Handcrafted video games have always captured the attention of some gamers thanks to their detailed and unique worlds that are vastly different thanmost 3D environments created with today’s technology. Among the many handcrafted games available today isPapetura, which is an atmospheric point-and-click title that follows the story of a lonely creature called Pape.
In a recent interview with Game Rant, developer Tomasz Ostafin, also known as Petums, shares the painstaking process of creating paper sculptures from scratch and then transporting them to the digital realm. Ostafin alsoshared his experience in creatingPapeturaalone, the struggles he faced during development, and the many games that inspiredPapetura.
RELATED:Pathway Interview: Bachmann Brothers Talk TinTin, Art Inspiration, and Switch Port Difficulties
Game Rant:Papeturafeatures handcrafted paper creations. What was your inspiration in creating these paper crafts, and was it something you were always passionate about?
Tomasz Ostafin: Paper was the final choice for me to create thePapeturaworld, although I had plasticine and clay in my mind. However, the nature of the paper convinced me more, its characteristic allows me to focus only on form and light when sculpting. Not using color made it much easier but at the same time a lot more difficult because it meant that I could not bring out the game elements through the color of the material - only through lighting, and secondly through shape and texture. Playing with light is something that I started when I studied architecture, so that helped a lot. When it comes to the shapes of paper models, my passion comes from observing strange creatures, so the fascination with the world of insects and microbiology is my inspiration.
GR: Tell us a bit about how you came up with this unique concept. Did you always want to make a game about paper creatures and worlds? Or did these paper crafts come first that inspired you to make a game about it?
TO: I don’t know if my game concept is unique becausethere are many gamesthat used real materials likeTheDream MachineorLumino City. But as far I remember, I just wanted to make an adventure game, a simple classic point-and-click. That idea was embedded in me byThe Neverhood, and later,Machinariummade me realize that the dream may come true because it was made by a relatively small team. One day I just started gluing and cutting, and the idea started to grow. In the beginning, the first characters were designed, and then everything around them, the whole world and the story.
GR: How difficult was the process of transporting your physical paper creations to digital? Was programming something you’ve always done, or did you have to learn it while developingPapetura?
TO: The process of transporting paper models to the game was something I had to discover myself. It required learning photography, building appropriate tools and setups, e.g., the possibility of completely darken the room. Each session required detailed planning as each level required over a dozen photos, and if I forgot something, the session had to be repeated. It was quite a difficult process, but quite interesting. I imagine that people dealing withstop-motion animationsare involved in a similar process. Programming, on the other hand, is a skill that took me a long time to obtain. I still wouldn’t call myself a programmer, but rather a ‘good google searcher.’
GR: What other video games, books, or movies, do you think have inspiredPapetura?
TO: The previously mentionedThe NeverhoodandMachinarium,I think, were the biggest inspirations when it comes to games. In addition, the work ofStudio Ghibli, and even cartoons such asAdventure Time.
GR: Papertura doesn’t have any dialogue, and the story is told through music, sound effects, and animation. Why did you decide against having dialogue that could help move the story forward?
TO: My first thought was to just tell the story without words so that everyone will understand it. Also, I’m not a master of storytelling nor writing, so I would find no joy in figuring out the dialogues. The matter of translations is another thing. I wouldn’t be able to afford it, and also, there would always be some missing language to do.
RELATED:Interview: Developer Tako Boy Aims to Subvert Expectations with Card Battler/RPG Cross Blitz
GR: From the behind-the-scenes video you posted on YouTube, I noticed how intricate the whole process is, from creating the paper worlds to programming everything as a video game, which you did by yourself. Was there a point where you thought this project is impossible and almost gave up? What do you think draws players to games made by a single developer?
TO: I almost gave up a couple of times, but I’ve always set the bar low enough for myself, so I can barely manage to complete the next step. Many initial ideas of the game went to the trash just because the scope of the project would be too much to handle. It all took over 6 years to complete, with many delays, I knew that the game release was only a matter of time. Only for the last couple of months, I’ve focused my full attention on game development, and those were the most intense workdays in my life.
When it comes to single developers, I really don’t know what draws players to their creations. I think it might be that the game is then treated as a piece of the creator’s soul, and also, making the game alone makes it a little bit crazy and unpredictable.Papeturais really not focused on profit. It’s rather a statement, a creation that I’ve always wanted to make.
GR: Why did you choose Tomas Dvorak to compose the game’s music? And how did his music complement the gameplay?
TO: Searching for the music that would fitPapeturawasn’t easy. I wanted something avant-garde, experimental, as the game is. To be honest, the music made by Tomas Dvorak was perfect. I was in love with his style for a long time and didn’t imagine anyone else. Thankfully, our collaboration came into existence, and to this day, I find it unbelievable.
The music is a big part of the game, and Floex made it wonderful, not typical for adventure games. Sounds flow and mix with each other to tell the story. Sometimes I think thatPapeturais just a long music video. Without the sounds, it would be very flat, and the atmosphere would be gone.
GR: Juraj Mravec handled special effects forPapetura.Were there challenges in putting special effects on your paper creations?
TO: This was my first time collaborating with a sound designer. Fortunately, Juraj is very experienced and great with special effects, so he knew exactly what to do. We approached making the sounds forPapeturaas if it was a movie, and I think it turned out great. The only challenge for me was the programming and recording voices for the characters because it also required a lot of learning.
GR: What do you think is the future of handcrafted games such asPapetura? Any plans for a sequel? What about bringing Papetura to other platforms such as Mobile devices, PS5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch?
TO: I think handcrafted games always will appear from time to time. Even if their development is more time-consuming and with higher risk, I can’t see how big studios would take those chances, but it would be a wonderful sight to see someday a bigger handcrafted game.
For now, there won’t be any sequel toPapetura, but some other ideas are floating in my mind. I’m busy porting the game forNintendo Switchat the moment, and we will see where it leads.
GR: Apart from point-and-click adventure games, what other genres are you interested in developing in the future?
TO: The other genre I would consider is FPS, like classicQuake, but this is really far from point and click.Papeturadevelopment gave me a big lesson on adventure games, so I think that digging deeper into that will be a good idea, maybe even something more experimental in terms of game design.
