If you have already played Nearwood, you would definitely agree with us on what a fantastic adventure game this is! However, a great game is not easy to make as it takes time, ideas, and effort. Today, we caught up with MagicIndie to talk about the process behind-the-scenes of Nearwood.
What was your inspiration to create Nearwood?
Our main source of inspiration was the incredible world of nature around us. We were especially inspired by what we know about humanity – the huge amount of information about history, culture and the traditions of different peoples.
Why did you choose to produce a light-hearted, fantasy game instead of one of the horror or dark games that seem to be very popular right now?
We have already released two games in a dark, horror style and the entire team was a bit tired of mystery and tension and dark plots and detectives. And we decided to change the style – to make something light and airy, so that players could get away from everything that oppresses them daily – to relax and have fun traveling to a magical world.
We also noticed that the niche of fantasy games was pretty much empty given the fact that almost every other HOPA game released is a dark-horror, so we thought why not make a game where you want to come back to relax visually and spiritually?
Why do you think Nearwood is worth playing?
It’s worth playing because the game makes you think about the meaning of good and evil, brings you back to your childhood and to the emotions that you felt while learning something new. Oh, and simply to get into the fairy tale – who could resist that?
Before releasing the game to final players, we tested the game with our friends, parents, grand-parents and their response to the game was always, “Wow, It’s like a dream, I wish I could get in there…”
Have you ever thought of any ideas you would like to include in the game but later decided to leave out?
Yes, we wanted to make the world of Nearwood incredibly large and complex, for it to really feel like it exists somewhere. We wanted to make a world like “Lord of the Rings” and to understand how deeply the world the characters lived in was detailed. But given the time pressures we had, we needed to focus on basic things.
How long did it take you to complete the production of the game?
It took a year and a half to complete the production. The team started with 3 people and grew over time.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
One of the biggest challenges we faced was to create a world that is really unique in terms of what was created by others before us. We wanted to create a place(Nearwood) that you can’t say, “I saw that already somewhere.” We wanted to create a world that could inspire others.
Are there any upcoming projects or sequels currently under development that you would like to share with us and the readers?
We have pretty interesting plans for the future, so a word to our fans – stay tuned. We are taking a small pause from creating of hidden object adventure games and will try our skills in a few different genres. Right now we have a fantasy-rpg-adventure game and a action combat-racing game in development. You can always get the latest updates from us be following us on our blog: www.magicindie.com/magicblog
