Interviews

The Sapphire Claw developer Steve Ince speaks to JA
by Ben Bowen

Firstly, thanks for taking the time to speak to Just Adventure, Steve!

My pleasure. As many people will already know, I frequent the JA forums on a regular basis, so the chance to talk about the new game is one I couldn’t turn down.

Firstly, for the "newbies", tell us a little about your history within the adventure game genre...

I worked for Revolution Software for eleven years, starting out as an artist and sprite animator on Beneath a Steel Sky before moving into a producer role for Broken Sword. I then became increasingly involved in the design, story and dialogue, as well as implementing parts of the games.

You're also an established cartoonist, having allowed Dane & Joe to be run on this very site...

Thank you – I like to have fun.

...and now you're here, with a new company, Juniper Games! Why have you decided to set up a company, rather than pursue a freelance route within the industry?

When I left Revolution a year ago I first pursued a freelance career, but I soon wanted to find a way to realise all the ideas that fill my head. Starting my own company seemed the best way to go about this. I currently have ideas for five games, but whether I’ll get the time to make them all, who knows.

Your first title is The Sapphire Claw, based on your strip of the same name. Where does the story of the Sapphire Claw draw its inspiration?

I feel like all the cartoons and comics I’ve read ever since I was a child have contributed in some way, but the main inspiration comes from the likes of Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, Toy Story and Indiana Jones as much as from games like Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango and Broken Sword. The original comic strip, Juniper Crescent, owes a lot to wonderful strips like Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, The Perishers and Bloom County, to name but a few. With such a variety of sources combined with my own sensibilities I hope to create something a little special.

Why is it this particular strip, rather than any of your others, which you've decided to turn into a game?

The Sapphire Claw uses characters from Juniper Crescent (as does Dane & Joe), which is why the full title of the game is Juniper Crescent – The Sapphire Claw. This story was the first extended story I developed with the characters, so it just seemed natural to develop this into a game format. Funnily enough, before I started the comic strip I proposed a game idea based on it to Revolution but they wanted to pursue their own ideas.

What would be the main reason, other than it being written by yourself of course, for adventure gamers to be excited by this title?

The player will have a rich gameplay experience because in every location there will always be plenty of fun things to do, which will either progress the main gameplay or give the player a cheerful little diversion. The main story and gameplay will go hand in hand with one-another, with the player using an intuitive interface that will suit both the traditionalists as well as the evolutionists. There is also going to be a large cast of wonderful characters.

You've referred to the game as an "Escapade". Why not just an "adventure game"?

Escapade is such a descriptive word for what I intend my games to put over to the player. While the core gameplay of JC-TSC will have much in common with many adventure games, there may be elements that don’t quite fit with the genre. By stating this from the beginning I hope that no one thinks I’m trying to deceive them in any way. This does not mean that I intend to put action in this game, by the way.

Are you going to be working any innovations into the title, or is it going to follow a more traditional route?

Yes to both. I think it’s important to build on tradition, but it’s equally important to bring in new ideas or the game will not have enough interest. One thing I intend to do is to provide a completely parallel gameplay thread that the player can choose to play or not, depending on how they feel.

Would you say your company has anything in common with that other creative-based developer, DoubleFine in San Francisco? Let's see... both headed by lead designers in successful gaming companies with a strong history in visual direction...

If I had a fraction of the talent and success that Tim Schafer has had, I would be a happy man. I would say that the thing we probably have most in common is the desire to work towards a vision that we believe in with all our hearts.

Do you see the current way adventures are heading, in the form of Around the World in 80 Days, Dreamfall, Myst V and so on, as a new renaissance in adventure gaming?

In some respects, yes. They’ll hopefully show that the strong adventure game traditions can be built upon and expanded to give a much more complete gaming experience. Of course, we won’t know for sure until they’re released, but they are certainly games to watch out for.

Which games do you aspire to in terms of creativity, writing and visual excellence? Not necessarily within the genre...

In terms of sheer fun, Day of the Tentacle. For dialogue, Grim Fandango. For story and epic scope, KOTOR (the first one) and Final Fantasy 9. Visually, Half Life 2 and Abe’s Odyssey.

I hope that one day I’ll be able to make an escapade that combines all those wonderful elements, but in my own way. In some ways, Tim Schafer is already going a long way towards doing just that.

Do you actively encourage experimentation within the genre?

Definitely! A lot of the fun of developing games is in trying new things at the design stage. Sometimes these things should be nipped in the bud, but if we all played safe then we’d quickly head for obscurity. I’d rather try five new things and only have two of them succeed than not try anything new at all.

Many thanks for your time, on behalf of JA+ and the rest of us in the community - and good luck in development of your new game!

Thanks, a pleasure.