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ALL FORMATS LIFTING THE LID ON VIDEO GAMES SHOCK AND AUDIO Games that do new things with sound NINJA STARS Why the shinobi’s the hero of the hour GET LAMP Make your first text adventure Issue 31 £3 wfmag.cc Nightdive’s remake goes through the Looking Glass 0011__WWFF##3311__CCoovveerr VV33__RRLL__VVII__DDHH..iinndddd 22 2222//0011//22002200 1122::5555 JJOOIINN TTHHEE PPRROO SSQQUUAADD!! GB2560HSU¹ | GB2760HSU¹ | GB2760QSU² 24.5’’ 27’’ SFyrenec Panel TN LED / 1920x1080¹, TN LED / 2560x1440² Response time 1 ms, 144Hz, FreeSync™ Features OverDrive, Black Tuner, Blue Light Reducer, Predefined and Custom Gaming Modes Inputs DVI-D², HDMI, DisplayPort, USB Audio speakers and headphone connector Height adjustment 13 cm Design edge-to-edge, height adjustable stand with PIVOT gmaster.iiyama.com It’s time to expect more from the games industry I don’t think I’ve ever been this disinterested you buy isn’t just how you’ll be playing games, but your in a new console generation. I know it’s been entire identity; your brand is an extension of their brand. nearly a decade. And, sure, I’ve loved a lot of the And right now their brands are literally stealth games, I’ll undoubtedly love some from the next. black slabs of boring plastic with more FLOPS than But Microsoft and Sony seem bored by their own might, last decade, and a tepid gimmick. Enhanced haptic and unwilling (and unable) to pitch their consoles as any feedback? How long are we really going to hold onto DIA LACINA more than iterations on iterations. rumble? I mean, really. More ‘immersive’ button-feel? Just Dia Lacina is a There’s been a lot of chest-thumping already about more things to turn off. Sorry. A DualShock trigger will queer indigenous FLOPS and hertz and native 4K. Phil Spencer decided to trans woman writer, never feel like drawing a bow, and immersion used this show off the chip powering the new Xbox by changing photographer, and way is tired marketing. his Twitter avatar to a photo of it. Promises of real-time founding editor of I guess that leaves backwards compatibility. Which CapsuleCrit.com, ray tracing and an elimination of load times. could be nice, but it’s literally looking into the past. a monthly journal But what does that get us? How will this dedicated to At best it’s a holdover until something more than a fundamentally change the way developers make games microgenre work handful of probably uninspired launch titles drop. It’s or the games they’re able to make? Everything so far just about games. not a reason to invite new devices into my home, it’s a She tweets too much sounds like an incremental nudging towards everything reason to not keep my old ones around. at @dialacina we’ve been doing, but more expensive. More polygons, Where’s the retirement home for old bigger textures, more square kilometres of Ubisoftian consoles anyway? Ultimately a landfill. Where they’ll open-world spaces that need to be filled with something linger, basically for eternity. That sucks. It’s not like new (whether it’s expensive set pieces or dozens of hours of consoles aren’t ecological nightmares to begin with, no procedurally generated, minimap cluttering busywork). matter what promises of lower power consumption The rest of this year, two giant corporations are going they offer. Between the conflict minerals, manufacturing to try and convince us once again that their incremental waste, planned obsolescence, shipping, to say nothing hardware refresh is the one that will change our lives of the monumental labour issues, the socioecological as gamers. That they’re the ones who truly get us, they’ve handprint of consoles on a corporate scale cannot got the exclusive games we want, and we absolutely remotely be offset by a more efficient standby mode. should give them our £400-plus for the privilege. 31 A new console generation means more expenses. # Remember when Sony promised us the PS2 would Not just the cost to make games (though that’s certainly be capable of rendering – in real time – the ballroom true), but the human and ecological cost. I don’t need dance sequence from Final Fantasy VIII? Yeah, that more FLOPS measured in teras or petas. I need Sony never happened. But it felt inspired. Could you imagine and Microsoft (and Nintendo) to give a damn about their Sony or Microsoft using Squall and Rinoa waltzing as business practices, to care about the labour and lives promotional material now? of people making games for their platforms in a very I’m tired. And really, there’s no way to market around real way, and to be open, transparent, and committed how tired I am. It’s the same boring war that we’ve waged to real change with regard to the environmental havoc over graphics cards and processors, but somehow made that multibillion-dollar multinational corporations bring more dire because multibillion-dollar companies have with them. I need them to care if they’re going to expect pushed billions into crafting a world where the console me to. And right now it seems like none of us do. wfmag.cc \ 03 CCoonntteennttss s t n e t n o C 6 Attract mode Interface 06. System Shock 18. Return of the ninja Nightdive give us the tour of Why fleet-footed shadow warriors their stunning 2020 remake are so hot right now 10. Minute of Islands 24. Glitchfall An adventure-puzzler with a A platformer that explores the gruesome edge dark side of nostalgia 12. Table Manners 44. Pet sounds It’s awkward first dates: The indie devs pushing the game the video game audio envelope 16. Incoming 48. The genius of M2 44 Bear attacks, dogs, and a return Profiled: the masters of porting to Wasteland classic games 04 / wfmag.cc CCoonntteennttss WELCOME Syd Mead, the late industrial artist and futurist who sadly passed away on 30 December 2019, wasn’t best-known for his contribution to the video game industry. All the same, it’s well worth taking a moment to consider just how important he was. Mead served as a concept designer on 1995’s Cyber 18 Speedway; designed the aliens in Wing Commander: Prophecy in 1997; and, that same year, consulted on Westwood Studios’ fondly remembered Blade Runner adaptation. Mead had other credits on video games, too – his reworked Light Cycle for Tron 2.0 was another highlight – but it was his work in film that arguably had the biggest impact on our favourite medium. His concept art for Blade Runner’s city of angular buildings and curvaceous flying cars resulted in a future we’ve seen endlessly borrowed from and referenced in video games since 1982. And his ships and vehicle designs for Aliens have left a similar impression 48 56 on game designers as they’ve come up with their own futuristic military hardware. Mead’s grounding in industrial design meant that everything Toolbox Rated he created looked solid and functional, whether it was his Sulaco spaceship in Aliens or the creepy Voight-Kampff 30. CityCraft 56. Phoenix Point machine from Blade Runner. Given that video games are Tools for building and managing Familiar tactical antics from the partly about making imaginary virtual cities creator of XCOM designs look like real, functioning objects and places, 32. Automated testing 61. Golem it’s little surprise that Mead’s work has left such a lasting How it can transform your A PSVR adventure let down by its after-image on video games. game design jarring controls 36. A guide to Quest 62. Legend of Bum-bo Ryan Lambie Editor Make a text adventure with this Edmund McMillen’s back with a free engine lavatorial roguelike 40. Source Code 64. Backwards Compatible Code your own top-down Virtua Racing on PICO-8, and lots rolling road more retro goodness wwffmmaagg..cccc \\ 0055 Attract Mode Interview SHOCK THE SYSTEM The original kickstarted an undisputed era of classics; 2020’s remake of System Shock wants to raise the bar again T his is the third time Nightdive faltered, many of the original project’s Studios will have released a developers left following disagreements System Shock game. It’s not with the game’s direction, aspirations System Shock 3 by any stretch (and funding requirements) ballooned, of the imagination – not least additional funding wasn’t secured, and because there is a fully fledged sequel ultimately the whole thing was put on in the works, entirely unrelated to this hiatus while the future of System Shock’s project, from OtherSide Entertainment. remake was refocused. No, this is a remake in the true sense; What re-emerged from the shadows a step up from Nightdive’s previous was a different beast to what the project remaster-only projects, and the first had become: now it would be a focused time the studio has sat down and made System Shock remake, made in Unreal something from scratch. On the one hand, Engine 4 – dropping Unity – and with a you have to admire the boldness of taking team of around 20 people working hard to such a step. On the other, it’s a hard place bring a straightforward vision of a renewed, to intentionally put yourself in, with fan revitalised classic to the world. It’s never expectations being of the sky-high variety. nice to have to start over, but it looks like in Initially shown off as a Unity-made game this case it was the right thing to do. and shopped out to Kickstarter, System Appetite for sci-fi terror suitably Shock bagged itself $1.3 million (£1m) whetted, we sought out Nightdive Studios before the campaign closed. But, as with CEO Stephen Kick for a chat about all so many projects, writing down what you things System Shock – including the intend to do proved quite different from pleasure and pain of bringing back a actually doing those things. The project beloved franchise for a modern audience. 06 / wfmag.cc Attract Mode Interview as a character artist when I decided I needed to take an extended break from the industry. I quit my job and crossed the border into Mexico with my girlfriend, and for the next ten months we explored the country. We eventually travelled south through Central America, and one stormy night while staying in a hostel in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle I decided to play System Shock 2, but there was one problem… the game wouldn’t run. I visited GOG.com but discovered it was unavailable, [and] also the most requested title on the site, so I decided to do some detective work. I discovered that the copyrights to System Shock had been transferred to an insurance company in the Midwest as collateral when Looking Glass went bankrupt in the early 2000s How much of a – to use a horrible word and the trademarks to the franchise were – ‘journey’ has the process getting to held by EA. System Shock been for Nightdive? I wrote an email [enquiring about] When Nightdive first started, we only the availability of the license and was had the resources to do straightforward responded to almost immediately, re-releases, which involved utilising open- requesting a proposal for what I had source emulators such as ScummVM in mind. I suggested that we re-release and DOSBox. As we continued to grow, the originals [as was], they agreed, we brought on engineers that would and Nightdive Studios was born. [EA’s develop our proprietary KEX Engine that trademark had lapsed, and] a number of would allow us to remaster, enhance, years later, we approached the insurance and ultimately port games to console company and made an offer to purchase platforms. We’ve always had the ambition the rights to the franchise – they agreed. to create something original, but decided If the opportunity to purchase the our first internal effort at a remake should rights to a classic franchise presents be with the original System Shock. itself, we always consider it. We’ve been We did release a source port of the lucky to acquire great franchises such original that made it accessible to a as Strife, Forsaken, Metal Fatigue, and much wider audience, but during that another property which [we haven’t initiative we discovered that the underlying announced yet]. mechanics made it a wonderful candidate for the remake treatment we’re working on There has to be a unique form of today. It took us just over four years before pressure in working on such a beloved we were comfortable with undertaking a franchise and it not being ‘yours’. How do project of this scale. you work under that spectre? I would say that there was definitely How did the acquisition of the game’s pressure at the outset, but now that we’ve rights come about? Is that something given the public a chance to demo the you always attempt with franchises you game, much of that weight has been lifted. revive on digital platforms? Based on the feedback we’ve received, I had been working at Sony Online we feel that we’ve found a great balance  As with the original, players have Entertainment for a number of years between old and new, which required to make their way through an evil-AI controlled space station where things have Gone Bad. wfmag.cc \ 07 Attract Mode Interview so familiar with the game that they can navigate the levels in complete darkness and can recreate them in a level editor by memory. Another advantage we have is a QA team that have tested the original  You see a lot of pistols in these shots, and can apply their testing methodology but combat options are wide-ranging. Also: there’s still a lead pipe. to the remake – working on both titles has given them a very unique insight into what makes System Shock tick. some trial and error, but our perseverance since then, one of our main priorities has paid off. One piece of feedback we was to ensure we were as transparent as What, to you, are the most important received was that the game was too possible with those backers. They have factors to get right in System Shock? difficult and that it didn’t hold your hand been extraordinarily patient and have There are a number of hallmarks that make enough, and while it was negative in tone, provided us with constructive feedback System Shock unique, and as long as we we took it as a victory – games from this which is more than we could have asked translate those faithfully, we’ll be successful era were difficult, they didn’t hold your for. As much as it disappointed them to in our remake. One of the first features you hear that we were encounter is how System Shock handles “Not many people realise that Shock was one starting over, I also selecting a difficulty setting. There is no, feel there was a Easy, Medium, or Hard mode – instead, of the first games to introduce a completely collective sigh of the player is given a range of customisable non-linear, first-person experience” relief. They had options, each pertaining to a different part been quite vocal of the game. Do you want to be pushed to hand, and they rewarded players who about the state of the project, and by the limit? Select the highest difficulty in the immersed themselves in the game world listening and acting on their feedback, we ‘Story’ section, and now you have a strict and solved problems without following regained their trust. time limit. Want a more relaxing adventure breadcrumbs, waypoints, or objective game experience? Select the lowest option markers. System Shock forces you to You didn’t create the original System on the ‘Combat’ section, and none of the explore and scour for resources to survive. Shock, but you worked on the series not enemies will attack you, allowing complete It’ll give you an idea of what you need to do so long ago for the remasters. How has freedom to roam the station and explore without explicitly spelling it out, and I think that set you up for the 2020 edition? without fear of attack. This enables each that shows an immense amount of respect Working on the Enhanced Edition has player to create a custom experience to the player. definitely given us an insight into how the which is a feature absent from almost mechanics work from a programmatic every other game. There’s the $1.3m of pressure from standpoint. When first testing a new Kickstarter backers – how does that system, we’ll implement the exact same factor in? mechanic from the original then iterate  Environments have seen a modern- retro lick of paint over the original, The success of the Kickstarter proved on it until it feels right from a modern while remaining utterly creepy. to us that there were a large group of design standpoint. In this way, we ensure passionate fans who believed in what that the foundation of the game feels we were trying to accomplish and were like System Shock, from the mechanics willing to put their money down to see it to the environment and level design to through. We made some missteps along the audio cues and storytelling. We also the way that betrayed their trust, but have developers on the team who are 08 / wfmag.cc Attract Mode Interview  In case you ever need reminding that this is, indeed, not Kansas anymore. Another important factor is the art. System Shock is not a generic science fiction shooter. Every environment, prop, weapon, and enemy has a very specific aesthetic that draws inspiration directly  If in doubt, blow it all up and hope for the best. from the original. To ensure we maintain that direction, we’ve hired the original artist, Robb Waters, who was instrumental [Also], the atmosphere in System Shock in creating the look of not only System is unlike anything most people have Shock, but the BioShock games as well. experienced in a game before – it’s a Perhaps the most important thing is perfect blend of horror, suspense, mystery, that we don’t stray too far from the original and isolation, punctuated by visceral by introducing modern mechanics that combat, scavenging for supplies, and weren’t present in the original, such as solving puzzles. If we’re able to capture replenishing health bars, cover-based those feelings in our remake, I’ll consider original still exists. Very few aspects of the combat, or scripted sequences which take our efforts a success. original design are changing, and if we control from the player and break the do it right, fans will feel like nothing has immersive nature of the game. What lessons have you learned during changed at all. development that you might wish you’d The old-school fans are obviously have known earlier? Once System Shock is out the door, on board, but what do you think I wish that I had trusted my instincts after what next? System Shock has going for it to the Kickstarter ended. I allowed myself to We have a backlog of remasters we’re entice newcomers? be coerced into making certain decisions working on, but there have been I think newcomers to the series will love that at the time, I was vehemently against. discussions about using our KEX Engine the Metroidvania aspect of the level It sounds crazy to think that’s possible, to create an original title to showcase the design, the difficulty, and the immersive but it happened, and I’m not ashamed to tools and features we’ve developed. As for atmosphere we’ve created in the Unreal admit it. If you create something so many the Shock team, there’s a high probability Engine. Not many people realise that Shock people love and are willing to donate over that a remake of System Shock 2 will be next. was one of the first games to introduce $1.3 million for, chances are you’re doing a completely non-linear, first-person something right, and you should keep Finally, who decided to bring back Bad experience, and there haven’t been many doing it. It was a very painful lesson, but Mojo, and why? since then. By simply presenting the levels one I’m ultimately grateful I learned. I’ll take credit for that! It was one of my the way they were originally designed, I all-time favourite games as a kid, and I believe we’ll introduce something many What were you able to bring made it a very high priority to re-release newcomers will greatly appreciate in a to the project from your other under Nightdive. One of the things I’m first-person shooter. remastering experiences? most proud of is spending the time and We’ve learned from experience that fans resources necessary to rescue titles of certain games don’t necessarily want despite their obscurity. Did it sell well?  Yep, that’s definitely not terrifying at all. Nope. No brown trousers here. every aspect of those games changed No, but it’s a wonderfully unique game or improved. In most cases, updating that deserves to be playable again. It’s my the game to run at a high resolution, hope that games like Bad Mojo, Noctropolis, smooth frame rate, and implementing Timelapse, Harvester, and other niche more intuitive and responsive controls is [titles] help inspire the next generation of more than enough. People want to play developers to make more strange, weird, the game they remember, not the game and beautiful games. they played. We are remaking everything in System System Shock releases on PC, PS4, and Shock from scratch, but the DNA of the Xbox One in 2020 wwwfffmmmaaaggg...cccccc \\\ 000999 AAttttrraacctt MMooddee EEaarrllyy AAcccceessss Islands of Memories Director Anjin Anhut speaks to us about the pressures of playing a hero in Minute of Islands I GENRE H aving started out with the Driven primarily by the team’s art director, n Narrative adventure humorous point-and-click Tim Gaedke, Minute of Islands’ art style is f o FORMAT adventure series The Inner World, influenced by French and Belgian comics such PC / Mac / PS4 / as well as working on children’s as The Adventures of Tintin, which have a similar Xbox One / Switch games for local German TV tradition of merging adult storytelling with DEVELOPER stations, Berlin-based Studio Fizbin’s next stylised characters and environments. “[Gaedke] Studio Fizbin game is an evolution of its earlier work. Moving basically insisted on making something that PUBLISHER away from point-and-click mechanics, Minute of doesn’t look like a game,” says Anhut. “And we Mixtvision Islands is a real-time puzzle platform adventure, think it allows us to connect to the character RELEASE and although it still has you playing the role better than doing something where we risk Spring 2020 of a child protagonist and features gorgeous going into the uncanny valley with photorealism. hand-drawn art, game director Anjin Anhut We think that the language this offers us, says his latest project is intended for an older whether in character design or environmental  No need for confusing inventories: Mo’s handy Omni audience. “The themes are actually pretty design, is a stylisation that players can Switch is all you need. mature,” he explains. “Even though there’s little translate for themselves. And we think that this to no violence, things get a bit gruesome on the translation process makes it more accessible, emotional side. So we wouldn’t expect the story and more endearing.” to resonate with young children.” The detailed, handmade visuals certainly look incredible, and Anhut stresses that the team refrained from reusing assets as much as possible – which is pretty impressive, given there’s a considerable amount of them across a narrative adventure designed to be completed in a few hours. The story’s set on an archipelago consisting of seven islands, where an unknown calamity strikes at the start, releasing a mysterious cloud of poisonous spores. Naturally, it’s up to a young hero to save the day: it’s a popular trope Anhut admits they’re piggybacking on, but also deconstructing. “This [trope] of 10 / wfmag.cc