Camel 101 have produced a wide variety of games. From point and click adventures to real time strategy games, the indie studio has managed to cover several genres, all while being self-funded. Now they are attempting to create a survival horror game reminiscent of Resident Evil 1 and System Shock.
We were given the opportunity to speak to Ricardo Cesteiro, one of the founders at Camel 101, about his company’s game: Syndrome. We discuss some of the inspirations behind Syndrome, the current state of horror games and the future of VR.
GameWatcher: Could you explain Syndrome for those who don’t know what the game is?
Ricardo Cesteiro: Syndrome is a survival horror game with a science fiction setting, the action is set inside a space ship. We are going back to the roots of survival horror, since we also have combat in the game. The player isn’t only limited to just running and hiding, he can also fight back against the monsters.
GameWatcher: What inspired you to create Syndrome?
Ricardo Cesteiro: We have a lot of inspirations from games, movies and books. Speaking of games, I would like to mention the original Resident Evil and System Shock. In Resident Evil 1, the developers had the players exploring and solving puzzles. While the player could fight, they had to manage their weapons and ammunition, which is what we are trying to do here. We don’t want the game to feel like a shooter, but we also don’t want the player to feel completely helpless. There’s a fine balance between fighting and running. We also have a lot of inspirations from movies, I could name Aliens, Virus, Event Horizon… there are lots of things that inspired us for this game.
GameWatcher: Speaking of Resident Evil, would you consider yourself a fan of the newer games?
Ricardo Cesteiro: I like the old games and the new games, but they are very different. I played through Resident Evil 6 and it felt like I was inside a Michael Bay movie! Helicopters and planes exploding everywhere. It’s fun, but it’s not Resident Evil, it’s an action game. I am a fan of the older games, definitely.
GameWatcher: What are some of the most annoying aspects of horror games these days that you are actively trying to avoid?
Ricardo Cesteiro: We don’t want to repeat the formula of just running and hiding inside the closet. The last few horror games that have shown up have all repeated the same thing, just running and hiding. That’s the major thing we wanted to avoid.
GameWatcher: You are releasing Syndrome on both PC and console. Have you had to change the game in any way to accommodate console players?
Ricardo Cesteiro: When we started the development of Syndrome, we were already thinking about developing on consoles too. We actually started in this genre because we wanted to expand to consoles. That was something we had in mind from the start. It’s not only the gameplay needs to be changed, but the controls. We planned everything from the start for PC and consoles, so I don’t think we’ve had to make any changes to the game itself.
GameWatcher: The highest selling horror game in a long time was Alien Isolation. While some thought the game was brilliant, others criticised the length of the game claiming that it was too long. Have you struggled to determine how long Syndrome should be?
Ricardo Cesteiro: When we first started the script for Syndrome, we felt the game was a bit short. We had to expand the game and the story without the game feeling like we’ve artificially expanded the game. We had to go back to the drawing board and include a few more events in the story to make the game slightly longer. Right now, we don’t feel like the game is short or long, it’s the perfect length.
It’s interesting because I also felt that Alien Isolation was a bit too long. I don’t remember how long it took me to finish the game but I think it was around fifteen hours.
GameWatcher: Syndrome supports the Oculus Rift, which must be quite scary to work on. What challenges have you faced when developing with VR in mind?
Ricardo Cesteiro: Yeah, we’ve faced challenges. There were a lot of things that we didn’t take into consideration until we actually saw it happening. For example: the text that appears over objects and the game’s user interface, all of these things did not work well in VR. We are still working on that, mainly making adjustments on the VR specific parts. The game itself is working perfectly, but there are some slight things that need to be changed, like the map. VR isn’t as easy to develop for compared to the console version!
GameWatcher: Do you think VR will last the rest of this generation and beyond?
Ricardo Cesteiro: I think it’s a much more intense experience. I always like to say, it’s the difference between playing a game and being inside a game. All the environments become ultra-creepy and completely immersive. It’s the same experience but it’s far stronger.
GameWatcher: How was your experience at EGX Rezzed? Did you feel the game was well received by the public?
Ricardo Cesteiro: I think it was very well received. I didn’t see anyone playing for less than half an hour. Many times we had to ask the people to, you know, pass the torch and allow other people to play! It was a very good experience. The reception was much better than we anticipated.
GameWatcher: Have you had a chance to look at the ‘No Sale Promise’ scheme? Basically, indie developers promise not to put their game on sale shortly after releasing it. By stating there won’t be a sale any time soon, potential customers may be more likely to buy a game, knowing it won’t be cheaper later on. Would you consider using it for Syndrome?
Ricardo Cesteiro: We are not big fans of putting games on sale very shortly after the game has been released. Eventually that de-values the game. I’m not saying we won’t put the game on sale but it will probably be a while until we do. Sales do become a problem, I mean, I have two hundred games on Steam and I think I’ve played ten percent of them! We are going to be a lot more conservative about keeping the price steady after it releases.
GameWatcher: What do you think makes Syndrome stand out from other games in the horror genre?
Ricardo Cesteiro: Well, one thing that we put a lot of effort into was the story. There’s a great story with a lot of twists. We hope the player will get close to the end of the game without truly understand what’s really happening inside the ship. Adding to that, there’s also the mechanics of running, hiding or fighting against the monsters that I think only Alien Isolation in the last year has done. We have a secret story, a great environment, some cool mechanics and some great characters. I think we’ve got a great experience here and I hope that people will enjoy it.
Syndrome’s release date hasn’t been confirmed just yet, but Ricardo did tell us the company is aiming for a June or July release.
