Gamasutra: Continuing our series of interviews with the 2009 Independent Games Festival finalists, Gamasutra talks to Nicalis' Nicklas Nygren and producer Tyrone Rodriguez about Night Game -- a physics-based ambient action puzzler nominated for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and the Excellence in Design awards.
Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren gained a strong fan following with his web-based games Within A Deep Forest and Knytt, and IGF title Night Game marks his first WiiWare effort.
He's known for an innovative, dreamlike style backed by soft skies, detailed sprites, and ambient music and sound he usually composes entirely himself -- Night Game gets musical aid from Chris Schlarb, of Twilight and Ghost Stories and experimental jazz duo I Heart Lung.
Night Game also differentiates itself strongly from Nygren's previous work with a strong silhouette style outlined against vivid sunsets and surreal backdrops. He's working on it alongside a Wii port of Pixel's Cave Story, and ahead of the 2009 Independent Games Festival, Gamasutra spoke to Nygren and producer Tyrone Rodriguez to get details on both projects.
Way back in November last year Nintendo Life interviewed Nicalis about Cave Story, a game which is being anticipated with as much excitement as 2D Boy's World of Goo by indie fans. There is no question that Nicalis are set to impress with their overhaul of the classic freeware game by Daisuke Amaya. A refreshing amount of care and attention has been taken to ensure that the final product will be polished to perfection.
With this in mind Nintendo Life was intrigued to hear about Nicalis' plans to bring a mysterious title simply called Night Game to WiiWare, which is an intriguing puzzler centred around the exploits of a lone ball. To find out more they caught up with Tyrone Rodriguez the head honcho over at Nicalis and his partner in crime Nicklas Nygren who is developing the bulk of the game.
Night Game for WiiWare was named a main competition entrant for the 11th Independent Games Festival. Designed by Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren of Knytt Stories and published by Nicalis, the game casts the player as a ball steering its way through a two-dimensional nighttime setting, characterized by puzzle gameplay and an absence of enemies.
The soundtrack is by Chris Schlarb, a musician based in Long Beach, California, whose previous projects include the album Twilight and Ghost Stories. Released on the Asthmatic Kitty label, the album includes the participation of a virtual orchestra of dozens of musicians. A gamer himself, Schlarb attests to having had no shortage of ideas to bring to the table for his first game score.
This discussion with the composer, taking place after his East Coast I Heart Lung tour, delves into the process behind arriving at a structure for the Night Game soundtrack. The musician describes how recognizing which approach would best serve the game environment was an even greater challenge than composing the pieces themselves.
Nintendo Dpad reports:
"In the latest Nintendo Channel interview, Night Game creator Nicklas Nygren tells a little bit about why he loves Wiiware and why it is a strong option for small developers."
