Kandria
Hey,
This week I wanted to talk a bit more about the influences behind Kandria. I touched on this briefly in my update on ethical dilemmas, but I thought it might be interesting to write some more about the games and stories that have inspired me. In the very least, it'll serve as a nice list of recommendations, in case you need something to spend your time with!
NieR:Gestalt and NieR:Automata
The influences of NieR are probably quite obvious to anyone that has actually played the game and read the backstory update. Both games present an interesting take on a post apocalyptic world. In the case of Gestalt, the world is actively dying out, and yet for a large part it is presented in an idyllic, peaceful way. In Automata, the world is already pretty much dead, and yet the same idyllic view of the world is retained.
I've spent over a hundred hours playing Automata, and by my standards that's a lot. It's the only game in my memory that I've ever 100%ed. A lot of that time was spent just taking in the world and getting lost in it, or sitting by idly waiting for fish to bite. There's been many times where I felt depressed and just booted up the game to walk around its world for a bit.
I'm sure there's many factors that contribute to me having formed such a strong connection to its world, but it's really hard to put into words just how it makes me feel, and what might have achieved that.
I hope that I can recreate even just a fraction of that magic in Kandria's world. I'm not a confident person though, so I'm very much in doubt that I'll be able to live up to that dream.
Aside from the world, Automata also features an insanely fun combat system that feels extremely fluid and energetic. This is another high standard that I'd like to live up to. However, since Kandria is a 2D game, I think I'll have a very different set of challenges presented to me in implementing it.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
DX:HR is not a post-apocalyptic game, even if it does take place in Detroit. This game is more of an inspiration for its cybernetics and human augmentation aspects. It presents a very compelling and interesting take on how the real world might react to augmentation becoming commonplace.
For Kandria I'm mostly interested in the technical aspects that are presented on augmentations, such as the carbon nanotube structuring, and the necessary medical treatment to fight augmentation rejection. I'm also taking some inspiration from how they render people's reactions to augmentation. The game presents several rather extreme positions on the political debate surrounding augmentation. I hope to take these concepts and fit them to the idea of androids, rather than augmentations.
Blade Runner
Both DX:HR and Blade Runner have very strong Noir influences, one of my favourite genres (more on that below). What makes Blade Runner so interesting though is that it combines the Noir presentation with a very strong Cyberpunk setting. The set design and art direction on both Blade Runner movies is a true marvel. Both films are very slow paced movies with a lot of down time that is meant to let you take in the world and its atmosphere, and I love them both for it very much.
Blade Runner's plot primarily deals with the question of Androids as slave labour, which is not an angle I intend to cover in Kandria, at least not primarily. I'm much more interested in how people would react to artificial beings that appear, in almost every way, completely human.
Raymond Chandler Novels
Raymond Chandler is an author that wrote several very famous and great Noir novels like The Long Goodbye. I absolutely adore the strong, moody feeling of Noir. The books manage to paint an atmosphere that's so thick it could be cut with a knife. The books also present several very recognisable character archetypes that I think would fit really well into a post-apocalyptic setting.
I hope I'll be able to write dialogue and set pieces that manage to recreate some of that intense Noir feeling.
Romanticism
This isn't a specific work, but rather an art movement as a whole. Particularly the feeling of being drowned out and overcome by the nature and world as a whole. I would definitely classify the NieR games as leaning heavily into the Romanticism themes, which is certainly one of the reasons I like them so much.
I've been drawing romantic art for quite a while, and every so often get an intense desire to return back to that. While making romantic drawings is one thing, creating a game that fits into that is another entirely. I intend for Kandria's game world to give plenty of down time filled with exploration through vast and impressive locations. If nothing else that will give plenty of use for the platforming mechanics, but I really do hope I'll manage to convey the kind of feeling romantic art inokes in me, as well.
I'm sure there's many other works that have influenced me, or Kandria more directly that I can't recall right now. There's also a lot more that I could say about the things I have talked about here, but I don't want to drag things out for too long.
Is there a particular work that has influenced you greatly? Let me know what it is, I'd be very interested!