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Contrast started with a mechanic,
the idea of being able to shift in and out of shadows.
But we realized, really early on,
that we wanted to do more than just a gimmick.
So we told the story of a little girl, Didi
who is having a really rough time at home,
and the idea of being able to play her imaginary friend,
really helped to bring life into the mechanic
and helped complement the world that we were building.
As an imaginary friend,
Dawn has the ability to shift in and out of shadows.
Every shadow becomes a platform,
and you'll have to go between 3D and 2D
constantly to solve our puzzles.
But, you can move some lights and objects in 3D,
which allows you to change the shadows in 2D.
This is a core element to solve some of the puzzles.
That said,
We also varied up the gameplay a little bit,
by adding platforms in each one of the puzzles.
So The atmosphere was really important to us.
We love film noir and German expressionism
due to their emphasis on shadows,
so we used them to inspire our world.
We wanted to create a foreboding feeling
overtop of a familiar European setting.
An adult world which is seen through a child’s eyes.
So the soundtrack and the music were also really important to us.
We even work with a contemporary jazz singer,
Laura Ellis,
to help transport you
into the 1920's burlesque that Didi lives in.
Ultimately We wanted to create a well rounded product,
whether it was the visuals or the context
or the story...
we really wanted to create a unique atmosphere
that we think you are really going to enjoy.