Tale of Two Indie Developers

Campo Santo and Hello Games.

A pair of indie game developers who have released their first game in 2016, both met with huge publicity. Both released for computer, with exclusivity going to Sony and the Playstation 4 in the console realm. Both games have a general sense of being a success, though Hello Games’ offering may be too soon a release to definitively declare such. I mention these two developers because their games seem to be polar opposites, with the only commonalities being a unique artwork style, coming from a small developer, and garnering significant hype and fanfare.

Both began humbly enough, a person with a dream for a game. A distinctive illustration style that quickly became theirs, and will be recognized as such for quite a while. Snippets shown at conventions beginning the rumor mill off full steam ahead. Both eventually penned an exclusivity deal with Sony, who often times seems more willing to jump in with small developers. Both feed the hype train, with a degree of secrecy upon what all was happening in the game (as any good game should); leaving small nuggets for fantasizing gamers to gnaw on until the game was finally released. Once each game was released, that is where the differences are stark.

You may not know the developers, but you probably know the games. Campo Santo released Firewatch in February, and Hello Games released No Man’s Sky just a few days ago. For the sake of full disclosure, I played through Firewatch as soon as it came out, while I have yet to purchase No Mans Sky. That being said, I have shameful spent hours reading and watching Twitch feeds of the exploration game.

Firewatch is a quaint story. The game occurs in a small section of Shoshone National Forest, with you alone in the wilderness on watch for any signs of fire or trouble. Your lone companion is Delilah, your superior in a watch stand over, who you communicate with solely over radio. While it’s enjoyable to get lost exploring the forest, the game is primarily story driven. The dialogue is fantastic. A combination of voice acting, sound engineering, and the endearing illustration work really immerse you into the environment created. But spoiler, the game is short. I ended the story wanting more, even with completing the few small asides that arise. You play in a relatively small area, which is fully explore by the conclusion. The story does not take 40–50 hours to complete, even if you put it off as long as possible. Yet, it’s dense. The environment is clearly realized and exquisitely crafted. The dialogue is rich, and the amount of options in the branching conversation trees beg for at least a second play through; then wishing an expansion would come out, adding an addition story arc into the mix, because I can never have enough. It’s like a great book, driving myself to the last page at an increasingly break-neck pace, only to realize I have finished and am begging for more. The anguish driven by the story giving me plenty to reflect upon, but just enough hanging threads to gnaw on months later.

No Man’s Sky is purely exploration and survival. I may be premature in claiming this, but thus far it seems pretty accurate. First off, I find the procedural concept incredibly interesting. The thought of creating 18 quintillion planets through a mathematical algorithm gets my inner math nerd wishing I had explored past calculus. Where Firewatch allows you to intimately explore a small swath of land, No Man’s Sky stuns you into a stupor with the shear size of its universe. One thing slowly appears glaringly missing though, the story. While Firewatch offers an intimated glimpse into the summer relationship of two rangers, No Man’s Sky is a solitary jump into isolation.

It may not be intended, but a story can be found in No Man’s Sky, albeit a meta one. Your experience playing is the story. The Atlas of species you discover is the equivalent of a Fotodome camera, with a capacity that matches the universe it lives in. How you survive is the story. Would it be great to hook up with friends and explore galaxies as a team or spread out within one, sharing the best discoveries? Of course. I am still not completely convinced this wasn’t a goal in the beginning, but a restriction due to their servers. Explore this concept for a moment though, the game ultimately exists as a metaphor for life. We constantly have to strive for our survival, as dictated by the constant reminders to mine resources. Each planet, a new person to discover, a new personality to explore, built upon blocks and elements not greatly dissimilar from our own, though arranged and presented differently. With the hint of adding base building in future updates, it signals an option to settle. Some people explore constantly through their life, always wanting to see more, discuss further, walk over that hill to observe a new view. Mentally catalog all they can in this expansive universe. Knowing they will never take it all in, but enjoying what they can furiously. Others find an area they find comfort and enjoyment in, and set up base. They understand the universe is immeasurably, and decide to reside where they know they can. They may miss out on some amazing worlds, but they also avoid the hazardous and deadly ones which always accompany exploration.

Price plays significantly into perspective. The more I pay, the more I expect for my money. This is why I can be significantly more forgiving of movies I watch on Netflix versus at the theater. I don’t enter the viewing with as many preconceived expectations, because it feels like I am not as financially invested. The same goes for these two games. Firewatch came out for $20, No Man’s Sky for $60. I am a huge advocate of creators getting paid, it’s why I have never been a fan of pirating content, but I also believe in pricing for expectation. Would I be as big of a fan of Firewatch if it released for $60? No. The game didn’t offer that much content. But for $20? I am incredibly satisfied. I believe No Man’s Sky falls into the same scenario, but chose the wrong path. If we judged on playable size along, No Man’s Sky should be the most expensive game available, but it’s not; I don’t think it has quite earned the $60 mark either. Only Prime members can get it for $48, but I think it would do much better chalked down to the $40 range, which it inevitably will with time. One outlook could be that the $60 is the price of the game and season pass all in one, assuming Hello Games upholds their promise to support the game for the foreseeable future. But others can argue that many of the additions should already have been in the game before going gold.

I will admit, I was a hype rider for No Man’s Sky, but jumped off that train as soon as it was released. Games are a casual enjoyment for me, I want one with a thoughtful, well-crafted story and solid gameplay, not hours of grinding for XP points and resources. Firewatch must be played through to fully appreciate the nuanced dialogue it contained. No Man’s Sky, while have more depth than initially revealing, seems to play its hand without having to be played through. I think it represents a significant evolution in approaching game building, but it seems to be a game for game-makers, similar to art for artists; it appeals to a much different audience. I want a game with an emotional conclusion, not a infinite, reoccurring quest line that feeds into my obsessive nature. But I love that a game such as No Man’s Sky can exist and reach the popularity and attention it has. There isn’t a prototypical gamer, that enjoys every style game, or that every game is designed towards. Games need to trend as television and books have, a variety of options for a variety of readers. A market where quality is the ultimate secret to mass success; dedication to the specific facet of the community or unique approach to storytelling that each game hopefully strives to pioneer.