ANTONIO GARCÍA TALKS DAWN OF FEAR
"A declaration of love for survival horror"
Daniel John
What kind of games, horror or not, did you play growing up, that perhaps made you want to make your own?
The first thing I remember is 'Alex Kidd' and 'Sonic the Hedgehog'. I have to admit that I didn't really like video games then. I'm not good at platforming and I never had great dexterity. All change with technology and the ability to tell more complex stories in video games. If I decided to make video games, it was for 'The Last of Us'.
This however is the antithesis of what 'The Last of Us' meant for its genre, going back to the old-school formula of 'Alone in the Dark' and 'Resident Evil'?
Sure, 'Dawn of Fear' is our interpretation of the old school survival horror. We like these games and we had to make one without loading scenes at each door and give the game agility at the height of the new times. Without any doubt 'Dawn of Fear' is a declaration of love for survival horror. But our intention was always to improve things, while at always respecting the origins. Being our first video game we were also a bit limited by our expertise, but I think we got a very good balance.
Have you gotten to talk with gamers playing 'Dawn of Fear' that was not around in 1996. What do people growing up on modern horror-games think of the tribute part of your game?
To our surprise, people who didn't grow up with fixed-camera games responded very well. We thought we knew who would like the game, and we were surprised that people who never played a fixed camera game liked it.
What are your thoughts on the current, more action-based, state of survival horror?
I think there is a certain parallel in this aspect with the world of cinema. It's not a dominant genre and it's hard to make a good one. I think that in the world of video games there is more quality. It deviated into action, but I currently think we are returning to fear. I think horror-video games have reached their maximum share of action. For me, the direction is to combine both parts but without becoming a shooter.
Much like in the survival horror games of the nineties gamers will have to do their best to survive by figuring out a lot of things themselves?
Here we played with an advantage. Normally, the first minutes or hours of a game are a tutorial to teach the player how to play, there is always a learning curve. We could skip that curve because we understood that every survival horror-fan would be able to play and pass the game. The difficulty and appeal is resource management and exploration. That balance is difficult to achieve. We all know that when there is a point to save game, ammunition and first-aid kits something bad will happen (laughs).
Which of the game's puzzles would've been the most complex for you if you didn't already know the solution?
The one with the piano. It is the most “difficult” for me.
How much of it is still a tribute in terms of story, characters, and monsters and so on?
It's totally a tribute, we always had the idea and intention of mixing 'Silent Hill' and 'Resident Evil' in mind. The first for the story and the second for the gameplay. We also wanted to incorporate elements from other games like 'Metal Gear'.
How important is the story?
We are here to tell stories, in 'Dawn of Fear' the story is in the background, because we understood that our priority was the gameplay, build a survival horror and have players come across that experience without any surprises and give just what we say it is.
The game tells the story of Alex. Who is he?
Alex is a young man who loves to draw, that's why he always goes with a notebook. He likes rock music and is afraid of dentists. After losing his father and stepbrother in a car accident, he leaves home to study fine arts. I guess the fact that he likes rock music and is afraid of dentists is because of me (laughs).
Not to mention his interest in the fine arts. How did your own way to becoming an artist come about?
I started studying journalism because I knew I liked video games and wanted to write about them, that was clear to me. But then I realized that I wanted to make video games. Like I was saying before, what prompted me was 'The Last of Us'. I thought there must be more video games like this.
Did you run into any hurdles realizing the vision for the game?
Due to our experience and the time available to make the game, one year, as in all development, we encountered problems that we had to solve, therefore, although we would have liked to incorporate exteriors and other elements, it could not to be. Developing a video game is a huge task. It requires several profiles and knowing how to work as a team. It's a very delicate balance because we all think we have the formula of what is fun to play, a certain way, a certain mechanics of the game. Not all of us think alike and in the end the game is a single entity created by many people. Difficult but at the same time fun.
How did you get composer Helios García involved to compose the musical score for the game?
We have the collaboration of Helios because he is a friend of Rafa, the director of 'Dawn of Fear', and he loved the project. The references we gave him were 'Silent Hill' and 'The Last of Us'. Logically we also saw that their music fit the style we wanted.
While video games can be a good way to take your mind off things, history has shown that in darker times people are often steered towards more uplifting pop-culture, and vice versa in happier times. What has it been like releasing a horror game and old-school survival horror-experience in a year like this. Have people been particularly interested in getting frightened?
Yes, this year will be a year that will be in the history books. I think that culture in general, in these times has proven to be of vital importance, movies, series, books, video games, have shown how necessary they are when you have to isolate yourself a little from the world and spend a few days in quarantine. We usually have very fast lifestyles, and the fact this has made us slow down, has also given us time to finish that pending book, series, or video game.
Are you excited for the next gen consoles?
Yes, each new generation provides new ways to tell new stories, how the player interacts with the game is one of the parts that I like the most.
What will you be playing this Halloween?
We are very focused on developing a new title. But I would've liked to play some 'Overwatch' (laughs).
Will Brok3nsite continue to stay in the dark corners of horror moving forward?
Brok3nsite continues through the dark corners of terror, because it has a team that is passionate about it and that is what they do best. We are already working on the second game. However I admit that as we grow we will add new equipment to incorporate new genres such as RPG or adventure.
Which enemy from 'Dawn of Fear' would you rather not run into in real life?
(Laughs) With the Smiles.
