Twitchy talks to the legend that is Benoit Sokal on his latest venture Sinking Island
first of all Hello Benoit and thank you for taking the time to talk with us
Amerzone, Syberia (I and II), Paradise and now Sinking Island are all pretty diverse in their settings – what inspired or triggered the initial concepts?
It always takes me a long time to finalize my stories. Sometimes, years… I always have a notebook with me in which I write and sketch all the time, having up to 3 or 4 stories in parallel. Not all of these become video games, or cartoons. Usually, the initial trigger comes from a novel, or a movie. With “Sinking Island”, I wanted to tell a story in the “Agatha Christie” genre.
What stage of development is Sinking Island at now and when should we expect a release date ?
The game is finished. Gold Master has been approved by our publisher, and it will be released in France in the beginning of October. Then, other territories will follow.
Can you describe Sinking Island. The interface,1st or 3rd person, the puzzles and challenges, the characters etc.
Sinking Island is a game mixing “traditional” point and click adventure with a specific puzzle solving interface, called the “PPA” (for “Police Personal Assistant”). The interface is 3rd person when the main character is in the settings, discovering clues or talking to other characters. The whole story is a murder mystery case, cut into 12 “mandates”. Every time the player solves a mandate, another one opens until the final solution.
on any of your projects how much time does it take to create you games ? and whats your favourite stage of work ? creating the story,inventing the characters, devising puzzles , seeing the finished product ?
It takes between 12 to 24 months to create a game, depending on its initial design. All the steps you’re mentioning are pleasing, but offering different emotions. I can be a bit “grumpy” during the development stages, so I guess they are more pleasant for me than for the team I’m working with. Seeing the final bow is always very enjoyable.
do you ever base your characters on people you know or have met or would like to meet ?
Sure. All authors do that I guess. But, sometimes it is very clear and other times I just don’t know who this person could have been. It is somewhere in my “lost memory”…
Some people would credit you with reviving the adventure genre with the massive hit Syberia . do you still think there is a future for adventure games ?
I don’t know frankly. Probably yes, but not in the way it has been some years ago, and probably not on the same platforms. Today, an author such as me has to think of the Nintendo DS, the “casual gaming” and also probably other emerging media.
Have you any ideas what your next project will be ? how about Inspector Canardo !
In the video games field, I am working on several new projects. A sequel to “Sinking Island” for the PC, the Wii and the DS. But also my first 3D real time game, codename “Birdy”, that we expect to see released early 2009. Inspector Canardo remains my cartoon character : there will be a new album soon.
Finally thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us.
