Die deutsche Fassung dieses Interviews befindet sich hier. 

At Games Convention 2007 in Leipzig, we talked to Steve Ince, writer of famouse adventure-games like the Broken Sword-series or the new carribean pirate-adventure So Blonde.

Peter Clausen: Hallo Steve, thank you for this interview. Now, let´s talk a bit about So Blonde... How did the cooperation with DTP come about?

Steve Ince: To be honest, I am involved with the developer, Wizarbox, more than with the publisher, DTP. Wizarbox originally contacted me last September. They already had done some concept work of the main character, some of the locations, and they had an idea for the story. So they kind of brought me in, to develop that. It's been a really great working relationship, and while I have become the public face of the game in a way, it's really their game.

Peter Clausen: So, do you have a different relationship to the material, considering that you haven't originally created it?

Steve Ince: Not really, no. Although it wasn't my original idea, I have injected a lot of my creative energy into it. I loved working with the characters and developing them. I was at the sound studio a couple of weeks ago, watching the voice actors perform their lines, and I had a very good feeling about it all. So, it's not very different in the end. I have given it all I can.

Peter Clausen: The main character in So Blonde seems to be in the vein of "It-Girls" like, dare I say, Paris Hilton. How did you manage to make this kind of character as sympathetic, witty and clever, as most successful adventure-heroes?

Steve Ince: Well, one thing we didn't want to do, was to create a main character which the players would find irritating. So she starts of as this typical blonde bimbo, but she is thrown into a world without the luxuries she is used to. So she really has to wake up. We start changing her pretty much straight away. Not necessarily in terms of personality, but she start to find something within herself, that she wasn't aware of before.

Peter Clausen: So, did you also manage to stay clear of typical blonde jokes?

Steve Ince: Oh, we have blonde jokes. We are not trying to go in a completely unexpected direction. So, we are having some fun with it. But hopefully the fact, that she ends up as a strong character in her own way, acts as sort of counterweight.

Peter Clausen: So, what comes first in storytelling? Plot or characters?

Steve Ince: I would have to say plot. But then again, without strong characters you don't have a plot. On the other hand, without a strong plot, the characters have nothing to do. The plot is more about how things fit together. The subtleties are the really difficult thing. How you phrase something, how you play with the emotions, etc. The plot is basically about how the story works. You kind of have to work back in forth in the design, and think about how the characters, the environment and the plot fit together.

Peter Clausen: In my opinion many modern adventure-games feel a bit stiff and lifeless, compared to the halcyon days of the genre. What's your opinion on the evolution of the genre?

Steve Ince: In my opinion the thing with older adventures is, that they obviously had a limited ammount of space. So every location had to be used to its utmost, and you had a lot going on, on every single screen. Now on the other hand, we don't have these restrictions anymore. So a lot of games nowadays seem to be taking that onboard, increasing the amount of locations, without actually increasing the amount of interaction within the game. I think they are still great games, but the gameplay and the possibilities for exploration seem to be less concentrated. If you look back at classic adventure games, there is a lot going on in them, and you can always find something new.

Peter Clausen: And of course, not everything is obligatory. You often discover something unexpected, just because you were willing to experiment a bit, and try something unusual.

Steve Ince: Yeah, and often it's quite silly stuff ...

Peter Clausen: ... like a hamster in a microwave ...

Steve Ince: Exactly. And a lot of it just goes on in the background as well.

Peter Clausen: Older adventure games often feel more like cartons, while their modern equivalents are trying to feel more like serial killer thrillers.

Steve Ince: (laughs) Yeah.

Peter Clausen: So, did you try to rectify things like the lack of hotspots in So Blonde?

Steve Ince: Yes, I did. There is a lot going on in this game.

Peter Clausen: So, where is adventure-development going in the future? Recently consoles, especially the Nintendo DS, have become a viable plattform for adventure games. And naturally, game development is a lot cheaper for a handheld.

Steve Ince: Well, in theory. I have not actually developed anything for the DS, but it's a popular plattform, and obviously it has a huge userbase. And I love playing on it myself, because it's just handy to get it out to play something on the train, for example. For example, I really like Zookeeper. I have also been playing Final Fantasy III on the DS, which is also quite good.

Peter Clausen: And have you played stuff like Phoenix Wright or Another Code/Trace Memory?

Steve Ince: Not Phoenix Wright, but I have played Another Code. I must admit that the whole lawyer-thing does not really interest me. And maybe I am being unfair there.

Peter Clausen: Well, it's not actually a realistic depiction of the law, but more an Agatha Christie style mystery, mixed with a lot of humour.

Steve Ince: Really? I thought it was just a courtroom-thing.

Peter Clausen: Not at all. It has investigation sequences which play pretty much like an old-fashioned point and click adventure, and then you have the courtroom segments were you put all the clues together.

Steve Ince: In that case I think the media has really misrepresented it. I'll have to look at that, then. But I enjoyed Another Code, although I do think they could have done a bit more with it, added a bit more complexity to the puzzles.

Peter Clausen: Speaking of complexity, how does the writing for a game like So Blonde develope? Do you write several drafts, or do you just go ahead from your starting point.

Steve Ince: Well, it's got to grow. For example, we came with an ending pretty quickly in the development process, but as we progressed it changed into something different.

Peter Clausen: You are well known for openly interacting with fans of the genre on the Internet. Do you think the fans may sometimes be a bit too afraid of change?

Steve Ince: Well, I think that people like, what they like. But sometimes one can develop a very fixed idea of what an adventure should be. I remember when I did Mr. Smoozles goes Nutsoid, which was admittedly more of a casual game, and someone told me he wouldn't even play it, because it wasn't a point and click adventure. So I told him he should at least download the demo, which is available for free. And in the end he actually quite liked it. No one forces you to like something, but at least give it a go.

Peter Clausen: Thank you very much for this interview

 
Text Copyright Peter Clausen 2008
Pictures Copyright Wizarbox, Revolution, foto copyright Bettina Herbig