Swedish game studio and publisher Free League Publishing have teamed up with Simon Stålenhag to produce his next narrative art book, Swedish Machines.

Strangers in a Strange Land

As Stålenhag’s most personal work yet, Swedish Machines explores themes of masculinity, friendship, and sexuality in a queer science fiction story about two young men stuck in the past. View their defining memories on their decades long journey exploring a mysterious forbidden zone through gorgeous artwork of an alternate world.

Swedish Machines is based in an alternate version of Mälaröarna, a string of islands just west of Stockholm. These islands are Stålenhag’s hometown, and quite beautiful from a glance at the art alone. The artwork juxtaposes giant machines and vehicles against the character’s emotional turmoil as they confront a social dystopia. This massive artbook contains over 180 pages of the highest quality, and is available in two versions. The Standard Edition will be available some time after the funding campaign ends, but the Collector’s Edition with an embossed cloth cover is exclusive to the Kickstarter backers.

Swedish Machines’ Kickstarter campaign was fully funded in 26 minutes. By the end of their campaign they had raised almost $300,000. With their original goal of $24,313, that’s over 1,200% funded! Despite this, Swedish Machines does not have a lot of stretch goals. Stålenhag has a very clear vision for the book and is not willing to compromise it. However, backers did unlock three separate high quality art prints from the book. They will be included with Swedish Machines for all backers at no extra cost.

A Stellar Partnership

Although Free League Publishing is a game studio, Stålenhag’s Swedish Machines will not be the first artbook that they have helped publish. In fact, this will not be the first of Stålenhag’s works they have published, but the fourth.

Simon Stålenhag’s first published work is Tales From The Loop. This artbook takes viewers on a science fiction journey across the world – from the small towns of Sweden to the deserts of Nevada, and the arctic wastes of Siberia. In every scene, children explore and interact with abandoned technology, dinosaurs, and other strange creatures roaming the landscape. Set primarily in an alternate Sweden in the 80’s and 90’s on the islands of Mälaröarna, the paintings explore the ways in which technology can create both havoc and wonder in our world, and its impact on children. Tales From The Loop sold out in its initial printing in Sweden in 2015 and was ranked 7th of the “10 best Dystopias” by The Guardian. It was adapted into a limited series on Amazon Prime in 2020.

Things From The Flood is Stålenhag’s second book, which returns to the world from Tales From The Loop and goes more in-depth into the lore behind the story. Lauded as “gorgeously creepy and strangely human” by NPR, it explores the fallout of the 1954 Swedish government constructing the world’s largest particle accelerator deep beneath the pastoral countryside of Mälaröarna. The locals called this marvel of technology The Loop. Despite its completion being widely celebrated, Mälaröarna and the world would never be the same again. On Christmas Day, 1994, dark water from the depths of the Loop rose from the land. The Flood invaded the homes and lives of the world, bringing terrible things with it.

Darker, Darker, Yet Darker

The other two books that Simon Stålenhag has published may or may not be connected to his first two. These books are set in different places and take on a markedly different and darker tone.

Stålenhag’s third book, The Electric State, features a runaway teen and her robot traveling through a dystopian cyberpunk America. Its late 1997, and America has been through an apocalyptic war. Gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, along with the trash of a high-tech consumerist society. People are too addicted to virtual reality to help or notice a young teen, let alone each other, as the hollow core of civilization caves in on itself. Netflix has acquired the rights to make a movie adaptation of The Electric State, actually. It will star Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt and is currently set to release next year in March.

Finally, Stålenhag’s book The Labyrinth presents a dark tale of ruin and vengeance in the ashes of an apocalypse. A lone vehicle traverses a barren landscape towards a solitary bunker deep in the wilderness. Inside are two scientists planning to use the bunker as a base to study world-ending phenomena, and a boy named Charlie. The isolation and claustrophobia drives everyone mad, forcing them to confront their own inner darkness as well as the dark secrets of the world before civilization’s fall.

From Art Book to Game Board

The first two books are directly related to Free League Publishing’s Tales From The Loop The Board Game. Just as in Tales From The Loop and Things From The Flood, Sweden built a massive particle accelerator beneath Mälaröarna. At this time the weird and the wonderful are popping up everywhere. What can a kid do but try and play with it?

 In the game, you take the role of local kids and play cooperatively to investigate the strange phenomena threatening your community. Scenarios range from 90-120 minutes per game. You can play solo, by controlling two kids, or with up to five friends. There are branching scenarios you can play through, such as dealing with alien plantlife or visitors from the past. Or, if you want a more sandbox experience, you can play with the game’s Mystery Islands mode.

Each turn represents a day in the life. Generally you start at school, picking up new rumors and planning your actions for the next day. Once the bell rings, you take actions to either explore, investigate the rumors, or take care of chores at home. All player turns are integrated, so you don’t have to sit and wait while other players act. You can even move and face challenges together, combining your items to access new abilities that you couldn’t have alone. However, it’s important that your kids return home at the end of the day. If not, they’ll face consequences that mean losing movement or actions the next day.

Can you unravel the mysteries of the Loop? Can you balance the needs of your island against the demands of life? Or will you and your home face potential doom? Its all up to you when you play Tales From The Loop.

The Universe Expands

Since Swedish Machines is set in Mälaröarna, it’s a safe bet that it’s returning to The Loop world and franchise. While not stated outright, the sci-fi setting and story feels similar to one of the board game’s branching scenarios. This, of course, is speculation. However, considering the close link between Simon Stålenhag and Free League Publishing I wouldn’t be surprised.

If you want to get in on the world of The Loop and Stålenhag’s art, then consider looking into the game and his other artbooks. There is no current release date for Swedish Machines, but I plan on reviewing it when it does come out. Follow us for future updates!