Children of Silentown follows the story of Lucy, a young girl living in a monster-inhabited forest village where people disappearing is a common occurrence. As Lucy grows older, she becomes determined to investigate the mysterious disappearances on her own but quickly finds that the task may be more difficult than she initially thought.
Game release: January 11th, 2023, on Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox.
In this interview with Elf Games, the creators of "Children of Silentown," we'll dive into the captivating world of this video game, with its unique atmosphere and immersive gameplay. We'll also learn about the game's development process, from its inception to its release. Get ready to explore the mysteries of the game with the team behind its creation.
What inspired the creation of this game?
Elf Games: This game started as a collaboration with Francesca from Studio Luna2. During an afternoon of chit-chatting, Francesca showed us an unreleased short movie she had created, asking for feedback. After seeing it, we thought it might become a perfect idea for a video game... and so that's how it started!
We knew Luna2 from previous cooperation on minor projects and had some shared experiences. The main thing we had to keep in mind was to communicate very often and keep both teams updated, to overcome the differences in skills on the different topics.
A pure artist and a videogame artist can say the same words and mean very different things. We tried to work together and also give each one a precise role over which one had full control.
What was the development process like, and what challenges did the team face during development?
EG: The main challenge was keeping the team engaged for a long time, even if we were working separately. This project was mainly developed in our spare time (weekends and evenings) for 4 years. Fabiola and I live in the same town, but all the other team members are spread around different towns or countries.
The progress was not super-fast, and I'm sorry that players had to wait so long for the release, but we did our best to keep it steady and constant.
How did the team approach the game’s design and aesthetics?
EG: The aesthetics of the characters evolved through different iterations. At a certain point, we developed this peculiar characteristic: the faces of the characters feature empty white eyes, making them look like masks of fear. Lucy was the first character developed and was used as a model for all other characters. In terms of art style, our main influences were the early works of Tim Burton and the movie "Coraline".
In terms of storytelling, we wanted to create characters that could be recognizable but also fit their role like characters in a fable. For this reason, all kids' names remind you of a color that could somehow express their primary attitude. For the gameplay, we were inspired both by "modern" point-and-click games (Machinarium, Professor Layton, etc...) and some top-down adventures like "Oneshot" or "A Bird Story".
Can you tell us more about the main character, Lucy, and her journey in the game?
EG: Lucy is a little girl in a small, strange town full of rules and events. Although Lucy lives a quite simple life, playing with her friends. However, a sudden shocking event will change her perception of her daily life.
What was the process for creating and implementing the music for the game, and how does it contribute to the atmosphere and gameplay?
EG: The game soundtrack is mainly made by two composers. The game's main theme was composed by Andrea for the original short, which decided the soundtrack's general mood. Collaborating with him, Dario created a compelling soundtrack for all the original areas and events developed specifically for the game.
We tried to obtain a soundtrack that could move along the scenes to complete the game's atmosphere and mood. The music is deeply connected with the story, therefore you can visit the same place at different moments and meet with different tracks, expressing the story's mood evolution.
Will there be any Easter eggs or hidden secrets for players to discover in the game?
EG: The game features a collectibles system: Lucy can discover stickers during the adventure and save them in her diary. By reading their description, the player can dive deeper into the lore.
Moreover, a couple of easter eggs are hidden in the game areas. No spoiler here!
Can you talk about any themes or messages that the team hopes to convey through the game's story and gameplay?
EG: It’s a bit spoiler-y, but… We wanted to create a story pretty open to interpretation. The main theme is fear and how it changes people's perceptions. My suggestion is to play it, then re-think the events that occurred in the game from the perspective of the ending.
What do you look forward to? And what do you hope for concerning this game?
EG: We really look forward to reading all the players' feedback about the story and gameplay. Even if the original story was from Luna2, in these 4 years, it evolved, and the characters, the themes, and the story have become the expression of our own values, a project in which every team member added something of itself.
By no means do we intend to change the world, but we hope that something from Children of Silentown will get through and reach the players.
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