Day One

What is an actor’s complex of one role, the Spaniards from Pendulo Studios now know firsthand. In their last game, Yesterday, the authors of Runaway and The Next Big Thing tried to move from company comedy thrillers to more serious, gloomy and adult topics, but not everyone liked this. The public opinions were divided radically: some were delighted with the change of direction, others considered Yesterday almost a failure. The Spaniards themselves, of course, are sure that everything went well, and the audience was unhappy with the fact that the game turned out to be too short. But the facts are stubborn thing. The next Pendulo Studios project, the same “adult” thriller Day One, publishers refused to finance. And then the Spaniards, as it is now fashionable, went to ask for money from the players themselves by setting a game to the Ulule website, a European analogue of Kickstarter. “We talked with more than 40 publishers around the world. Everyone liked the idea of ​​the game, but they believe that the risk is too high. Say, “serious” topics in games are not in demand, and the quests themselves will not bring profit today. And in general, the alleged players do not want another “adult” game from us. Then we decided to ask the players themselves, ”says Joshua Montcant, the main screenwriter of Pendulo in an interview.

For the Spaniards, the answer, of course, is obvious. “Most journalists and players believe that the transition to more serious topics has become a sign of our maturity. An adult acute theme is a rarity in video games, but this is one of the ways that we want to move on, ”says our interlocutor.

Sex, cynicism and crisis

It is easy to understand the Spaniards. In their country, they now have a terrible, one of the strongest crisis in Europe, what are the comedies and sun jokes here. “Day One is created precisely under the influence of this fucking crisis, which we nevertheless want to talk about a funny fun language. Therefore, here we have less than darkness, horror and murders, but more acute satire in the spirit of what, for example, Sasha Baron Cohen in the "Dictator," says Joshua Montcant.

[[Bullet]] Yeah, you can see a cynic from afar.

It is necessary to call a spade a spade: “Funny funny language” is actually ironic cynicism or cynical irony, which for the Spaniards becomes a natural protective reaction, when they themselves can enter the number of poor and unemployed. It is such a cynic that is the main character (or antihero?) Games, journalist Ethan Grant. He is sexy, young, smart and successful. He loves to have fun on everything and everything loves the famous Dictionary of the Devil, Ambrose Bircy, which is considered a cynic table book. But once Grant learns that he will be mortally ill and die within the next day. Returning home in a state of affect, Ethan finds an envelope and a small capsule in it. The attached note says: “It will extend your life for 24 hours. Go to Paris if you want to get more. We will find you ".

[[Bullet]] to draw and write music for games here almost better than anyone. By the way, the full -time musician PENDULO Juan Miguel Martin received a prize "The Best Soundtrack for the Spanish Video Great".

The authors do not reveal further details, but it is already clear what the general mood of the game and her hero will be. “I look like a fly, but not because I can live only one day, but because I ate shit all my life,” Ethan Grant likes to talk about myself.

His jokes are appropriate. “You want to invest in something? Try poverty. Every day it grows ".

Folk quest

As on YesterDay, on Day One, the Spaniards rely on a bright cinematographic presentation of history with an abundance of rollers, beautiful music and comics that int. Everything is also familiar with mechanics: the Spaniards promise to make their classic drawn Point & Click quest. But his filling will be largely determined by the players themselves, who donated their money to develop. “We will ask them what they want to see Day One, and many creative solutions will be made by players. If they want mini-games, action or arcade inserts to be here, please. They will want one, not a few endings – we will do it, ”Joshua assures.

[[Bullet]] So far there are no full screenshots, the authors are amusing in every way with the images of themselves. In the game, the characters will look more seriously.

On Yesterday, many did not like that the game turned out to be very easy (largely due to the abundance of all kinds of tips and illumination) and, accordingly, short. According to the developers, and the popular will should enter into business. “We want to offer players who have invested their own funds ourselves to decide how difficult the riddles will be. You can, for example, introduce two modes – hardcore and casual. If the players want this, it will be so, ”they say in PENDULO.

[[Bullet]] Joshua Montcant: "The game will have more black humor than a black gloomy environment".

The degree of cruelty will be determined in the same way. There will be a lot of baked blood on the floor and on the walls either a little or, perhaps, it will be possible to remove it through the options menu – it all depends only on the players themselves. Those who finance Day One will not only offer something, but also work on the voice acting of the game: some of them will allow you to play on some tool during the recording of the soundtrack. And the most generous ones will even receive a grant to teach a game design at the University of Madrid Compluthets, followed by a two -month internship in Pendulo Studios.

The Spaniards sincerely believe that all this will help them attract the necessary money for the development. “We do not set ourselves the task of earn some superprofits. If we collect the necessary means and release the game, but after the release we will not get a single euro, it still costs that. After all, if the developer, along with the players, is released precisely the project that they all wanted to see, then there will be no problems getting money for new games. And this is the main thing, ”says Joshua Montcant.

However, the players themselves are not yet very shared by this optimism. At the time of writing of this text, a Golden Mister Casino month and a half before the end of the fundraising campaign for Day One, the Spaniards collected only 10% of the necessary amount. And not the fact that they will receive the rest until the end of the action. In this case, they will not make any new attempts – the project will go to the basket. And given their unwillingness to turn off the “adult” gloomy theme, after which the future is the future of PENDULO Studios can be stained in no less gloomy tones. Whether to give them a tablet extending life or not – you decide.

We will wait?

The authors of Runaway are trying to collect the money of players for their new cynical quest about death and economic crisis.

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