Silksong is out today - and I am so excited to share my deep-dive into the game's development.
I spoke with Team Cherry about Silksong's design, its origins, and the creative principles that drive their work. I'm thrilled to share it:
Halley's Comet Vega Flyby missions.
this image is one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. peak severe tinted terminal mode UX. it's one of the primary influences on the textmode in my game.
there is always dust
fundamentally i do want to be part of an international network of freaks doing projects
theory: maybe online is good, maybe posting is good, idk
seeing this slowly come to life is so exciting!!
it reminds me of invisible inc, which i think of as like, a slow roguelike? the campaigns are such a medium length, so if a run gets messy you’re in too deep to just give up, but you can’t slow down enough to fully recover; you have to play the bad situation forward!! that feeling is rare imo
i’m thinking about this more and i think it’s about tension; death is (on the regular difficulty setting) not permanent, but still bad. i’m in a bit of a death spiral, but it’s a slow enough game that i’ll live in the tension for a while before i do crash out, if i can’t rescue it
it’s a genuine success when a game can generate a feeling of desperation, without feeling like i’m going to be either protected or punished unfairly
things are going so badly for my sleeper and i’m reminded of some blades in the dark advice i once read (maybe in the book itself actually?) about playing characters like you stole them
okay i just completed the first contract and i think this game is unreal. assassin’s creed 2 level of sequel, just a fantastic and thrilling increase in scope
the bustling space station ambience track playing under the soundtrack makes for a really gorgeous atmosphere
just like last time; tone immaculate, art immaculate, mechanics are beautifully balanced between simple and engaging
i am very excited
gamer thread — citizen sleeper 2!!
would you like to play a game about both scavenging in giant wrecked spaceships and also the tender mix of sadness and excitement brought on by leaving home and finding your own identity? i thought you’d never ask
the music is gorgeous, and the earnest tone of the writing is really working for me
diagetic hologram compass!!!! hooting and hollering
two minutes in and i love how warm the atmosphere is; it’s quiet but doesn’t lean spooky, which is really welcome
gamer thread: sable
reading about multi neighbourhood cellular automata, wish me luck
update a few days later: who knows if/what/when i will post, but it’s nice to be this kind of Online again i think
what if i got back into posting