The game is a combination of several genres, including roguelike, strategy and RPG, combined together into the aforementioned Text Adventure format. It somehow manages to combine the old with the new by modernizing this format with ASCII graphics and fluid combat mechanics. While all of this is occurring, it also parodies many other RPGs, introducing an obvious comedic angle to its proceedings.
SanctuaryRPG was released in February 2015 and has garnered some extremely high praise from critics and users alike with hundreds of “very positive” reviews on Steam.
GameSkinny managed to chat with Daniel Doan of Black Shell Media to discuss their hit game, SanctuaryRPG.
(A “Vicious Gushy Slime” from SanctuaryRPG. Don’t know about you, but I think I would runaway)
GS: Looking at the game, it’s obvious it takes inspiration from some old text-based RPGs which have naturally fallen out of popularity. How do you believe you compensated for that?
GS: Humor is another thing which the game seems to manage flawlessly, as it references, and consequently parodies, different RPGs from the past. What particular RPGs were the influences here regarding the game?
GS: The difficulty of the game is another element which seems pertinent. Did you take a certain amount of influence from Dark Souls, or similar games, and what exactly was your approach to designing challenging scenarios?
GS: The graphical approach is also something which provides a much more visual experience than previous text adventures, with the use of ASCII, incidentally reminding me of Teletext in the UK. What was the particular draw of that approach and would you say it potentially added to the comedy?
GS: I’ve already delved into the fact it is a game out of its time. So, how do you believe your game has managed to bridge the gap between old and new?
GS: The story is something which possesses exaggerated personalities and the like, resulting in an entertaining experience. Was the approach here for the game to purely be entertaining and not take itself serious, and what do you think were the ways it manages to do that?
GS: The battle system naturally involves typing. What do you think the development challenges were when it came to making the combat genuinely feel like combat, even if it is far removed from modern day games?
The most challenging part, though, is getting the player to feel like they’re really immersed in the combat situation instead of just reading some text. I guess we tried accomplishing that by making it so that there was a range system, so that when enemies charged at you, you could dodge and move farther away by re-positioning. You could also go in really close and attack, making opponents run away.
I guess it was more about adding depth to the combat by making it much more complex than simply hitting and consequently being hit by enemies. I tried to make it as imaginative as I could with a sense of spatial awareness where players could use their imagination as much as possible when they’re fighting enemies and exploring the land."
(“Blinding Deception has kicked you in the genitalia! You may have heard you can romance a cow.” Now, that sounds like an intriguing confrontation).
I would like to thank Daniel Doan of Black Shell Media for taking the time to answer my questions once again. If you’re interested in Black Shell Media’s SanctuaryRPG Black Edition, it is currently available on Steam.
