If you ever wanted to see a mash-up of animated cyberpunk action and the archeological thrills of Indiana Jones or Lara Croft, short film X-Story has it all. There’s cybernetic arms, fantastic lost cities, exciting plot twists, and above all, some beautiful animation.
The short was created by Moscow-based animator Vitaliy Shushko, who worked with a team for over two years to finish it. The story follows an unnamed treasure hunter with a bionic arm who sets off in search of an ancient city.
There’s a video game quality to this 13-minute story: the map that leads the character on his quest to some of the action sequences that challenge him along the way. Above all, this is a beautiful short film, from the world that lurks in the background to the character and city designs, and it’s well worth the time to take in.