We hope you’re ready to discover the rich history of shadow puppetry because Projection: First Light launched on Steam for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on September 29th!
We decided to host an interview with Michael, from Shadowplay Studios, so he could answer all of your questions about the game and its development!
What led to the decision to use shadow animation to create Projection?
The mechanics of using shadows came first. It was an interesting idea to treat shadows like physical objects based on the way light moved. Once the mechanic was established, using shadow puppets seemed like a natural progression. Yosha suggested it would be really cool to use puppets when he saw the first prototype while I was making it during a game jam.
The devs worked on the shadow mechanics first and then added the idea of using shadow puppets.
What was the inspiration behind the story for Projection?
The tales were inspired by the different places we knew we wanted to take Projection. Once we consulted a shadow puppeteer who suggested we explore certain countries, we started researching the most well known stories from those countries. As for Greta's main story, we wanted the world of shadow puppetry to be explored from the viewpoint of a normal person i.e. from the 20th or 21st century. You can more easily explore the values and themes of the unique art style that is shadow puppetry if it is observed through the lens of someone who is experiencing for the first time themselves.
Greta’s story begins in the 20th-21st century and you get to experience shadow puppetry from a relatable character.
How was it taking the game from Apple Arcade and porting to other consoles?
For us the porting wasn't too troublesome. Luckily we have the help of Blowfish and Sweaty Chair to help out with porting. From us it was mostly design features e.g. make sure what works well with touchscreen also works for a controller.
What are some of your favourite games to play?
I grew up with an N64 so Banjo Kazooie shaped my childhood alongside Super Smash Bros, Zelda, and Mario. However, I play whatever I can ranging from MMOs, shooters, sandbox games and sometimes even (gasp) sports e.g. swimming, volleyball, basketball.
What’s been your favourite part of working on Projection?
Working on an idea that people genuinely believe is unique and then getting to watch them play. The best part is always once the players get to try it out. So conventions like PAX are always a highlight for me.
The best part of working on Projection was working on a unique idea and then seeing people play it.
What was the biggest challenge in bringing Projection to life?
For me, it was organising it around everything else. I was studying and then working full time while the game was being made. Probably to the chagrin of my colleagues I was not as present as I could have been which is why I'm still thankful for all the help and effort they put in.
What was it like working on this project during COVID-19?
The actual game was done, but the additional content that I was working on was no different to working from before COVID-19. Prior to COVID-19 we all worked from our home computers and communicated through discord. That stayed the same throughout. Having another job meant the company I was running wasn't severely affected.
What was it like having the demo in all the online festivals?
For myself it's always nice telling people there's a demo of my game they can try out. It also meant I got to see a lot of criticism from players as well which is fair. But I do much prefer whenever people have nice things to say ha.
How did you decide which countries to visit in the game?
We consulted a shadow puppeteer Richard Bradshaw who gave us a history lesson of how shadow puppetry moved throughout the world. Mainly starting in Indonesia and China, then spreading to Turkey/Greece, and finally the rest of Europe.
The devs wanted to explore the countries with rich shadow puppetry history. Pictured: China.
Do you have any advice for aspiring game developers?
It's not enough to have an idea. It needs to be playable for people to believe in it. Also, for most people starting out, a majority of the game ideas you come up with are going to be poopy ideas. It's only once you get through all of those that you eventually get to the good ones.
