In Nightmare Interview
For Nightmare storyline, how you make it and start it?
We hope that the narration as a medium can bring forward the emotional resonance with players, so as to deepen the user experience and the sense of identity of the game. We tried to create a diverse storyline focused on different traumas to form the whole game and integrated those experiences into the protagonist of the game. At the same time, the story emphasizes not the trauma itself, but how to repair the trauma and heal the heart. What we want players to get from the game is the strength to overcome and positive energy.
What special events did you encounter during the game develop process?
The creation of a game itself is faced with special events every day. For example, we discussed how to reflect the protagonist’s mental trauma in the game. At first, we hoped to use the way that the protagonist came to a different world, which is a bit similar to the European classical style. The monsters in the game were dressed in classical aristocratic clothes. But later we thought that we could more intuitively reflect the trauma of the protagonist in reality by using the dream way. However, we all liked the original images of the monsters, so we kept the images of the monsters in classical costumes in a more modern dream world. However, we also considered that in order to not to make the images of these monsters too abrupt in the game, a retro style style was specially added. This also affected the trend of the art creation.
Which parts of the game do you most admire?
Our favorite part of the game is to confront the monsters in the dark. Most of the time, you need to think about how to pass a scene without being found by the monsters. Because the monsters in the game are very strong, once they find you, it is difficult to escape. So, you can’t act recklessly, but think clearly. Once you decide to take action, you can’t have any hesitation. Because the longer you are exposed in a dangerous area, the easier it is to be found. In addition, we also like the atmosphere of combining the playing experience with the performance style of dark fairy tales. Most of the times, it increases the curiosity.
Are there any easter eggs in the game? Any surprises for the player?
Of course, there are many hidden elements in the game, which need to be explored by the players themselves.
Since this game has been developing under the China Hero Project by PlayStation, did it affect the game development direction in any ways?
The purpose of China Hero Project by PlayStation is to help cultivate Chinese game development teams to develop better game that work globally. Therefore, they will put forward higher and more standardized development suggestions to the game development team. With their experience, they taught us how to create a game with better performance in commercialization. They don’t interfere with the game’s creation or ideas.
In Nightmare is presented in the top-down camera but speaking of awareness, I believe that many people will also think of Little Nightmare in some ways. Does Little Nightmare inspire you in developing this game?
To be honest, the inspiration of creating games should be inspired by many excellent games from the past because they continue to move and affect people. The most important thing for “In Nightmare” is to have its own independent standing, not only in the way of presenting the game, but also in its plot, the gameplay, and system. All elements combine make it a game with its own connotation.
– Do you have any difficulties developing this game? Did Covid-19 affect the development cycle?
COVID-19 did affect the progress a little bit in the early days. But we quickly restored the normal order, so generally speaking, it has little impact on the development.
– Is there any plan for the game to be released on other platforms rather than only on PlayStation 4?
Currently, the focus is on delivering the best experience on PlayStation 4.
The game theme seems to revolve around pre-teen kids but then again the art style may push away said kids from the game as well. So who exactly will be your targeted group for this game?
The theme of this game is to use the dark fairy tale style to reflect a series of traumas that people may face in the process of growing up. What people have experienced in childhood and adolescence is likely to continue to have an impact in adulthood. So, players may have some resonance with the theme of the game, regardless of their age. The protagonist of the game is set as a child because we think that from the story, the protagonist should explore the source of the event.
Can you leave any messages for Thai gamers regarding In Nightmare?
We cannot wait for the fans to play In Nightmare and thank you for the amazing support for our game~
Do you have an estimate of long the game will run for? Like how long it’ll take for players to finish the game
It will depend on the players and how long they invest in discovering the different outcomes. Players focused on the main story can expect that it may take 8-10 hours and additional time for uncovering all that In Nightmare has to offer.
How many different kinds of unique monsters will we be facing?
It will be more interesting for players to encounter the different monsters themselves, but each kind of monster in the game will be related to the protagonist’s traumatic story. Some monsters will also act as the boss in the game, and some monsters will appear in different forms.
What is the ESRB rating for the game? Teens only or will younger audiences be able to play this game on their own.
We are in the process of the ratings, but the game has been developed to focus on teen and older who can understand the depth of the story and who enjoy great puzzle adventure games.
– Will there be any hidden endings that require us to, let’s say, collect a certain number of collectibles?
There are different ending branches in the game. According to the different items collected by players, it will decide what kind of ending the players reach.
How many possible upgrades will there be for your dream spirit? What about abilities besides the dream bomb?
The dream spirit has an important role in helping the protagonist take on risks. It has many auxiliary abilities, such as flying to a far place to observe terrain, detecting invisible objects and monsters, and most of these abilities can be upgraded. For example, it can increase the range of stealth detection. After the ability of orb is upgraded, the effect may also change.
– Will there be parts where the player will have to solve puzzles while running away from monsters?
Generally speaking, players may encounter situations such as searching for items in the area where a monster is in or avoiding the monster to find the key to the exit. In this process, the player may need to solve some puzzles. But it is better to do it without disturbing the monster. Once the monster is shocked, the player should first consider finding a place to hide. There are also situations where you need to circle the monster and complete some puzzles.
– Will we see visions that connect the monsters with the boy’s traumas in real life?
The game uses metaphorical expression, so it doesn’t directly explain the relationship between the monsters and boy’s trauma. But there are signs in the game that relate to the connection.
Are there any plans to release on other platforms besides PlayStation?
Currently, the focus is on delivering the best experience on PlayStation 4.
-What’s the inspiration for the monsters of In Nightmare?
The boy’s subconscious created this dark dream world and strange monsters. I personally like watching Tim Burton’s movies. Many of his dark and strange styles gave me great inspirations. We thought about how to design monsters in nightmares and give people a feeling of fear in darkness. But at the same time, we don’t want them to be “disgusting” in classical clothes, it makes these monsters seem weirder and gives people a sense of distortion of mind.
-Will there be a safe hub for players away from the dangers of being chased?
There is no clear definition of a safe area in the game, but there are some places that can help players avoid danger. Players should pay attention to these emergency positions where they are not found by monsters. Because when you are suddenly encounter by a monster, they may not find it while in a panic.
Will there be instances were the game takes place outside of the nightmares?
There may be but that is something the players will have to play to see for themselves.
What are the monsters based on? Is there any reference to monsters or ghosts from traditional folklore?
The design of the monsters are diverse. They are the distorted reflection of the protagonist’s traumatic experiences in the real world. The modeling of the monsters were inspired by the movie style of Tim Burton.
Is there any combat system in the game?
The main way to interact with the monsters in the game are “stealth” and “escape”, but in a specific scene, players may need to fight the monsters face to face. To fight is not to attack directly, but to use environmental factors to kill the monsters.
May I know the creative process behind the lore or story since not much was revealed? Like how did he venture into the nightmare world? Who is the dream spirit?
We do not want to reveal too much about the plot and look forward to the players uncovering the story by themselves. The role of dream spirit is created by the boy’s own imagination. In the real world, the boy was lonely, so he made up this dream spirit. The dream spirit is his partner and understands him when no one else does. Only he can see the dream spirit and why in the dream world other monsters can’t see the dream spirit. The dream spirit will always help the boy as his most loyal partner in the dark.
You’ve mentioned that we will have to control the Main Character and the Dream Spirit at the same time, how can we do that?
One side of the double rocker of the game handle is to control the protagonist, the other side is to control the dream spirit. The protagonist is the main body of movement, and will complete some physical interactive operations, while the dream spirit is more to complete some auxiliary functions.
Because of the gameplay mechanic of controlling two characters at the same time, will there be multiplayer mode?
The game is only single player mode at present, but we will consider the future direction later.
Will the game have a PS5 version? And using the feature of Dualsense.
Currently, the focus is on delivering the best experience on PlayStation 4.
How do you present the horror aspect of the game?
First of all, this is not a serious horror game. We don’t want to put a lot of fear pressure on the players. The main fear pressure in the game comes from the limitation of vision. When monsters appear, the whole screen will be distorted and fluctuated. The players know that the monster is nearby but they don’t know exactly where it is. When the players are found by the monster, they are not sure which route the monster will follow. Sometimes players must use the power of the dream spirit to detect the exact location of the monster, but even so, in the action, they can only rely on memory and intuition. In addition, most of the game has dimmed scenes, together with dynamic light and shadow contrast, it can also better demonstrate the atmosphere.
What is the inspiration of designing the main character?
The game follows the protagonist growth experience. This is a sad story and leads to the protagonist falling into a nightmare. In the early development stage, we considered designing the protagonist to be gloomier. But when we gave it a second chance, we wanted the game to look for hope so we felt that we needed to give him some positive energy. The nightmare world is woven by himself, and the image of the boy in the dream is also the lively and optimistic appearance in his ideal as he is dressed in a passionate red color. It demonstrates the protagonist’s desire for self-salvation.
What is the biggest challenge while producing the game?
I think the biggest challenge is how to find a balance between our own creativity and the commerciality of the game. We hoped to do a lot of creative but never proven elements, but that’s a big risk for a team. Some of the existing game elements and play can easily lose our own characteristics. So, whether the game has its own core idea or whether it can use its own original idea to interpret those things that have been done by others is very important. For example, stealth and escaping are the classic ways to play in many games, but how can we make players feel that the game has its own unique core while playing familiar elements. We needed to set a story background to drive the play of the game and letting players know that the game tells a unique story with creative monsters and play driven by the story. This is the most difficult thing.
There is a lot of horror game in the market now, what make the game different with others?
We do not want to use terror to “scare” players but hope to create a dark and lonely beauty. It takes stealth and escape as the main play method, combined with mild puzzle solving. The game uses the combination of reality and fantasy elements to depict a dark fairy tale with a slightly terrifying atmosphere.
How do you manage the project to have a good experience for the player in the game?
In the experience of this game, what we pay most attention to is how to balance the fear and curiosity, so that players can bear the fear brought by unknown things and be driven by strong curiosity. The power of the two is just balanced so as to bring the best experience. At the same time, we need to set up enough collection content in the game so that players can fully explore and increase the fun of repeated play.
How do you keep your passion for developing this game?
Creating a game itself is a very enthusiastic thing. In story design, character design, level design, we may constantly bring inspiration. When we see these things are subtly linked to form an experiential level, we all feel happy. When the difficulties faced by developing games are solved, everyone will have a sense of achievement. The effect of each development milestone will also give the team varying degrees of confidence.
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