Inspirations

I’ve played a lot of good games these last years, but none hooked me like Faster Than Light did. Ever since, I want to make a game like this, narratively speaking, but couldn’t find any good gameplay/narration ideas to start working on something. What interested me were those dialogue box in FTL, those crucial choices you have to make, constantly. But without any more gameplay, it won’t be anything more than a visual novel. I love visual novels, but I want to make something else.

Then, played God Will Be Watching, and this too was very inspiring. Once again, this was narratively strong ! This time, I had a few ideas, but nothing really serious yet. The best one might have been something about an hostages-taking, and now I see Deconstructeam is adding hostages-taking scenes in their enhanced version of God Will Be Watching ! This is great ! I might will play the game I want without even making it !

And then, I played King of Dragon Pass.

Wow.

Have you played King of Dragon Pass ? Take a minute month, and do it. This game was made in 1999 and, in my opinion, nothing as narratively brillant have been made during the next decade…I say the next decade, because these last years, the indie scene seems to have given an other chance to this « narration-through-simulation » thing : Cart Life, Faster Than Light, Six Grand Steps, Papers Please, God Will Be Watching…in fact, well…it’s seems it’s the new big trend in indie gaming, cause every one of these games had/has its success.

Well…for once it feels good to be in a trend.

I played King of Dragon Pass, and I knew that’s what I wanted to make. I want to make another King of Dragon Pass, a smaller one, a simpler one, a clumsier one, a shittier one probably…but a King of Dragon Pass anyway. I wanted this gameplay (or something close to it).

I had the gameplay, only the setting was lacking.

Eventually, this summer, I went back to my parents house for a short week. I read some good old Calvin & Hobbes, showed some shacks we made as kids (or what was left from them) to my 8 years old cousins, we played at the Planastel…

And it hit me : King of Planastel.