Talking Terror with Obscure Tales (Lamentum and INANIMA)
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As part of our Talking Terror podcast series, we've been talking to the developers of some fantastic horror games. One of those developers was Obscure Tales.
However, we weren't able to record a podcast due to the language barrier. Thankfully, we were still able to do a written interview with them in order to get their take on great horror. So here is episode 0 of Talking Terror Season 2.
Horror Game Awards: Introduce yourselves - tell us a bit about your studio and what brought you together?
Obscure Tales: Obscure Tales is made up of two members, Fran (Pixel artist) and Nico (programmer).
The story of how we met is not too interesting, it is actually quite simple. Nico placed an ad on a page where people meet who are looking for collaborators to create a video game. I responded and we talked by email for a few days. We both connected quickly because we like the same types of games.
Our first idea was to make something horror with a pixel art aesthetic. At that time we had played Count Lucanor, a game that summarized very well what we wanted to do… so we thought why not do something similar but with our personal touch?
And that's where the idea of Lamentum, our first game, was born.
HGA: What draws you to the horror genre and what to you makes a good horror?
OT: We are drawn to the horror genre in video games by that feeling of feeling that you are not in control of what is happening around you.
Not knowing exactly what's happening, feeling that insecurity and that fear of the unknown… that's what really makes a horror game shine.
HGA: Both Lamentum and Inanima are survival horror in a pixel art style - was there a reason you chose this style in particular, and is this something you want to continue in future games?
OT: We love pixel art! That's the reason XD… Well, it's really an artistic style in which we feel comfortable.
We also believe that pixel art can enhance the player's imagination, that creature, that monster or that pixelated character can take on a new dimension in the player's imagination.
In Lamentum we play with that idea and in INANIMA we have returned to pixel art because we believe that we can improve the formula and represent horror even better through pixels.
HGA: What inspired the story and setting of Lamentum?
OT: Lamentum was our first game and we poured a lot of different inspirations into it. It can be said that the story is a rather strange mix between the Cthulhu mythos passing through Hellraiser and ending in classic horror stories.
As for the setting, we chose the Victorian era because we love that era and we think it is very wasted in video games.
It is a dark time full of superstitions where there was a growing interest in magic, spirits or the occult sciences. So we think it would be the ideal time to set Lamentum.
HGA: Lamentum has an old-school RPG vibe to its presentation. Which games inspired that, in particular?
OT: We are mainly inspired by classic survival horror like the first Resident Evil or Silent Hill.
We wanted to bring that classic gameplay to our game.
Regarding RPGs we have adapted the exploration mechanics of classic games in a top-down perspective such as Zelda or Final Fantasy
HGA: Inanima is in the same pixel art style but a very different story and setting - did you deliberately want to move away from the previous game, to create a distinction?
OT: We could say that INANIMA is the natural evolution of Lamentum.
At INANIMA we wanted to bet on pixel art again, but we wanted to take a leap towards a more current game.
From the more detailed visual aspect to a much deeper combat and a completely renewed interface… everything in INANIMA is redone from scratch to create a more current experience without losing the "retro" essence of classic survival horror.
HGA: What particular inspirations did you have for Inanima?
OT: At the playable level, INANIMA is inspired by survival horror like resident evil or evil within.
At the story level we have immersed ourselves in the darkest science fiction. We like Carpenter and his "New Flesh", movies like Akira or even The Matrix.
HGA: With both games being survival horror, what’s your view on what makes a good game in that genre and what kind of experience you aim for when making these games?
OT: What we believe makes a survival horror good is not losing focus on "surviving"
We believe that many games start out really well, with a character who is really having a hard time surviving, whether due to threats or lack of weapons or ammunition.
The problem is that most games tend to make the protagonist more and more powerful and end up eliminating that feeling of feeling vulnerable.
We want to balance the feeling that there is progress for your character and that he is getting stronger, but we also want to maintain that tension of feeling vulnerable throughout the adventure.
HGA: Tell us a bit about what inspired the music and sound design for the games?
OT: The music for Lamentum was composed by our friend Paco (@blacklightsnd) and he did a really great job, so we have decided to work with him again for INANIMA.
In his words:
“INANIMA will have a musical setting that seeks to surround the player with audio tracks that range from the ethereal and mysterious of Dark Ambient, the beautiful and disturbing of Trip Hop and the Industrial and invigorating style of Alternative Rock.”
As for sound, we think it is a very important part of a good horror game. We try to play with silence and sound at the same time in Lamentum. There is always some sound present, whether it's a "noise" that makes you nervous as you explore or a calming melody when you reach a safe area.
HGA: What were your biggest challenges in development?
OT: Our biggest challenge is that we are a team of two people. We love horror games and are passionate about making video games but we have to do a lot of tasks, dividing the work as best we can is something that has worked for us but sometimes it is exhausting.
You have to go from designing a game area to creating a sfx, then animating an enemy and finally being a community manager on social networks… sometimes it's really exhausting!
HGA: What was the most fun aspect of making the game?
OT: For us, designing the game is a very fun creative part where we have to explore the technical and visual limits that we can carry out and think of new ways to interact with the player to give them a survival horror experience that is novel and at the same time classic. We also really enjoy seeing how the work takes shape and develops over time.
HGA: How has development been in terms of community support for the game, have you seen much anticipation from fans, and how does that feel?
OT: We have received a lot of support from our community since we started developing Lamentum. At first very few people knew us, but little by little our community has grown.
We have received help with translation, gameplay, testing… and many other things. It's incredible to see that there are people who are really passionate about survival horror like us and who are willing to help.
The community is always an essential part of video game development for us. Receiving feedback is often essential to know that you are on the right path since it is easy to lose focus on your work when you spend many hours on it.
Also, at Lamentum, through Kickstarter, we collaborate with our audience in very fun ways such as the design of characters, enemies and quests.
HGA: You’re working on a demo and a kickstarter for next year, do you want to tell us a bit about that and what we can expect coming up?
OT: Hey! That was supposed to be a secret! XD
Before anything we want to make a demo with all the base mechanics. INANIMA It is a very different product and we want people to try it to see if they really work as we expect.
However, we don't just want a "demo". We want a gaming experience that once finished becomes an experience that complements INANIMA both at a narrative and playable level…but this is a challenge that we are still facing.
HGA: Have you had a chance to play much horror from 2023 and do you have any picks yet for the Horror Game of the Year?
OT: This year has been full of very interesting horror experiences and it is difficult for us to decide which one is the best.
We believe that Alan Wake 2 and we believe that a great candidate for “our survival horror of the year”, however, RE4 has a special place in our hearts, and although it abuses the action and has that B-movie tinge… we cannot deny that we love it!
Follow Obscure Tales on Twitter.
Lamentum is a pixel art survival horror game, set in New England in the mid-nineteenth century.
INANIMA: A survival horror game set in the isolated facilities of a strange corporation. Search for limited supplies, and fight terrifying creatures to reveal the truth behind the Lazarus project. Be part of something that will change the future of humanity.