Proper, and it ties into what you have been saying about messaging and making it clear. Music is sort of the common language, is not it? Everyone understands rhythm — even when you do not have rhythm, everyone can comply with a beat, typically.
We actually lean into that constant heartbeat that underpins every thing throughout Tempopo via the completely different soundtracks, and the actions that the characters take happen on and off half beats or full beats. They synchronise completely and the flowers throughout the ranges are singing and pushing in the direction of that rhythm. All of it performs again into itself in such a means that even for those who’re simply watching the visible reactions, you’ll be able to nearly really feel the timing, .
We’ve got actually sturdy accessibility objectives with our video games. Anytime we’ve an audio factor, we ensure that that there’s a visible factor that accompanies it with an equal degree of weight. It is wildly pointless to construct one thing the place you are excluding a bunch of individuals. That is why this sport is musical, however it isn’t a music rhythm sport.
And although there is not really a visual three-dimensional grid, I feel that this audio-visual sync helps you conceptualize a grid. The sport may be lovely and never should be segmented up and appear like a two-dimensional factor, however it may well nonetheless have that sense of delineated house due to how every thing syncs up.
Nature is one other huge a part of this sport. What do you suppose that relationship between music and nature is and the way do you suppose that applies to Tempopo? Or does that come up within the sport as one of many huge themes?
For us, nature and gardens took place as a result of we needed to unify all the weather within the sport. After getting music and magic and characters and motion and assortment and all these items, ‘How do you really deliver this collectively?’ We tried to think about real-world ideas that tie these disparate parts collectively.
Gardens are an ideal match. They’re splendidly calming locations full of huge personalities that should coexist collectively and help one another. They’re feeding nitrogen into the soil that the opposite one makes use of. A backyard is a really various place with completely different parts, however every thing is working collectively. So we thought, ‘Why not lean into this factor of nature the place we have already got this place the place folks really feel calm and relaxed?’ Gardens are a spot that individuals design and so they wish to make really feel like their very own, so we introduced that into the sport as effectively.
Even Mythbusters confirmed that the flowers reply to music and develop sooner when music is enjoying, proper? Like, why would not crops wish to jam out like the remainder of us?
What an ideal reply! Moving into the gameplay, you have received slightly command wheel that appears like a flower, with petals that mean you can put down completely different instructions. The place did that concept come from and may you give us some examples of the way it’ll be used in-game?
These are what we’re calling “directions” for now, so that you’re putting them right down to try to create an ideal plan. Each degree is a rescue the place you are making an attempt to gather the flowers which were misplaced and take them again to your backyard. Then, because the participant, you’ll be able to design your little musical backyard.
Like, why would not crops wish to jam out like the remainder of us?
Basically, Hana [the main character] is conducting the music and the Tempopo are following the beat. They’re nice at shifting, however it’s as much as you to inform them what to do. We began developing with completely different actions that may assist with cooperative parts. I assume that is the place I used to be impressed by a few of these traditional puzzle video games like Lemming, the place you are telling one to be like a blocker or construct a bridge or do one thing like that and work collectively. All of it comes again to the concept this sport’s theme is concord.
Concord and bringing folks collectively via video video games is such an essential factor. That is one thing that you have finished in Unpacking. There’s a actual sense of concord once you get every thing in the precise place. Right here it feels related in a totally completely different means.
An enormous a part of that in Tempopo is the place you’ll be able to simply press the play button, the deal with will begin conducting, the music shall be going, and the characters will transfer round and do every thing, after which you’ll be able to press that button once more and it simply resets every thing again. The best way that individuals play and interact with the sport is about this sort of method — do they spend a very long time one thing and pondering it via, or do they only iterate and make little adjustments on a regular basis and really feel like I am getting nearer to this good motion of this concerto of parts working collectively?
That helps quite a bit with not wanting folks to really feel annoyed or afraid of the sport as a result of I do not suppose there’s a lot worth in a puzzle sport judging the way you resolve a puzzle. It would not really feel like a really attention-grabbing factor to me.
It isn’t, you wish to deliver [players] in and make them really feel like they’re intelligent. It isn’t about how troublesome it’s. It is about how satisfying it’s. You do not fulfill anyone by saying, “Oh no, you probably did that unsuitable.” Not that there should not be a unsuitable reply, however there should not be a solution to punish you for those who do it unsuitable.
And that is been a very difficult factor to return from a sport like Unpacking which has basically no fail states, to a sport like Tempopo, which has a extra pure puzzle theme working via it. The actually essential bit for me with Tempopo is the emotional arc for the participant. It is the place we in all probability spent probably the most period of time in improvement — utilizing the music, the interface, all the instruments, to make you are feeling calm when you’re enjoying. If you happen to can calm folks down whereas they’re fixing issues, they’re going to have a a lot greater sense of satisfaction.
That is why this sport is musical, however it isn’t a music rhythm sport.
I feel the worst case for me is after I’ve performed a puzzle sport and I felt actually tense about every thing after which I lastly solved the factor however I am frightened of no matter is going on subsequent. I need folks enjoying this sport to be sitting again and having fun with their time with it. We have had folks in playtest sit there, press the button to play the music, and hear and sit again for 5 minutes whereas they watch every thing hop round. It goes via the cycle of all of the completely different musical tracks and every thing and so they’re wanting on the house and pondering, ‘What ought to I do?’
So there’s nonetheless a component of trial and error in some ranges?
Completely. It is trial and error in a means the place it is purposeful. We’re calling it “planning and execution,” the concept you press the button, you have received your plan, you are watching it play out, and also you’re [thinking], “Is that this the precise plan?” In getting there, the sport is making an attempt that can assist you keep in the precise mindset, and it isn’t judging you, it isn’t telling you that you have restarted 300 occasions.
‘Planning and execution’ is a significantly better time period — we’re allowed to make errors. You simply should maintain making an attempt issues and you will get there ultimately. Watching it play out and listening to that individuals will simply sit there and take heed to the music, undergo the motions, and never really feel below any stress, is pleasant. That is actually essential for the style.
Yeah! And we’re making an attempt to construct extra accessible instruments across the interface as a result of that is a giant a part of making an attempt to make a sport that works for youthful and older gamers. It is a puzzle sport so we’ll have difficult puzzles in there for folks to get caught into however we’re additionally making an attempt to have a very easy curve to clarify all of the mechanics and additional accessibility choices to permit these with much less expertise with puzzle video games to unravel issues otherwise. [I’m] undecided I wish to deep dive into the specifics of all these issues but simply because we’re nonetheless testing and implementing issues. However there shall be choices there to make the sport actually work for youthful gamers in addition to extra skilled puzzlers.
Tempopo is mostly a sport concerning the emotional state that you will be in when you play
Tempopo is mostly a sport concerning the emotional state that you will be in when you play it. And I feel that is largely the place I wish to push it. We’ve got self-described it internally as a really gentle sport; it has this softness about it that once you play it, you are feeling linked, not judged.
Delicate and cosy is sweet, and it is received to have one thing that can maintain us coming again to it, whether or not you have received expertise with puzzle video games or not.
Yeah, and we’re actually hoping that there is extra to it than simply fixing the puzzles as effectively for the place folks will wish to stick round due to the expertise. There’s this different factor to it which isn’t nearly fixing puzzles. I feel it is tremendous essential to present the participant an opportunity to unwind and do one thing that is fully inside their management.
This interview has been edited frivolously for readability.
Thanks to Sanatana for talking to us, very late at evening. Tempopo is because of launch on Swap in 2024. [Update: With just days to go, though, that’s incredibly unlikely. 2025 it is, then!]