In the heart of Verice Bay, a brilliant idea takes shape in the hands of an eccentric inventor and an eclectic artist. Follow Margaret and Hector in a point-and-click graphic adventure that will take you to the edge of space and time to help them avert imminent danger.
We had the chance to ask Ciro Camèra, Co-Founder at imaginarylab some questions about their upcoming new adventure game, Whirlight – No Time To Trip. Check out his answers, play the demo, and prepare for a grand adventure in 2025.
Q: Thank you for your time. Please get us started by introducing yourself and telling us about the team working on Whirlight – No Time To Trip. Is this pretty much the same team from Willy Morgan?
Hello and thank you for this interview. I can confirm that the team, apart from a few small changes, is the same as for Willy Morgan: myself, Ciro Camèra, 3D artist responsible for the game’s graphics (as I was for Willy), and Massimo Origano, who handles development and implements the necessary code and scripts for the game. For the Whirlight project, Davide Pippa joined us and provided great help in defining the story. We also have a number of external collaborators, many of whom also worked on Willy, such as Emiliano Salardi, animator, and the Daring Touch team for voiceovers and translations.
Q: After playing the demo it’s obvious just how improved the visual presentation has gotten since Willy Morgan. Can you discuss the development tools are you using for Whirlight, and what specific features or customizations have you implemented to achieve these stunning results?
Willy was our first project, so it came with all the limitations and uncertainties about how players would react to this new product. With Whirlight, we had the advantage of feedback from Willy, which allowed us to focus on and address the flaws of our first title, namely the complexity and linearity of the story. Once we were satisfied with the result, we moved on to technical issues: we needed higher quality, even visually. So, we worked hard on defining the environments and making them more “vibrant.” At the same time, we made significant efforts to improve animation quality, aiming to balance development time and costs. The technique behind the game is the same as used for Willy: essentially, all assets are pre-rendered to not strain hardware and make the game accessible to virtually any user. We also used the same tools as in Willy, with a greater focus on implementing custom scripts and shaders to add new facets to the game. The development is done in Unity, while for the graphics part, we use Autodesk Maya.
Q: What are some of the ingredients in the “perfect puzzle” recipe and how does the team decide when a puzzle is too easy or too difficult? Will there be any type of hint system in place?
We still haven’t found the perfect recipe: each puzzle is designed on paper, but it’s only once implemented and tested that we can determine if it’s correctly balanced. An important aspect is the logic of the puzzles: if we find a puzzle too complex because it’s illogical, then it’s not a good puzzle. If it’s difficult but “understandable,” then it’s a good puzzle. The same goes for simpler puzzles: we think it’s fine to have some easy parts, but if they were all like that, players would lose interest, and the game would just become “use item here” etc. We tried to balance the puzzles so that, once solved, they provide a sense of satisfaction without making the player forget the plot. In Whirlight, there will be a sort of diary that tracks the player’s progress and can be used to recall certain steps.
Q: How do you incorporate feedback from playtesting (internal or from demo players) into your development process? Is there a particular instance where feedback influenced a feature or mechanic during development?
Feedback is extremely important: as I mentioned, we learned a lot from what users reported with Willy. With Whirlight, the process is the same: we had the chance to have beta testers try out the demo before its release. We noticed that many provided the same feedback, so we realized there was an issue we hadn’t identified yet, and we fixed it before the demo’s release. Now, with a larger audience available, we are collecting more feedback to implement new general modifications. So, expect updates 😉
Q: What singular design element are you particularly proud of that sets Whirlight apart from any other point-and-click adventure?
We are particularly proud of the story’s development and hope that players will appreciate the efforts we’ve made. We are also proud of the variety of gameplay dynamics. We tried to combine traditional point-and-click dynamics with more advanced ones: thus, during the game, you can play with either character or both, and the passage of time will have its importance, but I don’t want to reveal too much 😉
Q: Is Whirlight designed as a “one and done” adventure, or will there be multiple outcomes or paths through the game that will encourage future replays?
Currently, Whirlight is designed as a story with a single ending. However, during the game, there will be many nuances that, in our opinion, can only be fully appreciated once the game is replayed.
Q: Time travel is always an interesting mechanic. In Whirlight, is it being used merely to travel between scenes, or will time manipulation factor into some of the puzzle solutions?
Time travel will certainly play a crucial role in solving some puzzles. It will allow players to visit certain places that would otherwise be inaccessible without it. However, we designed these space-time jumps so that some actions have repercussions, helping to advance the plot. It’s not just about large time spans (present, past, and future) but also short time frames (alternating day-night). I can’t say more: the other team members won’t allow it 🙂
Q: Based on my limited time with the demo I found the music and the voice acting quite delightful. What were some challenges in finding a composer that can generate that same musical charm to complement your visuals across all the varied scenes and time periods?
The voice acting was carefully selected by the Daring Touch team, with whom we’ve been collaborating for a long time (besides Willy, Daring Touch worked with Terrible ToyBox on the Italian translation of Return to Monkey Island). The music selection process was more complex because we needed specific sounds. We found an ideal partner in 93 Steps for this project. We conducted several tests to find the right balance between a relaxed, lighthearted atmosphere with a fun touch that matches the game’s tone.
Q: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. In closing, is there anything else about Whirlight – No Time To Trip that we should know about?
The game is full of surprises that we hope you’ll enjoy, but we don’t want to spoil too much. Thank you very much for the interview. If you enjoyed the demo, please continue to follow us and support us with a wishlist.
A big thanks to Ciro Camèra for taking the time to answer our questions. If you want a small taste of the wonderful world of Whirlight then head over to Steam and play the demo, and you can also read our first impressions of that demo here. Stay tuned for more news and info on Whirlight leading up to its release in 2025.
