Wish Studios has been one of the developers at the forefront of PlayLink games (PlayStation 4 titles that are controlled via smartphones). After all, their first PlayLink game, That’s You!, was the first title to use the branding and tech on PS4. Their second PlayLink title, Knowledge is Power, released this month, and like any game, there wound up being some challenges during development.
Here’s how the team answered the question of what design challenges there were when asked by the PlayStation Blog:
Caspar Field (CEO): With us coming fresh off the back of making our first PlayLink title, That’s You!, the biggest challenge was to reset my brain, ready to think afresh about working with phones and PS4, and to make sure we made smart creative decisions that were appropriate for the new game. To not just do the same thing again, basically.
Tom Bennett (CTO): From the very early stages, the gameplay design of Knowledge is Power fused together the ideas of classic quiz questions with very physical attacks between characters, so we always knew that we had a compelling core to the game. The biggest challenge was to create a visual style that felt fresh and original while also striking the right ‘quiz show’ aesthetic that felt familiar to players across the world.
Dan Croucher (Director): As producer on the project, the hardest part was a period in pre-alpha where we had too many ideas to make and not enough time to make them all, and so we had to cut some things back to get the game done – this happens on every game but it’s always a bit sad to admit you can’t finish everything to the quality you want in the time.
Paul Abbott (Art Director): Honestly, I’m finding this hard to answer. I really enjoyed making Knowledge is Power and once we found the right wrapper for it everything seemed to fall into place. I was able to indulge some of my passions, the flair of Mary Blair, the charm of vintage stop motion and a whole load of rainbows and glitter sprinkled over for good measure. It has been one of the easiest and most enjoyable projects I’ve managed, a lot of the time my direction was ‘just chuck more glitter at it’.
Of course, there were plenty of features we couldn’t fit into the game, that’s always the way when you work with a team whose ideas are brimming, and …. Oh no wait, I have an answer! Cotton wool, we couldn’t get cotton wool to look right. That was our biggest challenge!
Paul Brooke (CTO): I love creating new IP, however the challenges associated in moving at the start from an entire world of possibilities to the end to produce a focused, amazing game experience is very demanding, but also very rewarding.
The entire team answers several other questions in the full interview. It’s an entertaining read, so make sure to check that out if you’re interested in Knowledge is Power.
Knowledge is Power is available now for PlayStation 4.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
