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116 PAGES MONTHLY
LLIIFFTTIINNGG TTHHEE LLIIDD OONN VVIIDDEEOO GGAAMMEESS
Issue 46 £6
wfmag.cc
Behind the scenes on a
cinematic, sinister sequel
GAMING ROYALTY THE YEAR AHEAD OXENFREE
The epic story of Sierra’s Our pick of 2021’s most How the indie classic
pioneering King’s Quest exciting games and tech changed its studio
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Diluted dystopias:
what’s the value of
corporate cyberpunk?
A t the time of writing, I haven’t played more(cid:523), all available through an (cid:522)earnable in-game
Cyberpunk 2077. It’s been delayed again. currency called ETO”. It’s not surprising these days, but
Despite mandatory crunch to meet their jars heavily against the game’s scenario.
November deadline, and apparently And that’s before we recall the major problems in
over numerous periods before that, the Ubisoft’s work culture that have surfaced this year.
team at CD Projekt Red didn’t have it quite ready, and JON BAILES Employees in many of the company’s studios (including
presumably have to crunch again to ensure a pre- Jon Bailes is a social Legion’s Toronto team) were reportedly working in
Christmas release. The firm worked hard to create its theorist and freelance a hostile atmosphere of misogyny and racism, with
games critic. He’s the
dystopia of corporate subjugation. And in the game. sexual harassment and even assault cases mishandled
author of Ideology
It’s a cheap joke, but it indicates a wider truth – the or ignored to protect abusive bosses. In the aftermath,
and the Virtual
critical power of dystopian themes in big-budget City: Videogames, a company survey revealed that 25(cid:8) of staff claimed to
games gets undermined by the demands of corporate Power Fantasies and have witnessed or experienced misconduct.
production. So often, as sci-fi and games scholar Pawe(cid:260) Neoliberalism. Since these issues went public, Ubisoft has reacted.
Frelik has said, “cyberpunk games position corporate But its image-saving shake-up doesn’t address the
entities and their employees as ideological antagonists, generic problems of a model that exhausts employees,
but their very status as a cultural object is predicated enforces the hierarchy that can enable abuse, and
on the perpetuation of such industries.” places monetisation and promotional stunts above
We see this in promotional activities, too. Last year, artistic vision. These aren’t merely individual moral
an early demo of Cyberpunk 2077 was criticised for an failings or hypocrisy, they’re systemic limits. The sheer
in-game advertising poster that (as so often in media) bloat and cost of many triple-A games in itself virtually
reduced transgenderism to the status of sexual curio. ensures crunch, microtransactions, and other top-
According to CDPR, this hypersexualised corporate down demands that detract from any critical themes.
advertising made sense in the game’s dystopian There’s a decades-long debate about whether
setting. It was (cid:522)just terrible(cid:523) and (cid:522)what you’re fighting subversive ideas remain subversive if they’re
against”. Yet when CDPR held a promotional cosplay disseminated through commodified media. On one
contest this year, one of the finalists they selected was hand, it’s better to have them out there than not, and
dressed as the poster model, replete with glowing the bigger the game, the bigger the reach. Indie games
blue phallus. The terrible dystopia of hypersexualised often explore dystopian themes in more nuanced and
advertising was fair game to score some easy hype. interesting ways (play Paradise Killer!), but garner a tiny
(cid:40)ven more overt anti-establishment fictions are fraction of the attention. Some might argue that the
46
compromised by corporate needs. Watch Dogs: Legion # corporate model is the price of being heard at all.
deserves credit for simply taking a political stance But when the final product is so heavily coated in
and tucking some radical ideas between typical genre the trappings of profiteering, and its creation so reliant
accoutrements – it sends up right-wing populism, on unequal and exploitative work relations, how much
discusses the roots of fascism and surveillance tech, is that worth? No matter how sincere the politics of
and centres its campaign on collective resistance. dystopian games are, if they can’t touch the model that
But its dystopian themes sit awkwardly next to enables them, or suggest alternative ways of organising
wide-eyed celebrations of hedonistic consumerism. their own industry, they feel like cynical cash-ins.
As Ubisoft’s promotional material explains, the game There’s no easy answer, but what’s the purpose of
includes “dozens of boutiques and stores where you more cyberpunk visions if their production only brings
can buy clothing, including jackets, shirts, hats, and us closer to the dystopian futures they warn against?
wfmag.cc \03
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Attract mode Interface
C 06. Little Nightmares II 28. King’s Quest
Tarsier Studios chats about its An oral history of Sierra On-Line’s
upcoming sinister sequel pivotal adventure series
12. Rogue Lords 34. Lottie Bevan
A roguelike where you assemble a On Baldur’s Gate III, character
crew of actual rogues creation tools, and life imitating art
14. In Sound Mind 38. Good stuff on the horizon
Back to the 1990s for a horror set Our pick of 2021’s most exciting video
inside the human mind games and tech
16. Maskmaker 70. Live Die Repeat
Unmasking a VR game all about Could Freud explain why we enjoy
face coverings dying over and over in games?
18. News 74. Fixing Godhood
Another wry glance at a month’s How Abbey Games changed the
events in gaming fortunes of its troubled god sim
22. Letters 84. Night School Studio
Your latest thoughts, feedback, How Oxenfree made the indie team a
and general ranting global sensation
24. Incoming 90. Steve McNeil
28 Warring animals, Norse myth, A few thoughts about Cyberpunk
and suggestive doorways 2077 and game backlogs
04 / wfmag.cc
CCoonntteennttss
WELCOME
Games are amazing, aren’t they?
It’s just a shame about gamers.
Well, a small but vocal number
of them anyway. The release
of the unfeasibly anticipated
Cyberpunk 2077 was met with a
tidal wave of extremely long and
detailed reviews in December
WIN
2020, and discussions about the
wealth of bugs still apparent at
launch (you can read Ian’s own
£100VOUCHER review over on page 92). But
84 FOR then, predictably enough, there
INSERT COIN
were darker things happening
CLOTHING!
at the fringes. Journalist Liana
See page 35 Ruppert wrote an article on
Game Informer warning of the
flashing lights in one sequence
and its potential danger to
epileptics. A certain subset
of gamers then responded by
harassing the author with hurtful
videos and messages. For their
part, CD Projekt Red pledged
to fi(cid:125) the issue Ruppert raised,
but that didn’t stop a number of
gamers from continuing their
harassment. The levels of vitriol
and sheer meanness aimed at
anyone who dared criticise the
game – especially if they didn’t
happen to be white and male
while doing so – once again
highlighted an ugly side of the
70 92 industry. Even a cheery game
like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
has toxic strata among its
community; when journalist Alex
Donaldson tweeted a comment
Toolbox Rated about the addition of Sephiroth
to the game, he was met with
a series of racist messages
and other abusive material.
46. Final Fantasy VII 92. Cyberpunk 2077 Over time, the industry’s
undoubtedly becoming more
An in-depth exploration of the iconic An obscure action-RPG you probably
diverse and inclusive; here’s
city of Midgar haven’t heard of hoping that, eventually, those
less enlightened sectors of the
50. Developing for Switch 94. Carto gaming community will also
move with the times.
(cid:39)iscover how easy it is to make a An adventure-puzzler that mixes up
game for the console cause and effect Be excellent to each other, and
enjoy the new issue.
60. Testing made simple 100. The Survivalists
Improving your game – without an Team17’s latest is Swiss Family Ryan Lambie
expensive (cid:52)A team Robinson with simians Editor
66. Source Code 104. Backwards compatible
Make your own Python take on a Pipe Weird shop frontages, Xbox
Mania puzzler emulation, and other retro stuff
wwffmmaagg..cccc \\ 0055
Attract Mode
Interview
Return of
the sinister Six
Tarsier Studios give us the latest on its
chilling sequel, Little Nightmares II
II n February 2015, Sweden’s Tarsier Six is back in Little Nightmares II, but
Studios uploaded a trailer for not necessarily in the form fans of the
its current work-in-progress, firs(cid:87) (cid:74)ame mi(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:87) e(cid:91)pec(cid:87)(cid:29) (cid:87)(cid:75)e se(cid:84)(cid:88)el(cid:519)s
Hunger. About a little girl roaming protagonist is a new character, a masked
a nightmare world of monstrous yo(cid:88)n(cid:74) boy named (cid:48)ono(cid:15) (cid:90)(cid:75)ile (cid:54)i(cid:91) re(cid:87)(cid:88)rns
adults, it had the shadowy, handmade as a computer-controlled sidekick who,
feel of a stop-motion animated movie. according to producer Lucas Roussel,
(cid:41)or(cid:98)narra(cid:87)i(cid:89)e desi(cid:74)ner Da(cid:89)e (cid:518)(cid:48)er(cid:89)(cid:519) (cid:48)er(cid:89)i(cid:78)(cid:15) has “her own agenda”. Little Nightmares II
the trailer launch was a nervous moment: (cid:87)a(cid:78)es (cid:88)s o(cid:88)(cid:87) o(cid:73) (cid:55)(cid:75)e (cid:48)a(cid:90) and in(cid:87)o a m(cid:88)c(cid:75)
“It was just a bottle of scotch, sat in the larger – but no less frightening – setting
This time around, you’ll have to
dark, panicking and hoping that we called Pale City, where the populace is co-operate with Six, now your
AI companion, to solve puzzles
(cid:75)adn(cid:519)(cid:87) r(cid:88)ined e(cid:89)ery(cid:87)(cid:75)in(cid:74)(cid:15)(cid:523) (cid:48)er(cid:89)i(cid:78) (cid:87)ells (cid:88)s. controlled by a mysterious television and traverse the landscape.
(cid:43)e(cid:98)needn(cid:519)(cid:87) (cid:75)a(cid:89)e (cid:90)orried(cid:29) Hunger soon
caught the attention of Bandai Namco,
who stepped in as publisher and provided
(cid:87)(cid:75)e reso(cid:88)rces (cid:55)arsier needed (cid:87)o finis(cid:75) (cid:87)(cid:75)e
game, released as Little Nightmares.
The resulting platform-puzzler was thick
with ominous atmosphere: its setting,
an (cid:88)ndersea (cid:89)essel called (cid:55)(cid:75)e (cid:48)a(cid:90)(cid:15) (cid:90)as
packed with unforgettable encounters,
(cid:90)(cid:75)e(cid:87)(cid:75)er i(cid:87) (cid:90)as (cid:565)eein(cid:74) (cid:73)rom a (cid:74)i(cid:74)an(cid:87)ic(cid:15)
maniacal chef or avoiding the long arms
of a shambling janitor. Equally memorable
was its silent protagonist, Six, whose
yellow coat and expressive movements
made her into an immediate fan favourite.
06 / wfmag.cc
Attract Mode
Interview
wfmag.cc \ 07
Attract Mode
Interview
signal. There are more puzzles to solve – (cid:55)(cid:75)e concep(cid:87) o(cid:73) (cid:87)(cid:75)e (cid:55)(cid:57) screens a(cid:909)ec(cid:87)in(cid:74)
made quite different from the first game, viewers is an interesting one. I don’t
thanks to your new AI partner - and even know if that’s meant to be a nod to
weapons to pick up and wield. Don’t Halloween III: Season of the Witch? Are you
imagine for one second that the sequel’s all bi(cid:74) film (cid:73)ans a(cid:87) (cid:87)(cid:75)e s(cid:87)(cid:88)dio(cid:34)
gone all gung-ho, though: (cid:48)ono’s still just DM: After the first Halloween, it’s my favourite
a kid, and in one sequence, struggles to lift because it went a completely different way.
a branch over his head. Once again, the It’s amazing. And it scarred me – I watched
theme of the game is powerlessness: of it as a kid. So that’s where my brain kind
traversing a world that isn’t your own. of went to mush. Our (cid:62)creative director(cid:64) is
(cid:43)ere’s what (cid:48)ervik and Roussel have to another real horror fiend, but everyone’s
say about Little Nightmares II’s production, got different loves. When we were talking
themes, and cinematic in(cid:565)uences. about the T(cid:57)s and what they could mean,
everything comes up – every TV that has had people found jumping tricky with the kind of
Can you talk about how Little Nightmares II an effect on you in a movie. So Poltergeist is camera that we used (cid:62)in the first game(cid:64), and
got started, and why you came up with a obviously hanging in the air; Season of the we don’t want (cid:62)players(cid:64) to feel frustrated. We
new main character rather than continue Witch; The Ring. It’s not like you think of that want them to feel like they stand as good a
with Six as the lead? first and then go, (cid:522)Oh, let’s do a T(cid:57) as well(cid:523) chance as their skills allow. And so obviously
Dave Mervik: It’s a weird one because – it’s the other way around, always. So you they wanted to improve on that from the
we thought Little Nightmares was always kind of have to do your best to sidestep all first one.
about more than Six. We didn’t expect Six of that and (cid:62)ask(cid:64), ‘What could we find that’s Lucas Roussel: I think there’s a lot of
to become as popular and precious to new? (cid:43)ow can we tread new ground?’ things we wanted to improve from the
fans of the game as she did. And then it
becomes another thing to consider – you’re
making decisions based on more than “We’re aware of the flaws from the first game that we wanted to
just the world and the best stories to tell.
But you can’t ignore the fact that people improve, and just make it bigger and a step up”
are invested in that character. So there’s a
whole other strand to think about, really,
and we didn’t want to lose that, either. We In terms of developing the game, are first game. And yeah, there were some
didn’t want to lose that plan of introducing there certain things you learned in the issues we had with perspective, as (cid:48)erv
the older children into this world and what ma(cid:78)in(cid:74) o(cid:73) (cid:87)(cid:75)e firs(cid:87) one (cid:87)(cid:75)a(cid:87) yo(cid:88) bo(cid:88)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:87) said, and of course, the game being rather
they’re going through, but what we’ve done over to the sequel? short. I mean, Little Nightmares was what
is combine the two: how does this new DM: Speaking personally, it’s knowing how we originally planned, but it’s true that
character (cid:62)(cid:48)ono’s(cid:64) journey coincide with hard it is to tell a story without dialogue. some people said it’s a bit short. So this
Six’s journey? And what story can we tell to (cid:48)y role on both games has been the world is also why we’re introducing outdoor
let you know more about Six? creation and backgrounds. So it’s making environments as well. The first game was
sure that everyone knows the lore of the confined to one location(cid:30) in Little Nightmares
world, and giving them stuff to play with: II, you’re going to visit several locations,
creating visuals or audio, all that sort of stuff. both outdoors and indoors, so we have
But having talked to the other developers, more gameplay variations with the AI
it’s things like the player character… Some companion and our combat mechanic.
We’re aware of the (cid:565)aws from the first
game that we wanted to improve, and just
make it bigger and a step up compared to
the first game. It’s also why we took some
time to make it – we didn’t rush to release
Little Nightmares II. We really wanted to
make something bigger and better.
You mentioned the AI companion – is that
one of the technical challenges, to make
Six feel human, like a real character, but
also not unpredictable and frustrating for
the player to interact with?
08 / wfmag.cc
Attract Mode
Interview
Tarsier’s Lucas
Roussel (left) and
Dave Mervik (right)
L ittle Nightmares II contains more exterior
locations than the last game, but there are
still plenty of claustrophobic interiors, like
this frankly terrifying hospital.
LR: Yeah, it’s even more di(cid:605)cult, because
you know Six from the first game, so you
can’t make her look like a dog following
you around, because it could impact the
credibility of the character. So there was
definitely a technical challenge to make
her feel alive so that she’s useful to the
player and not a burden. There’s also a
SCALING UP
lot of polished animations to make her something, you’re still totally at a loss.
feel like she has her own personality and You’re buying yourself time at best. I really
”We pretty much doubled in size at one
she’s doing her own stuff. And she might felt that when I played through the game
point,” says Lucas Roussel, when we ask
have her own agenda, which is pretty – it’s not a power trip that you’re on, you’re
whether the sequel’s larger scale required
interesting, too. It was di(cid:605)cult. It was one of just doing your best in this world that’s
a bigger team at Tarsier. “It brought some
the reasons why we took some time – let’s someone else’s.
challenges in terms of production, because
just make Six look good, make Six feel good. you don’t work with 40 people the way
Because if you don’t get that right, I think Powerlessness is an interesting theme you work with 20. So we had to adapt – at
that truly affects the quality of the game. for a video game, because so many are one point we had to go to a smaller team
power trips. So why did you want to size again, not as far as the first one, but
(cid:58)(cid:75)en (cid:48)ono pic(cid:78)s (cid:88)p a s(cid:87)ic(cid:78)(cid:15) yo(cid:88) can explore that in these games? something in between. We decided to
see in the animation he can only just lift DM: I guess that (cid:62)power(cid:64) is such a trend take a bit more time to make a good game
rather than just putting the content in the
it over his head. It’s a really interesting that it feels like the default setting? You
game and then getting something we’re not
dynamic(cid:15) beca(cid:88)se li(cid:78)e (cid:87)(cid:75)e firs(cid:87) (cid:74)ame(cid:15) know, certainly for the popular games, it’s
happy with. There were some challenges
you’re not controlling powerful characters. just, ‘Who do we pander to? Who do we
but we’ve been able to overcome them, and
DM: That’s a really nice touch from the perceive as our core audience (cid:62)that(cid:64) plays
that’s the most positive thing – how we
animators there – because like you say, games? Oh, well, guys, I guess.’ It’s just not learn by experience to hopefully make it a
even though you’re technically wielding true, though, is it? You know, I’m a guy, and better game.”
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Attract Mode
Interview
I was thinking that these games feel
The Little Nightmares games are, like twisted versions of what children
(cid:195)(cid:457)(cid:616)(cid:676)(cid:520)(cid:543) (cid:624)(cid:387)(cid:688)(cid:624), (cid:613)(cid:387)(cid:616)(cid:637)(cid:546)(cid:688) (cid:520)(cid:566)(cid:720)(cid:653)(cid:457)(cid:566)(cid:442)(cid:457)(cid:449) (cid:441)(cid:688)
go through in the real world. You forget
games like Flashback and Another
World, where players were “thrown as a grown-up how strange the world is
into the middle” of a story.
when you’re very small. Nothing is really
designed for you. Even chairs are too big.
DM: It’s one of those things where, once
SET DESIGN I’m not interested in that in the slightest. you grow up, you’re part of the gang, and
We’ve just got to recognise there are more then it’s, ‘Yeah, I don’t need to worry about
people out there than the lowest common that now.’ It’s a schoolyard mentality, isn’t
(cid:56)hen it comes to figuring out the games’
denominator who just want to kill stuff. it? ‘I’m one of the big kids now, so I get to
lighting and atmospheric effects, the team
People are looking for more. bully the ones smaller than me’. It’s about
at Tarsier concentrate on designing small
slices of each chapter. “Very early on, [the We want to do something for everyone remembering that and connecting with it.
team(cid:375) define what they want to have for – more of a (cid:62)universal(cid:64) experience. If you I’m thinking it must just suck for kids. I’ve got
a specific environment,(cid:388) Roussel tells us. feel powerlessness, like in our game, there’s a young lad now, he’s almost two. I’ve seen
“And then they take a very small section something about that that really connects how he’s reacted when he’s been to school,
of the game, with no enemies, nothing. with me. That this world wasn’t made for and come back, and his first contact with
They put all the lighting in there, and also Six, you know, so how do you cope with these teachers. (cid:43)e has nightmares for days.
the environments and a first set of props.
that? (cid:43)ow do you deal with these grotesque And I swear it must be that, because there
They make a scene and then they’ll share
creatures who, for some reason, have total are these people who are grown-ups and
the vision to the world team about what
power over you? This is their world and they’re telling you what to do, or they’re just
the chapter will look like. We do that on a
you’re just thrown into it. There’s something there instead of your parents. And nobody
very small section, because it’s expensive
to do that so early. And then that really really primal about that. Certainly, if you thinks about that, you know? I think all we’re
gives all the guidance to the team.” have any memories of being a kid. trying to do is look through those eyes.
The (cid:565)avour of that is what connects with me
– so much more than being tooled up and
going after wave (cid:62)upon(cid:64) wave of grenade-
throwing henchmen. I know how it feels to
be alone and vulnerable in the world. I’m
sure loads of people do.
You have the teacher character in the
game, who looks frankly terrifying.
Is that loosely based on anything
autobiographical?
DM: (cid:62)laughs(cid:64) She reminds me of (cid:48)edusa
from Clash of the Titans. There I go again
– movie reference. But no, it’s nothing
personal. It’s taking things that inspire you
10 / wfmag.cc
