Cancer Survivor’s Indie Game ‘Harlow’ Set for PC and Mac Release

Indie platformer Harlow, created by cancer survivor Arman Nobari and his independent games studio Good Trouble, is dropping for PC and Mac in March.

Driven by the desire to create happiness despite hardship, Nobari learned to develop games while recovering from extensive surgery — he had a cancerous tumor in his brain — and enduring a period of hospitalization.

Published by Rogue Games, Harlow is a game about planning a surprise party in space as a bouncy, clumsy robot. It features physics-based puzzles and a lo-fi soundtrack co-produced by OBFUSC, creator of music in Monument Valley and Neo Cab.

“Harlow is the culmination of years of hardship, grief, and perseverance,” said Nobari in a statement. “After having survived cancer and tragically losing one of my parents, Harlow was the project I used to give myself hope during some of the darkest points in my life.”

Rogue Games’ chief strategy officer Chris Archer found Harlow while browsing through the indie gaming pages on Reddit. “Without all the encouraging comments boosting that thread to the top of the Subreddit, we would have never discovered the game, which is why we’re giving away a free copy to every Redditor who commented on Arman’s original post,” said Archer in a statement.

Nobari is dedicating 0.5 percent of the profits generated from Harlow to socially impactful organizations Cancer for College and Black Girls Code, respectively.

Harlow debuts on PC and Mac on March 15, with a Nintendo Switch release planned for later this year.

View the trailer below.