Hi, I’m Peter Tieryas, and I’m the narrative director at Nicalis. I’d like to tell you a little bit about the playable character in [i]Cramped Room of Death.[/i] A big part of writing for games is answering questions. For [i]Cramped Room of Death[/i], the questions revolved around the game's protagonist. You've probably seen him in the trailers, screenshots and promotional artwork—he's the guy in the suit of armor, with his long, red hair in a ponytail. Who is he? How did he end up in the dungeon? Why is he carrying that big spear instead of some other weapon? Who are his enemies, and what are they up to? While [i]Cramped Room of Death[/i] was in development, we realized that Hafiz, the game's designer, had not yet answered any of these questions. So I was given the task to add a bit of spice by coming up with some backstory. Our hero didn't even have a name! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38552467/95425ac233277466685b2cb02375685652eb4e40.png[/img] There were a few different ways I could have approached this, but I kept in mind that the team felt it was important to keep a light-hearted spirit. I quickly thought up a few different scenarios, trying to be faithful to Hafiz’s vision for the game. The scenario that resonated the most was that our hero was an adventurer who liked to party a little too much and ended up getting his treasure stolen. The skeleton army also took all of his weapons... everything except his family spear, because they knew it wouldn’t fit in their dungeon lair. A simple plot, but it explained why he carries a spear into the cramped rooms. It also made him more heroic and sympathetic—he’s not some cruel plunderer, he’s just trying to get his stuff back! Hafiz liked it, so it was decided. The approved story led us to some new questions... like, “Why can’t he just pick up a weapon from one of the Vizardians after he gets ‘em with the spear?” (Our internal answer: The Vizardian weapons are cursed.) [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38552467/da0a5d77d2add5a929e55a2095131560778c7deb.png[/img] Brevity is sometimes an art, and conveying lore through just a few quick screens can sometimes be as challenging as writing a longer cinematic. Classic retro games were able to convey plot and character through just a few still screens like in [i]Brandish[/i] and [i]Phantasy Star II[/i]. In the same way (while also keeping in mind the “Cramped Room” spirit of the game), I tried to encapsulate the tragedy of the cursed Vizardians in a few cutscene panels, while also maintaining a quirky and light-hearted tone. I also took inspiration, oddly enough, from [i]The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask[/i]. The ending is a meta-nod to the cyclical nature of gaming. Of course, writing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The art team was wonderful and vividly brought the scenes to life. Production gave really great feedback with directions on how the cinematic worked in the context of the game. One thing we struggled with was the main character’s name. We wanted a name that felt classic but also could have a contemporary ring to it. We finally settled on Lance. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38552467/17d1fcc8a9d02aa9e0ae2323dcb8dde760bc26f2.png[/img] I’m excited about [i]Cramped Room of Death[/i] and can’t wait for all of you to play it. Some of the puzzles are real brain-teasers, and I love how every room forces me to think about and plan every step. I hope you’ll find the story a fun complement to the gameplay. [url=www.nicalis.com] Nicalis Home [/url]•[url=www.youtube.com/NicalisInc] YouTube [/url]•[url=www.facebook.com/NicalisInc/] Facebook [/url]•[url=twitter.com/nicalis] Twitter [/url] © 2023 Nicalis, Inc. / Hafiz Mohd Rozlan