Greetings Villains!
It's 2024 which means the doomsday clock ticks ever closer to the release of our game Harvest Hunt!
For this instalment of Interrogating Villains, we decided to ask our devs about their experience playing the game, giving you further insight into design decisions and the inner workings here at our company of ne'er do wells!
As always, you can read all the details below, or on our website.
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🎩Tell us about your favourite tool!
Uriel Cordas - Art Lead
Hands down the only correct answer is the Blood Flask. You get it early on and it’s a great encapsulation of our risk/reward philosophy. You need to be fairly close to the monster for enough time to charge it so you can use it, but if used right it’s a great one to use as a Devourer radar! Especially if you’ve got a Monster Vane or two lying around, it’s my go-to strategic move!
Valentina Chrysostomou - Game Director
Really like the Proxy Poppet, a mid-game Tool which is super risky to use as it will damage both the player and the monster at the same time. It also looks amazing and it's one unique looking item that you wouldn't normally think of as a "weapon". I tend to use it when I want to stay clear from the monster and get a "win" quickly but also when I know I'm safe to do so! Dangerous to use otherwise.
Miguel Pereira - Gameplay Programmer
The Scarecrow is definitely an essential item for me. Clearing out all of the map's fiends, even if for a short period of time, has saved me countless runs. Nothing feels more reassuring than, right in the peak of a tense situation, finding a Scarecrow and knowing that for the next few minutes you no longer have to worry about being watched and heard at every possible corner. Furthermore, from a design perspective, I really like how the Scarecrow manages to be such a useful tool without ever directly affecting the Devourer, focusing instead on easing the map traversal.
🎩In your opinion, which Whisper card is most challenging?
Uriel Cordas - Art Lead
I dread the Famine. Despite all my best efforts I’m not exactly the most careful player, and get hit A LOT. Not having the option of grabbing a ration makes Famine-cursed nights a white-knuckle situation for me.
Valentina Chrysostomou - Game Director
While sounding simple, I think the Whisper that allows the monster to do more damage is really scary! The monster is already so powerful and with that Whisper it becomes a really tense game where the player needs to be extra careful. It's something you will brush off and might even forget about it applying which is what makes it so dangerous.
Miguel Pereira - Gameplay Programmer
The Poisoned Corn is by far the whisper I struggle to play with the most (seconded by the Famine). Punishing the player for resorting to the only semi-safe zones they otherwise have in a map riddled with hazards feels diabolical. Every time I get this whisper, I find myself thrown in a loop to adjust my overly cornfield-dependent playstyle.
🎩What's your favourite location on the map?
Uriel Cordas - Art Lead
I’m quite fond of the Windmill. That tunnel is ever so inviting and I find myself popping in the area more often than not. To do with the colour and the general vibe of the place as a space carved out by self expression, even if it comes from a fairly dark place, I get a strong sense of melancholy there.
Valentina Chrysostomou - Game Director
I absolutely love the maze-like pathways found around the more watery parts of the game. Not a specific location by itself but every time I'm crouching, slowly moving through the bloody water, my lantern flicking, corn towering on each side of me - it just gives me chills.
Miguel Pereira - Gameplay Programmer
I really like the look and feel of the Tree Landmark. The imagery of a daunting elder tree, surrounded by bloody water bodies and flimsy wooden plank walkways, is such a strong and fitting one in the context of Harvest Hunt. Also, the fact loud-to-step-on walkways stretch through most of its area, mixed with there being very little tall coverage to sneak behind, make this the landmark in which I, as a player, feel the most unsafe and exposed.
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