Tunic: intervista all’autore Andrew Shouldice

English Version:

GameSource.it: It’s been almost a year since Tunic was released on Xbox, looking back when you started the work on this game, would you have expected such a positive reception from the public and beyond?

Andrew Shouldice: Absolutely not. For most of development I was convinced I had made a tremendous mess, and that people wouldn’t find much to like in TUNIC. As shipping deadlines approached, I was somewhat happier, feeling that at least I had made something I thought was neat. I was completely unprepared for the reception it has received. I still can’t believe it, really.

GS: Tunic is extraordinary for the gameplay, the artistic direction and the original music score considering that is basically a one-man work, what was Finji’s contribution in completing the game?

AS: TUNIC was a team effort! Kevin Regamey from Power Up Audio was audio director, and the music was composed by LIFEFORMED and Janice Kwan. Eric Billingsly helped with level art and effects. Finji’s contribution was also profoundly important, from mentorship, to design discussions, to marketing and community management, to their stellar QA team. This game would not be what it is today were it not for each and every person who contributed to it.

GS: I loved Tunic’s design and the nostalgic aura that permeates the whole gaming experience. In particular I really appreciated the brilliant idea about the game manual. Did you take inspiration from the splendid manuals included with old game cartridges or game guides published in certain old game magazines? Or is there something else?

AS: Yes! I have a lot of love for old instruction manuals. I appreciate them as physical artifacts of course, but also as icons of what it meant to be a kid and not fully understand the scope of a game. I’ve got many fond memories of poring over booklets from NES and Game Boy games, and letting my imagination take hold. I think that’s the important part: manuals weren’t limited by the realities of the console hardware, and let our curiosity run free.

GS: As a developer, do you think that the inclusion of Tunic on Xbox Game Pass from Day One has facilitated your work and your creative freedom?

AS: Working with Xbox, whether for Game Pass or for myriad other things, has been great. They always let us make exactly the game we wanted to, and understood what TUNIC needed to be. Being on Game Pass represents that confidence in us, and I appreciate it greatly. It’s very creatively validating to be told that Xbox has faith in you!

GS: Thinking about the future, what’s your opinion about subscription services? Could they become the standard release platform for video games?

AS: Hard to say. It’s certainly a great value for consumers — I love my Game Pass subscription. It also benefits the developers in a number of ways. There’s the threat that a subscription-only market could homogenize the industry, meaning the only way to make money from your game is through a subscription deal, but I don’t think that problem has come to a head yet.

GS: 2022 has been a banner year for you, and 2023 could continue on that path with more accolades to come, for example from the D.I.C.E. Awards, but have you already thought about what will come next for you? Will there be a Tunic 2? Or maybe another game set in the same world?

AS: I am going to take a break for a bit, I think. I would like to revisit the things I value in games and explore new spaces. I do love secrets, and will probably make another game with secrets in it at some point, but for now I will focus on something small.

GS: I’m nostalgic about big box pc games and game cartridge packaging so my last question is: have you ever thought about distributing a physical copy of Tunic? Maybe a special or collector’s edition. You would have my money for sure.

AS: Ahaha, thank you! We haven’t made any announcements about a physical release of TUNIC at this moment, but if we do ever do something like that, anyone subscribed to the mailing list at www.TUNICgame.com will be among the first to know.