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Virtue and a Sledgehammer: New PC game explores identity and destruction

Deconstructeam's upcoming PC game, Virtue and a Sledgehammer, will feature a protagonist who destroys her hometown, now populated by robots, to uncover a family story.

  • Virtue and a Sledgehammer is a narrative experience in development for PC, planned for release later in 2026.
  • The game's protagonist, Pratelle, returns to her hometown with a sledgehammer to destroy digital versions of her old neighbours, who are now robots.
  • The game explores themes of identity and not belonging, set in a small Spanish town, contrasting futuristic elements with a family story.

Deconstructeam, in collaboration with Selkie Harbour, is developing a new PC game titled Virtue and a Sledgehammer, set for release later in 2026. The game centres on Pratelle, who returns to her hometown carrying her dead mother and a giant sledgehammer. Her mission involves destroying the town, whose inhabitants have been transformed into robots, revealed to be digital versions of her former neighbours.

Game director and Deconstructeam CEO Jordi de Paco explained that the game's setting, based on small Spanish towns, allows for an exploration of identity. Pratelle's character, who some testers mistook for a man, is described as someone who doesn't fit the community, prompting questions about identity through confusion and anger among the robot villagers.

The narrative unfolds as players uncover fragments of memory by hitting glass statues. It is suggested that Pratelle's sister turned everyone into robots. De Paco noted that the game is not a critique of digitised lives but rather a family story, contrasting with the futuristic themes. He described Virtue as a narrative experience akin to a walking simulator, designed for players to reach the end rather than focusing on combat challenge.

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