Adventure gaming’s mechanics have rarely seen innovations in the last decade, but that hasn’t stopped it’s most ardent fans from putting out a steady flow of new adventures in the indie game scene. Though, while the classic gameplay remains similar to its forefathers, the graphics and presentation of these titles are some of the prettiest and ground-breaking of any medium.

Click the picture to play the free game

Gretel and Hansel, by development team Mako Pudding, digitized watercolor paintings and came out with a visual style that is both fresh and new. The developers were nice enough to tell about the development of their style, the difficulties of a small team and what they love about adventure gaming.

As a sort of strict Adventure title, what did you want to do different from the past?

We wanted to create a game that had a highly interactive environment but felt influenced by the character (Gretel) instead of the player. Many recent online adventure games allow players to click on random objects on the screen regardless of the position of their character. We feel a disconnect is created this way, where the player becomes an unseen force rather than the character onscreen. This can lead to very enjoyable gameplay in certain cases, but we wanted to give the player the sense that they are Gretel, rather than Gretel’s helper.

Clearly the graphic style is stricking? How hard and long did the process take?

Surprisingly not very long. As you can see from the images I’ve provided the original art direction was going to be one that was much more realistic and straight forward. However after working with artist David Bae, he decided to work with water colors, which allowed for fairly rapid creation of assets that were very striking and unique from most online games.

How long did it take to decide on the graphic style?

It took about two days of concept work to get to the initial decision to go with watercolors. However the final style was tweaks for several months as the game was being designed and coded.

How did you decide on your distribution style?

Being a very small team, we felt releasing the game online through the Flash portals would allow us to receive lots of feedback and plays on a very small budget. We are both huge fans of online flash games. Newgrounds was generous enough to provide us with sponsorship.

What came first the game’s style or the story?

The story, we wanted to use a classic fairy tale that hadn’t been explored as much in games. One that is naturally dark and filled with danger and wonder, and the tale of Hansel and Gretel fit this perfectly.

How many members are there in the development team?

Just three of us. David and I (Mako) split the tasks of coding, game design, sound effects, animation and art between us. The music was handled by Mike Rudolph.

How long was production?

The majority of the game was completed in two months during August and September of 2008. Various forces kept the game from completion until recently.

What is your proudest moment in the game?

Probably the death where the mother kills gretel. It took several days to get the animation right, but its chilling and totally unexpected. Other than that, the conversation between the parents that gretel spies on.

What process in development took the longest?

Writing the logic for how Gretel interacts with her surroundings. Since the environments are totally organic it means every interaction is custom and comes with its own set of logic and problems. Each interaction needs custom animation as well.

Who handled the soundtrack?

The soundtrack was handled by Mike Ruldoph (http://mikerudolph.net/) He composed all the music for the game.

What is it about 2D that seems so pure for gaming?

I think much of it has to do with the focus of a single point of view. 3D games can be incredibly immersive but the camera is often an obstacle rather than an aid for players. A single point of view provides clarity that allows players and developers to focus on goals that are clearly depicted visually.

Any aspirations to jump to consoles with upcoming releases? Could a game like this work on the Indie part of XBL?

Wouldn’t that be nice! We believe it could and should. It would just take more content and the power of a console to allow the game to run smoothly full screen. Flash often has trouble running games fullscreen.

Any indie titles you are looking forward to?

I had been waiting for years for Machinarium by Amanita Design, which was finally released a few weeks ago. It didn’t disappoint and was totally inspiring and enchanting. Everyone should play it.

What is your favorite game that you have developed so far?

Well I’d have to say the Gretel and Hansel series has been my favorite. Its been a pure joy to work on.

Anything else upcoming?
Other than parts 2 and 3 for Gretel and Hansel nothing I can talk about yet, but I’ll keep you posted!

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