It was a shared passion away from videogames that ended up moulding the shape that project would take.
“We love tabletop RPGs,” says designer and programmer Sacchetti.
However, Morbidwares gameHeresy Supreme(currently crowdfundingon Kickstarter) is a little different.
After sending a prototype demo to the creators, they got not just their approval, but their involvement.
One of the things I like about my work is basically finding solutions.
So it’s not just illustrations, or animations.
It’s also about lettering, how graphics look against certain UIs.
Colours and shapes are really important.
He feels lucky, then, that Mork Borgs creators have “basically joined the team” as consultants.
When we start work in more depth, his contribution will be the most important thing."
But we give a shot to make death fun."
“You don’t get used to having a hero,” he continues.
If the game is ‘unfair’, I dont know.
But it must feel fun."
What were trying to do - which is a really hard task - is to translate unfair into fun.
We know that unfair games are not fun to play.
They look like chores that don’t reward you for anything.
“That’s really unfair.
You get attacked by a goblin, you get the goblin curse.
You will turn eventually into a goblin when that happens.
We don’t want that moment to just be ‘Okay, I lost a character.’
We want that moment to have a narrative reward like: okay, now your character is a goblin.
He’s trapped in this monster.
He looks at all the atrocities through those dead eyes of the Goblin, and he cant do anything.
This is the story unfolds, the destiny of that character.”
For Sacchetti, it depends on the stakes.
Imbalance, he says, works both ways - critical misses make critical hits that much more satisfying.
“Basically, when you reach zero HP, you have this bullet time effect.
Levelling up in the game wont involve experience.
Instead, says Sacchetti, its “more like small achievements.”
Kill 10 goblins without taking a hit, for example.
Once fulfilled, these milestones can be spent on bonuses at Galgenbeck, the games hub.
Like in the TTRPG, though, levelling up can actually make your stats worse if you roll poorly.
“About the getting better and worse,” says Misbug.
“The idea is always to not be completely unfair.
Youll probably be slower.
Youll have less stamina, less hit points.
It will be really dangerous for you to get close to certain enemies.
But at the end of the day, you might still complete the game.”
If you have very low strength, maybe youll be slower dealing blows.”
The seventh seal is broken for the seventh and final time.
The game and your lives end here.
Burn the book."
“In the heart of Sarkash fog and dusk shall breathe beneath the waking trees.
Not to avoid the Misery, but just to be more lucky with it.”
Youre also not completely alone out there.
Youve got your party, vendors at the hub, and you might meet others out adventuring.
Friendly characters, I hope?
“Well,” says Misbug.
Conversations mean stat tests.
Sacchetti also mentions what theyre calling “Friend or Foe” situations.
“You encounter one of the playable classes, and they may want something from you.
And everyone in your party has their own agenda.
If you dont make them happy, they might turn their back on you.
You may need to fight them.
Or maybe they just leave, but then you encounter them later.
Again, Its a friend or foe situation.
“I may like the way they explain things, the user interface.
Still, our game is not linear, so it’s not a descent into a single dungeon.”
“Its bit trivial to say, but probablyDarkest Dungeon,Dark Soulsand stuff like that.
But these are grim, dark fantasy scenarios.
The comedy aspect is lacking if you compare it to Mork Borg.
It’s just so over the top, sometime that becomes funny.”
Sacchetti also mentions one of my favourite dark fantasy RPGs, Fear And Hunger.
“I love those games.
Its quite cool and very unfortunate.
At the same time, we make a run at have the same thing in a more deliverable way.
We want you to to succeed in the end.”
