CRIS TALES
Carlos Rocha Silva explains how good things come in threes
Format PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Modus Games Dev Dreams Uncorporated
What happens if you can weaponise time? That’s the pitch of indie RPG Cris Tales. This blend of classic Japanese-influenced roleplaying and the unique idea of seeing three time periods on screen at once (and using them in combat to age and de-age enemies and weapons) is one of next year’s most original games. We sit down with Dreams Uncorporated CEO Carlos Rocha Silva to discover more…
OPM: Where did the idea come from?
Carlos Rocha Silva: We’re used to making games with very unique mechanics (the previous game the team worked on was Haimrik: a medieval game about a character walking on top of words and making them come to life). This one was an attempt at making a game that was very original but also something familiar to the audience, and for ourselves. To be clear, the idea of watching the three time periods at the same time was born even before we knew we were making an RPG, and the idea just matched perfectly.
OPM: Did you ever worry that having three time zones on one screen might be too confusing?
CRS: Yes, actually it was quite a challenge internally first deciding if the idea would not work. It was too confusing to explain, so the team was hesitant. Then, we tried to make it with placeholders, and after seeing it, the effect was amazing, people were really interested in the changes in each zone across time. Then we knew it could potentially get more confusing by making it an RPG with enemies at both sides, but we decided it was worth a shot. We really liked the idea so we risked it, and spent a lot of time polishing those RPG mechanics so they would feel great. There’s even a few scenarios where you end up asking ‘so… what would happen if I do this…’ and we need a convincing answer for the players.
OPM: How complex does the game’s time-based combat system get?
CRS: It definitely gets very complex, but our plan is for people to learn and understand the basics fairly easily, with changes introduced at a pace that lets the mechanics get ingrained in the way people play. That way they can mix what they’ve learned and hopefully enjoy a very unique experience from other people in their playthrough. Playing with different characters in your party with different abilities will give different results, and different playstyles. Hopefully that’s what we’ll achieve in the full game.
OPM: Are the uses of time as a weapon scripted or can the player experiment?
CRS: What we’re doing is creating the systems, some ground rules for the players to familiarise themselves with everything they can do. After that, they can try out different things, and end up with results that even we’re discovering, getting to make combos of damage depending on the order of abilities and effects they use across times.
OPM: Can the player see the future change as choices/events play out in the present?
CRS: Of course! That’s the big premise of the game: learn from the past, act in the present, create your future. Our idea is that you feel like you can see the consequences of your actions, you feel the weight of your decisions. People might end up suffering, while some others are happier. It’s not always about everyone winning (even if sometimes it feels like it), it’s about what you feel is the best choice for you to make.