When We Made... Tails of Iron
actually look at you. And even with that little bit of the game and asked questions about their experience – work, with the help of the animation and really smart even if most of these questions were actually very similar. designers and engineers, with everybody working “External playtests were mostly about ‘Okay, how do together, you could tell from the very beginning that people feel when they play? Do they like it or not like it?’,” Chris Wallace gets behind scenes she was a character thatthe people would really gravitate Alderson explains. “At the end of playtest we would ask toward.” the same question eight different ways. The question of Tails of Iron – a Hollow Knight meets Quill really becomes a fully fleshed out character with is really ‘What didn’t you like?’, but we would ask it Redwall title that might just be the most the help of the game’s strong world-building. As an differently: ‘What pulled you out of the experience? What adorable Soulslike yet interloper in Quill’s world, the player experiences it not took you out of the headset? If there’s one thing you through her eyes, but as an observer watching as she could change what would it be? If you had two weeks to lives her life in her familiar setting. It’s a strangely intimate finish the game, what would be the thing that you’d fix?’ feeling, and one which gives way to joint apprehension “Those help bring a playtester into their comfort zone, as both the player and Quill enter new, unfamiliar areas. because no one wants to play something that people put “When you go through Mousetown and you see Quill a lot of care and love into and then turn around and say run through there and you see she has amore hometown, ‘This is“After what releasing I didn’t like our about first game, it’. So itthe takes studio a little hadwhile ails of Iron is that a somewhat adorable the feeling of her leaving it, oftothat maybe being in you’re to get a somewhat the playtester uncertain comfortable, future,”and saidwe Jack found Bennett, that approach thetown Soulslike genre than danger, gives you perhaps more of aused bond,” finding co-founder different ways of Odd toBug ask Studio. the same “Because questionofmeans this, to. Alderson says. “If that part was left you rat wouldn’t like therefeels was as if he you eventually we wantedget to the create really a game good that stuffwe after really the wanted fourth or Theout, game’s princefeel protagonist much to fight for. Everything that done, the mood fifth time to play youasask weit.didn’t know what would come next. walked directly out of we’ve popular children’s fantasy settings, taking Quill from one area toonce the next letting don’t a studio, think anyone we loveinfantasy our studio RPGs hascombined ever madewith a a series Redwall, especially he’sand decked out in full “I As you rest andarmour. take inAdd this on environment… all supposed strong like this, andso distinctive I think it’scombat important system, that you which trustisthe what the dialogueIt’s system (or lack thereof),game to exaggerate and accentuate mood in that you’reof images, process. gaveYou us the trust foundation playtesting forand what youwe make wanted suretothat create you in which charactersthat will speak a series feeling. It alland ties it’s back into how you are connecting allowwith yourself Tails some of Iron.time Theand possibility freedom ofto our trydevelopment something maybe the cutest thing I’ve everwith seen. Quill and her world.” then keep beinggoing. disbanded Try something led directly new into and thebranch story of out, Which makes it all the more jarring when I see my and team the game use your withexperience Redgi having fromtogames rebuildthat his you’ve ‘kingdom’ beautiful rat boy being murdered again, and again, but also SAME QUESTION EIGHT and before rescue andhis you’ll brothers. be fine. As long as you’re having and again. It’s asWAYS if the game wants me to fall in love,made Collaboration was during theheart development of Moss , We enjoyed of Iron had playing threeMoss mainthroughout design pillars only to key stamp on my right before my eyes. It’s afun too!“Tails the when entire not just within the team itself, but with the help of external we first development, which I think still holds decision I respect, frankly. process andstarted I think that really helps.” playtesters. People were often brought in to feedback on true in the final game. The first pillar was story, which REBUILDING THE KINGDOM would be told through quests. We knew we wanted It’s the second title from the Manchester-based to deliver an interesting fairytale-like story, and we Oddbug Studios, following up on its debut title knew we wanted to create an RPG, so these two The Lost Bear, a 2017 PSVR and Oculus title. Its kind of went hand-in-hand from the very beginning of first game was received well enough – sitting at a development. The second pillar was brutal combat. respectable 77 on Metacritic, but its release had We knew we wanted the combat to be challenging, nonetheless put the studio onto an uncertain path and we knew we wanted it to be gory as this all Jack Bennett, co-founder of Odd Bug Studio going forward. supported the story of a young king fighting against
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62 | MCV/DEVELOP October 2021
