Craig Kadziolka of Karmic Shift Studios Talks Lovecraftian Text Games and his Latest Project, Madness at Hobbsgate
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Gamebooks—better known as those “Choose Your Own Adventure” paperbacks we all knew and loved from childhood—are a holdover print genre from the 90s that have found new life online, thanks to dedicated indie developers that made text games go mobile. They’re a perfect match to Lovecraft’s Mythos, which has always lent itself well to an interactive format, whether you’re rolling dice or maneuvering a console.
New Zealand-based Karmic Shift Studios’ trilogy of text-based role-play games certainly plays out like a love letter to the master of cosmic horror: their simple, no-frills interface makes for an immersive storytelling experience full of Lovecraftian tropes and turns that hardcore fans will quickly spot. Its first installment, Horror in the Darkness, was released last year, quickly followed by two sequels, Horror at Innsport and Horror in the Pacific. Since then, the series now garners about 3,000 downloads a week on Android alone. Every game has been broader and more complex than the next, with a new title slated for later this year.
We talk to the man behind Karmic Shift Studios, game developer Craig Kadziolka, about the Horror series and his upcoming project, Madness at Hobbsgate.
Dread Central: What inspired you to create these Lovecraft-themed text games?
Craig Kadziolka: The original concept was that I wanted to create a mobile-friendly adventure game. As a child I grew up playing Maniac Mansion, Zork, Monkey Island, and games like that, so I wanted to create that sort of experience, but with an interface that made it accessible for people on their phones.
Dread Central: Since you’re clearly a Lovecraft fan, what are some of your favorite Lovecraft stories?
Craig Kadziolka: That’s a tough question. I think Re-Animator, The Shadow over Innsmouth, and The Call of Cthulhu would be my favorites.
Dread Central: You’ve really managed to capture a sense of cosmic horror with these text games. What do you think are the elements that make a good Lovecraftian story?
Craig Kadziolka: Thank you! Personally I think the best Lovecraftian fiction plays on our deep-rooted fear of the unknown, such as eldritch horrors lurking just outside of our sight. One theme that my games have only briefly touched on is the cost to a persons sanity in encountering terrors that by all rights shouldn’t even exist.
Dread Central: Darkness, Innsport, and Pacific are increasingly broad and complex. How do you flesh out these stories?
Craig Kadziolka: Specifically, I write them. I always enjoyed writing as a student and so it is nice to be rediscovering that interest now later on in life. When I am writing an episode I approach it from two directions simultaneously – the plot and the location. I will try to come up with a plot arc that I am happy with and think is interesting and at the same time I will begin designing the locations where the game will be set. As I go on I refine the plot more to fit into the location and alter the location to support what I am trying to achieve with the plot.
Dread Central: What were some of the challenges you encountered in developing the games?
Craig Kadziolka: One of the biggest difficulties I had early on was realising that you can’t make everybody happy. When I started out I really wanted everyone to enjoy these games. Over time I realised that no matter what you do, some people will always find the games too easy, some too hard, and some will just not be happy no matter what you do. But I think as long as you stay true to your vision then hopefully all the like-minded people will like the games overall, and for me that is success.
Dread Central: These games are linked to one another in some way. Do you think someone can play any one of them and still enjoy the game as it is, or would you recommend they start with the first, Horror in the Darkness?
Craig Kadziolka: I tried to design them so that if you started with the later games you would still enjoy them, but for the fullest experience I would recommend they be played in order. However a lot of people have started with Pacific, and then went back to Darkness and said that they liked it – so I guess at the end of the day if the player has enjoyed themselves then that is the most important thing.
Dread Central: How did you decide to release a redux version of Horror in the Darkness? Will the other titles receive a “director’s cut” treatment as well?
Craig Kadziolka: After releasing Pacific I decided that it was important to me that all the games were running using the same game engine. This allowed me to spend less time fixing bugs in multiple different engines and also meant when I wrote new features I could roll them out to all the games, instead of just to new episodes. However for technical reasons I couldn’t preserve legacy Horror in the Darkness save games when doing the upgrade. At the time there were about 30,000 active installs of Horror in the Darkness, so instead of wiping every ones progress and getting thousands of angry emails telling me about it I decided to release a director’s cut with expanded content and the new engine. It also added the ability to remove advertising with a small in-app purchase, which is something a few people had asked for. Basically, the Redux version is what the original would have been, if I had a time machine.
Dread Central: Can you tell us more about what you have in store for us with the next installment, Madness at Hobbsgate?
Craig Kadziolka: Madness at Hobbsgate is mostly going to be set in the Hobbsgate Asylum for the Criminally Insane. For the first time in the series you will be playing (at least to begin with) as a different character than our usual protagonist. The game will be as large as Horror in the Pacific. I’ve tried to make it more plot driven than some of the earlier games – whether I have been successful or not will be up to the players.
I had hoped to have it out in August, but I think it will be slightly delayed. I would rather release it late but make sure that I am releasing something that you will all be happy with than rush something out that isn’t good enough for you guys.
Dread Central: What else does Karmic Shift Studios have planned for the future?
Craig Kadziolka: I already have some ideas for a fifth episode, which I’d like to release before Christmas. Porting the game to Apple took a lot of time, so now that is done I am able to focus on new content. As well as this series I am currently exploring the possibility of releasing a mobile-friendly traditional “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel, with illustrations. It’s still early days but it is a possibility.
Check out Karmic Shift Studios’ games on Google Play.
Categorized:Horror Gaming News
