As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming under my belt and a penchant for unique experiences, I find myself intrigued by the enigmatic world of “Kill the Shadow“. The blend of 2D and 3D visuals is nothing short of captivating, harkening back to the days of pixel art while offering a fresh perspective in a high-definition environment.
As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve been captivated by the intriguing premise of Kill the Shadow – a narrative-driven murder mystery adventure that combines 2D and 3D visuals in a unique way. The time manipulation mechanics, branching storylines, and hints of a deep setting all suggest that this upcoming title could make quite a splash. To get an insider’s perspective on the game, I had the opportunity to chat with Shadowlight Sanctuary, the developers behind it. You can find our full interview below.
We found it intriguing to incorporate a 2D pixel character within a 3D HD setting as an effective means of expressing ‘duality’ and crafting a distinctive user experience. This concept guided us, and we expanded on it as our main focus.
As a dedicated admirer, I can’t help but appreciate the captivating ambiance and energy that permeates through “Kill the Shadow.” I’m curious if you could share some insights about the inspirations behind this intriguing title?
The game was born from the 2022 Global Game Jam, where the theme was “duality.” Having previously developed a compact 3D tower defense game, we decided to carry on with 3D for this project. However, we pondered over ways to incorporate the theme. We considered a style popular in indie games and one we’ve experimented with before—2D pixel art. We believed that integrating a 2D pixel character into a 3D high-definition environment would effectively convey “duality” and offer a distinctive gaming experience. This concept guided our work, and we further developed it.
Intriguingly, the visual style of this game catches your eye right away. Could you elaborate on the methodology you’re using to combine 2D and 3D graphic approaches for this project?
Merging 2D and 3D elements proved to be quite an undertaking for our team. Since 2D is essentially a subset of 3D, we opted to approach the project as a 3D game, employing 2D techniques for characters and specific objects. The tricky part was maintaining seamless interaction between physics, lighting, and rendering for both 2D and 3D elements. We dedicated considerable resources into overcoming this challenge. We utilized Unity’s Universal Render Pipeline (URP), which expanded our functionalities and allowed us to tailor the effects we desired. Furthermore, we designed a novel character movement system to enable them to interact effectively with the physics of the 3D environment. Lastly, we developed a set of shaders to allow characters to respond to 3D lighting, cast shadows, and perform various rendering tasks.
How variable is the story? How much do things change based on the player’s decision?
In this game, it’s broken down into several story segments called chapters. Your choices as a player greatly influence the direction and conclusions of each chapter. For instance, in the “Death of Wangcai” chapter, whether you decide to disclose the truth or keep it hidden from Captain Wang results in vastly different outcomes and experiences. However, the effects on subsequent chapters are relatively minor, with only slight variations such as extra or fewer dialogue exchanges. This strategy prevents the game from becoming an overwhelming web of choices that could make development too complex or lead to a buggy experience.
We’re eager to make our game available on gaming consoles at some point, expanding our player base and giving them a chance to explore the universe we’ve crafted. But, because of financial limitations and development pace, that ambition must be put aside temporarily.
Could you clarify for me how the social interaction mechanism within the game operates? Is there any impact of this system on a player’s chances of winning cases?
In our game, the connection we build with our characters plays a pivotal role, shaping the twists and turns of the story. For instance, whether Fang Guowei chooses to take his own life or not hinges on our bond with him. Similarly, Captain Wang’s readiness to disclose information or offer specific items is influenced by our relationship with him. The depth of these connections evolves based on the choices we make as players, making every decision significant. Every ending in this game is a direct result of our actions and decisions.
In moment-to-moment gameplay, how does the ability to turn back time work?
For each movable object within our game, we designed animations that could be played backward. By reversing the flow of time, the game’s time stands still, leaving other items stationary, allowing these animations to play in a reverse sequence.
How long will an average playthrough of the game be?
We estimate that the average playthrough will take around 8 to 10 hours.
Do you think there is any chance of this game releasing on consoles at some point down the line?
In the future, we’re planning to make our game available on gaming consoles so we can share it with more people and let them explore the world we’ve crafted. But, due to financial limitations and development pace, this project is currently paused. We’re eagerly looking forward to developing a console version once the PC release is complete.
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2024-10-22 12:41