As most of you must know, we published Infliction: Extended Cut on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 25th, and we’re very happy with how well it has been received. It currently has 4.5/5 stars on both platforms!
To celebrate this, we decided to host an interview with the Infliction: Extended Cut developer, Clinton McCleary from Caustic Reality.
What provided the inspiration for Infliction?
I draw inspiration from all over the place but the single biggest thing that influenced Infliction was becoming a new parent. This changes you overnight. Everything you we’re afraid of before didn’t seem to matter any more. And with that came a slew of new fears and inspiration for a horror story based on real fears set in the surreal, yet familiar.
Did any games, films, TV shows, or books influence you in the creation of Infliction? What aspects do you like about them?
Yes, absolutely. We’re all inspired and influenced by the ones that came before us though I’d consider my influences to be less than conventional. I’ll start with games. Gone Home was the single biggest inspiration for Infliction in terms of its game play, environmental storytelling and setting. I loved the idea of uncovering story elements at your own pace while making the world feel alive. The other game that influenced me was PT. PT took the normal and safe and twisted it which really inspired me. I don’t play many horror games personally but I love horror movies.
The movies that inspired Infliction can be felt throughout the experience. If you know the movies, you’ll relate to their inspirations right away. Hellraiser, The Exorcist, The Ring, Evil Dead, and House on Haunted Hill to name a few.
Another big influence for me, particularly in the early stages of concept is music. Everyday I’d drive to work and I’d listen to a song called ‘Electric Head Pt1 (the agony)’ by White Zombie. The start of this song had me visualize the final scene from Infliction. And it’s the final scene still to this day. Music always paints pictures in my mind.
Infliction’s environmental storytelling is a homage to different horror movies and games.
What was the process for creating Infliction?
Solo development was extremely challenging. Add to that my first game and I’m sure my creative process is unorthodox. The story of Infliction is a linear story told out of sequence. I wrote the story early on and so I knew the beats. It wasn’t until I wrote character dialogue that I really started to understand my characters. Once I understand the characters it was full steam ahead. I could now build a world for these characters to inhabit. Once I had my world, something interesting needed to happen in it.
I think of Infliction as a set of memorable moments woven together with a narrative. I’m a very visual person so I’d often think of a cool moment or scene and work backwards from there. Once a sequence is complete, I dive into audio, one of my favorite parts of the process. You can sell so much with audio, particularly in horror. The audio is also extremely detailed and layered. I’d start with an ambient track and layer sounds over relevant to the situation to create a soundscape to complete the sequence. If the theme of the area is birth, you’ll hear babies cries layered into the audio. Inside a mirror? The audio is reversed. It’s not just audio where I pour over detail. So many things were hand made to make the environment feel lived in. Many of the brand names are anagrams revealing a deeper meaning to your situation. Infliction is loaded with Easter eggs and everything has a purpose.
Do you have a favourite memory from your time creating Infliction?
I have so many awesome memories it’s hard to nail one down. Creating alone is a strange experience. You don’t have many people to bounce ideas off. My wife, daughter and a couple of friends were my saving grace in this regard and I couldn’t have done it without them. But one of my fondest memories was winning the PAX Indie Showcase. This was the first time anyone had seen my creation besides my nearest and dearest so to have the game judged and win was amazing validation for me and really put wind in my sails.
What technical challenges did you face in taking the PC build and porting to consoles?
There are quite a few challenges because PC is such a forgiving platform. Hardware specific bugs through to optimization. Building the Extended Cut content in parallel with the port and creating a respawn system just for consoles. Even the way PC saves data needs to be altered for consoles. A lot of systems had to be refactored to accommodate the console hardware. I’ve been blessed to work with some amazing people at Blowfish. The port has not been without its challenges but working with the team has been an extremely enjoyable experience.
What can people look forward to with the Extended Cut? What has been added from the base game?
Everything from the original game of course, The “Extended Cut” also includes additional endings and a “New Game Plus” mode with bonus story content, remixed scares, new puzzles, and other surprises.
What additions does New Game Plus bring to Infliction?
New Game Plus brings a much harder difficulty. New puzzles, remixed versions of the old puzzles, and new unlockable bonus story content. I really wanted to give the most hardcore completionist some additional challenge and reward them for taking the time.
The Extended cut includes additional endings and bonus story content… and a few other surprises.
Any tips you’d pass on to aspiring game developers?
It’s hard to impart advice that you haven’t heard before but if everyone is saying it, there must be something to it.
Keep the scope of your project small. One amazing feature is far better than three unfinished features.
Test early and test often. No matter how perfect your code is and how bug free you think you game is, it’s not. Players aren’t going to play the game the exact way you do when you test. Give the game to as many friends and family as possible or you could do what I did. I asked a local game collage QA class to test Infliction. They’ll get their name on a game and you’ll get testing!
Finally, if you’re developing and self publishing, start thinking about the business side of dev now. Get a website, start your social media accounts, start blogging your development journey, and reach out to some game marketing firms. They’ll usually do free consults and offer advice specific to your game which can be invaluable when you’re starting out.
Anything else you’d like to say to Infliction fans?
Thank you. Without your continued support I wouldn’t be able to do this. Because of you Infliction continues to grow and is now accessible to a much larger audience. Extended Cut is a love letter to you. I hope you enjoy the new platforms and the new content.
Thank YOU for your constant support!