Indie devs Flashbulb posted up an update explaining how they want to add animals to the upcoming racing/building game Trailmakers. These animals will roam the game’s gigantic world, and as of now are the main focal points for the devs’ latest development update. Trailmakers is slated to launch this year for PC via Steam Early Access.

In some games wildlife can be an added feature that stands to be an answer to a question that nobody asked. However, there are some gamers out there that like that animals and the like add spice and flair to a game’s world. I’m not sure if Trailmakers will benefit from animals roaming the endless sandbox world, but the concept seems interesting enough.

Moreover, the devs felt the need to explore the subject of animals in Trailmakers by posting up an in-depth look on how they will function in-game. This is present by a single still image and two GIFs showing off these gargantuan species.

For starters, folks who’ve seen any early videos or played the Alpha demo of Trailmakers might know that these animals have been hinted at during those named times. Here’s the first “sneak peek” image of a rhinoceros-like creature set to be present in the realm of Trailmakers.

Furthermore, the setting of Trailmakers is said to be somewhat desolate or abandoned. According to the devs they note that there are some animals that look familiar to the ones we know here on Earth, but when up close and personal with these xeno (strange) creatures they are not only enormous in size but very aggressive. This hostile nature that make up these animals’ character is said to keep players on their toes.

Here are the GIFs showing a big turtle-like creature sunbathing and a belly-flopping whale-thing bouncing around in a field of grass.

The animals are noted to make the world of Trailmakers feel full and not empty. These animals are also said to provide hints to those who are new, the devs have an example of this hint spectrum below:

“Another really great side effect of putting creatures in the game is the subliminal hint it can provide. We noticed that when players first see the birds in the game, they seem to realize that flight is a possibility, even before they find wings for their vehicle. This works really well to teach players about aspects of the game without putting it in a tutorial. Show – don’t tell.”

Trailmakers is set to debut this year for PC via Steam Early Access. If you’ve missed the announcement trailer it can be seen below.