Duru – About Mole Rats and Depression
Follow the story of Tuli – a story about the struggle with insecurities, depression and friendship, told in a colorful, accessible way. Run, jump and paint your way through puzzle filled tunnels while also dealing with an unhelpful AI companion you just can't get rid of.
Release
May 8, 2023
3 years and 87 days ago
Steam Reviews
Positive28 reviews85.7%
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Game contextLatest: IGF Team
| ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan. | Status | Notes Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes |
|---|---|---|
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer. | ||
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher. | ||
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified. | ||
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released. |
Media
18 itemsAbout the Game
Tuli leads a simple life in the mole rat colony: she collects food, meets with her friends and paints the best pictures in the colony. All the while nobody but her sees the dark creature that makes each of those activities a near unbeatable task.
Duru is a 2D puzzle adventure about mole rats and depression. It shows how we all can help people affected by this illness.
Set in a West-African inspired mole rat colony you play Tuli, one of the gatherers of the colony. One day everything becomes harder as Bel, an AI companion and the personification of Tuli's growing depression, joins the party.
While running, jumping and painting your way through the tunnels surrounding the colony you have to find a way to deal with Bel and its manipulative behaviour. Your constant companion moves objects you painted around, eats them and holds you back in which ever way possible. Learn to use Bels behaviour in a way that lets you progress.
In the mole rat colony that Tuli calls her home her friends notice that she’s acting strange. She's less talkative, is always late and seems not interested at all in hanging out with them. Some of them get tired of her tardiness...
You can always see how Bel twists Tuli's thoughts, how it makes her not feel worth being friends with. Through exploring the mole rat colony and interaction with the other characters you can find out which behaviours are helpful to Tuli and which just make Bel grow.
Follow the story of Tuli – a story about the struggle with insecurities, depression and friendship, told in a colorful, accessible way.
What awaits you:
Duru is a 2D puzzle adventure about mole rats and depression. It shows how we all can help people affected by this illness.
Set in a West-African inspired mole rat colony you play Tuli, one of the gatherers of the colony. One day everything becomes harder as Bel, an AI companion and the personification of Tuli's growing depression, joins the party.
While running, jumping and painting your way through the tunnels surrounding the colony you have to find a way to deal with Bel and its manipulative behaviour. Your constant companion moves objects you painted around, eats them and holds you back in which ever way possible. Learn to use Bels behaviour in a way that lets you progress.
In the mole rat colony that Tuli calls her home her friends notice that she’s acting strange. She's less talkative, is always late and seems not interested at all in hanging out with them. Some of them get tired of her tardiness...
You can always see how Bel twists Tuli's thoughts, how it makes her not feel worth being friends with. Through exploring the mole rat colony and interaction with the other characters you can find out which behaviours are helpful to Tuli and which just make Bel grow.
Follow the story of Tuli – a story about the struggle with insecurities, depression and friendship, told in a colorful, accessible way.
What awaits you:
- a puzzle adventure in a colorful, West African-inspired setting
- a story about depression told through animation and picture dialog to enjoy regardless of language
- an AI companion that works with and against you
- drawing objects to puzzle your way through a lovingly designed world
- cute characters of the mole rat colony to befriend and uncover their individual stories
