Although adventure games may not have the widespread appeal they once did, there’s a community of indie devs quietly humming along, keeping the genre not only alive but thriving. Sure, the renewed presence of genre classics such as Broken Sword and Monkey Island has helped adventure games see a little more limelight, but indie devs are creating truly unique and interesting projects. One of those developers is the Italian studio imaginarylab, which first developed Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town (which yours truly reviewed) and is now working on its second title Whirlight – No Time to Trip. We had the chance to sit down with imaginarylab founder Ciro Camera to talk about Whirlight and its development.
WellPlayed: What’s the elevator pitch for Whirlight – No Time to Trip?
Ciro Camera: Whirlight – No Time to Trip is a point-and-click adventure that masterfully combines the charm of classic games with modern technical flair. Inspired by beloved titles like Sam & Max Hit the Road, Day of the Tentacle, and Monkey Island, it also captures the nostalgic vibe of 80s and 90s films. The game stands out visually by using a unique design technique where characters and backgrounds, although presented in 2D, are first crafted in detailed 3D environments and then pre-rendered for a distinctive and immersive look. Players will journey with two protagonists, Hector and Margaret, each offering unique perspectives and skills essential for solving puzzles and navigating challenges. The narrative is infused with a steady stream of absurd humour and ironic wit, making the adventure both entertaining and unpredictable. And of course, there’s time travel too.
WP: Adventure games let developers get whacky with the premise. How did you come up with the idea for Whirlight’s story?
About three years ago, the founding team – Massimo, Davide, and I – were on a call discussing potential ideas. During the conversation, Massimo suggested creating a story about an inventor who’s incredibly ingenious but can’t seem to get anything right, and his misadventures while chasing his dreams. I was leaning towards something involving time travel, while Davide kept throwing out unconventional concepts. That call laid the groundwork for Whirlight, as we took those initial ideas and worked together to develop, blend, and refine them into the story you see today.
WP: Comedy is hard to get right in a video game as it needs the writing and voice acting to work together. How do you tackle something like this?
CC: Yes, we completely agree. Comedy in a video game requires a delicate balance between writing and voice acting to truly succeed. We began with an initial phase of scriptwriting, focusing on the core narrative and dialogue. After that, we revisited the scripts to infuse them with a more ironic tone, ensuring that the humour felt natural and sharp. This was followed by an intense polishing phase, where every line was fine-tuned to hit the right comedic notes.
Simultaneously, we carefully selected voice actors who could best bring each character to life, matching their delivery to the personality and quirks of the roles they were playing. Beyond the writing and casting, it was crucial to craft scenarios that were inherently funny, while also considering the background and motivations of the characters involved. This approach helped us create moments where the humour feels authentic and resonant with players.
WP: What were some of the biggest learnings from your previous game Willy Morgan that you wanted to improve on here?
CC: From our experience with Willy Morgan, we gained valuable insights on both technical and organizational levels. Player feedback was instrumental in highlighting our limitations, particularly the linearity and length of the story. Once satisfied with the story, we turned to technical improvements, aiming for higher visual quality and more ‘vibrant’ environments. We also worked hard to enhance animation quality while balancing development time and costs. These were key areas we focused on when designing Whirlight, making it a more complex project in many respects. Technically, we’ve implemented solutions to speed up development, but the intricate plot required a lot more effort and attention. The underlying technique remains the same as in Willy Morgan, with pre-rendered assets to reduce hardware demands and ensure the game is accessible to a broad audience.
WP: The Steam page mentions that the game has “hand-drawn graphics,” can you explain this process?
CC: To achieve the quality we envisioned for Whirlight, we opted against creating a real-time 3D game. Instead, we chose to work with 2D sprites, much like the classic adventure games. However, the difference is in our approach: all of our assets are pre-rendered 3D models. The process begins with modelling, lighting, and rendering each asset in Autodesk Maya. These 3D models are meticulously crafted to capture the right look and feel. Once the rendering is complete, the assets are imported into Unity as 2D sprites. This allows us to maintain a high level of detail and visual fidelity while ensuring the game runs smoothly on a wide range of hardware. So while the final presentation might resemble hand-drawn graphics, the underlying technique involves a sophisticated blend of 3D and 2D methods to bring the world of Whirlight to life.
WP: What made you go with a similar art style to Willy Morgan?
CC: We chose to stick with a similar art style to Willy Morgan because it’s a style we genuinely love and believe suits this type of game perfectly. The aesthetic not only complements the narrative and gameplay, but it also resonates well with the atmosphere we want to create. Additionally, the positive feedback we received from players of Willy Morgan reinforced our decision. They appreciated the visual approach, and we’ve continued to receive similar praise with Whirlight. This consistency in art style helps maintain a visual identity that players recognize and enjoy, while also allowing us to refine and enhance the overall experience.
WP: What is it about developing adventure games that you love most? And what do you think are some of the biggest challenges?
CC: The part we love the most is defining the storyline, developing the characters, and creating the world in which the game is set. The biggest challenge for us is finding the time to dedicate to this passion, considering that all the team members have full-time jobs and we carve out every available moment to progress with the development.
WP: Games with a heavy focus on narrative need strong, well-written characters. How have you approached the relationship between Hector and Margaret? Has there been any inspiration?
CC: Hector and Margaret draw inspiration from the renowned Italian scientists Ettore Majorana and Margherita Hack. We were intrigued by the dynamic contrast between a brilliant but awkward scientist, Hector, and Margaret, a free-spirited artist who surprisingly is more pragmatic and precise than Hector. Our aim was to create a balance between Hector’s genius and recklessness and Margaret’s pragmatism and practicality. This balance is evident when one character faces difficulties; the other steps in with innovative ideas and solutions, each staying true to their unique character traits and ways of thinking.
WP: Tell us how you go about designing the puzzles.
CC: Our process begins with sketching out each puzzle on paper. However, it’s only after we implement and rigorously test them that we can evaluate their balance. The logic behind the puzzles is crucial: a puzzle that is too complex due to illogical reasoning is not effective. On the other hand, if it’s challenging but logical, it meets our criteria for a good puzzle. We also believe that a mix of difficulty levels is essential; having some easy puzzles is fine, but if all puzzles were overly simple, players would quickly lose interest, turning the game into a monotonous sequence of use item here tasks. Our goal is to create puzzles that, when solved, offer a sense of satisfaction while keeping the player engaged with the storyline.
WP: Sometimes players want to experience a game’s story without some of the gameplay challenges. Will Whirlight have any mechanics, such as a hint system, that allow players to streamline their playthrough?
CC: There isn’t a real hint system because we wanted to create an ‘old school’ gaming experience, encouraging players to fully immerse themselves in the world of Whirlight. However, there will be a sort of diary that tracks the player’s progress and can be used to recall certain steps.
WP: How long are you expecting the game to be for the average gamer?
CC: We estimate approximately 10-12 hours of actual gameplay for an average player.
WP: This time around you’re self-publishing Whirlight. How has this impacted the game’s development compared to Willy Morgan?
CC: It has definitely been more challenging because we are handling aspects beyond just development. We’ve had to allocate more time to these additional tasks and coordinate a team of collaborators to support us in these areas. Nonetheless, we find it very interesting and satisfying to learn about and engage with these different facets of the video game industry.
WP: Best of luck with the game’s development.
Whirlight – No Time to Trip is set to release sometime in 2025 on Steam. However, if you want to give the game a try, you can download the demo now.
