There’s a nice little article about The Graveyard in NRC Next, written by Niels ’t Hooft, based on a (much longer) email interview we had with him (in Dutch).
Month: July 2008
Criticism on The Graveyard
There’s an interesting (negative) critique of The Graveyard by Deirdra Kiai at the Adventure Gamers website. There’s quite a few things I can come up with in response (and some points that I agree with as well). But I’d like to hear from you, other people who have played the game, if you share Miss Kiai’s views or not, or have something to add.
Interview with Gry
There’s a nice interview with us, mostly about The Path, on the Polish website Gry. There’s also an English version.
Read it here.
Flower is beautiful!
At the occasion of E3 lots of new video footage has been released for upcoming games. Most of it is just more of the same. But there’s at least one exception. From our “sister company” thatgamecompany. We had the pleasure of trying out an early build of their upcoming Playstation Network game Flower earlier this year. And while that was a very memorable experience, the new clips show that the team around Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago have not been sitting still.
It’s so nice to see some designers being really creative and inventive. And not just applying the standard cookie cutter approach to whatever content comes their way. Let’s contrast the glory above with the absolute “horror” below.
It’s common knowledge that the Silent Hill series has been in decline since version 3. So why continue down the same path of “improving the combat” and adding more “cool features” when you know that the fans don’t appreciate this much at all? Lack of inspiration? Lack of love? (not lack of budget, that’s for sure…)
Crosshairs in Silent Hill? What is this a first person shooter? And that stupid blinking-on-screen-quick-hit-that-button-VCR-controls-in-disguise-whoever-invented-that-and-thought-it-was-a-good-idea interaction that nobody likes? Chasing enemies?? (Whatever happened to “RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!”?) And no, I will not mention the character design. What character design?
Let’s just forget that ever happened.
Wash it all away with more Flower.
Really love those windmills. It grounds the game firmly in our contemporary world rather than offering a simple escape. More of that, please!
The Endless Forest player survey
Together with PhD student Eva Kekou, we’re taking a survey of players of The Endless Forest. If you have ever played the game please go and answer the questions on the Community site (log in with your deer name and password). Even if you’re not particularly fond of the game, or of surveys, or even if you’re male, we’d love to hear from you!
We will publish the results of this survey at a later date (without divulging the names of the participants, of course). I think it will be quite interesting…
Long interview on GameSetWatch
We’ve been interviewed by Alistair Wallis for GameSetWatch.
Possibly one of the more interesting things that came up during this interview with Belgium based indie development duo Tale of Tales was the idea that they are, effectively, experimental outsiders in the games industry simply because of their focus on story based, artistically motivated work.
Isn’t that weird? Can you imagine what the film industry would be like if narrative works were substantially less popular than action based films?
If you have half an hour to kill, have a read!
Abiogenesis: The aftermath!
but wait… theres more! view the slideshow.
Great party! My head’s still swimming ;D
Biiig thanks to everyone who was there!!
ABIOGENESIS: Pool Party. Let’s cool off.
Tuesday, July 15th at 9PM GMT we are holding another one of our (in)famous ABIOGENESIS performances inside The Endless Forest. This time we suggest, all you deer, take a swim in the pond. You will turn into a frog and shed your costumes, but in this heat that will feel so good! Now that you’re all cooled off, leave your deer behind for an out of body experience with the Twin Gods. Enjoy the party and spectacle in a whole new way by switching to ABIOGENESIS CAM mode with CTRL+W. Be carried through the forest and witness colors and forest magic like you haven’t before! Find out what time it’s happening in your area.
This performance will also be playing and playable at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles as part of the Indiecade Exhibition of Independent Games! We hear they’re also showing a giant art print of a still moment from TEF. If anyone happens to see it, and can send us a photo 😉 thx.
The Path development journal
We have opened a new blog
The Path development journal
where we will share all the ins and outs of the ongoing production of The Path. Look forward to teasing and spoiling, but above all to the inspirations and day to day joys and worries of the creative team behind The Path.
To celebrate the occasion, we are revealing the silhouettes of the main characters in the game: the Red Girls. Soon, we will start highlighting them, one by one.
The Graveyard post mortem, part 4
In the fourth chapter of The Making of The Graveyard, we have a talk with Laura Raines Smith, who animated the character of the old lady. For all intents and purposes, Laura is the unofficial third member of Tale of Tales. She has created most animations for 8, including those for the Little Deaf Mute Girl in the Pretty White Dress (based on motion captures of my daughter, then aged 6). She animated the deer avatar in The Endless Forest. And at the moment she’s breathing life (and death) into the girls and wolves of The Path.
Without Laura, Tale of Tales would not be what it is. So it’s high time for us to pay some attention to her, here. Read on for some remarkable answers to our newbie questions in…