drew inspiration from the spirit of ‘90s adventure titles like Dragon’s Lair, Another World, Clock Tower and Heart of Darkness, but also some unforgettable masterpieces of the 2000s such as Haunting Ground, Detention and the hardly discussed Rule of Rose. But we didn’t stop at nostalgia. We wanted to breathe new life into familiar formats. Bye Sweet Carole is our way of honoring the past while delivering something fresh, emotionally resonant and visually unforgettable.

Thank you so much for reading and spending these few moments with us! We hope that Bye Sweet Carole has piqued your interest — it’s available today on Xbox Series X|S.