Child Of Light - Interview @ NoobFeed

NoobFeed took the time to interview Creative Producer Patrick Plourde, and asked a few quesions about Child Of Light. I took a few questions and posted them below.

Ron: A Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG) crafted in a poetic manner, with influence from a fairytale, sounds appealing for a younger audience. Do you believe that there is enough depth in the story to grab the attention of adults as well?

Patrick Plourde: Fairy Tales have been told from parents to their children for hundreds of years. I wanted to recreate this experience in a game that a fan of classic RPGs could share with his family. The subject is done in a mature way; it is not condescending to anybody. So I believe that people of all ages will be able to appreciate the story.

Ron: What was the inspiration behind this distinctive visual design?

Patrick Plourde: The main inspirations were the artists of the Golden Age of Illustrations: Arthur Rackham, John Bauer, Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen. They were all illustrating Fairy Tale books in the late 19th century. Their depiction of fantasy worlds were real inspirations for me and the artists on the team.

Ron: Unlike other 2D sidescrollers, Aurora can both walk and fly: left, right, up and down. This provides a great sense of freedom. How did you come up with the idea for these movements?

Patrick Plourde: I knew I wanted to make a game where you play a flying fairy. I was playing Rayman Origins to check what we could do with the engine, and while playing the underwater level, I came to realize that Flying is basically swimming, but outside of water.

Ron: Developed using UbiArt, an in-house engine by Ubisoft, previously used for Rayman Origins and its sequel, Rayman Legends, there are still noticeable differences present in Child of Light. What are some of the major obstacles the team has come across using these tools?

Patrick Plourde: We had to learn a whole new production pipeline. All of our artists and level designers were used to working with a 3D engine, so there was a learning curve there since a 2D game comes with its own constraints. Not to sound silly, but in 2D everything needs to be on screen, while in 3D you can move the camera. That means that you must think about everything in relation with the frame instead of with the 3D space.