#FlashbackFriday: Interview: Mystery Puzzle Hunt’s Hybriona Labs
Developing a game with a unique twist can oftentimes be extremely difficult; a lot of developers settle for making a game that could be lost inside the swirl of almost identical games, but pray that their slight improvements (on gameplay, design etc) are enough to make the game stand out. However, Mystery Puzzle Hunt from Hybriona Labs is one of the few games that manages to take an old genre and add a unique twist that should be enough to make the game stand out.
At first glance, Mystery Puzzle Hunt seems like just another run of the mill puzzle game, but the fact that the game not only takes the basis of each of its puzzles from real life, as well as Conspiracy Theories and Alternate History (a la Assassin’s Creed), but actively encourages players to research each of the puzzles.
Based on this unique twist, as well as the overall design of the game, Video Game Crunch sat down with Rajkumar Pramanik co-founder of Hybriona Labs to talk about the game as well as what we can expect from Mystery Puzzle Hunt after its Steam Greenlight and IndieGogo campaigns finish. Check out the interview below.
In your Steam Greenlight page, you said that the game was influenced by Conspiracy Theories and Alternate History. Were there many Conspiracy Theories that influenced the game? Did you have any particular Conspiracy Theories that you wanted to include in the game?
Hybriona Labs: The game is story-driven with the elements of Mystery and Surreal, which is also one of my favorite genres. So, yes; there are many conspiracy theories that has influenced the storyline. We did chose some specific Conspiracies related to Crimes, Experiments, Technology, Aliens, and some Urban Legends. Some elements and history were modified for the storyline, so the Game is marked as based on Alternate History.
Your Steam Greenlight page also says that Mystery Puzzle Hunt can connect to the real world, with players encouraged to research answers from different resources, such as books, the internet etc. What was it that inspired you to create a game that can encompass so much research?
Hybriona Labs: It was inspired from one my Childhood dream. At that time I was very fond of playing and creating Puzzlehunt, Find the Object like Outdoor Games. Because that would give me a feeling of being a Mystery Solver. Years passed and the world shifted to Video Games. But, suddenly two months ago I got a wild idea of creating a Puzzlehunt Game where Player have to Google to get the Clues.
It was something like recreating the Dream. I created a Text based prototype and gave to some my friends. Some of them got very excited and said that it was very awesome experience. Actually, they opened 50+ tabs in the Browser to solve each checkpoint. And there I got the motivation to push it further.
Because Mystery Puzzle Hunt can encourage players to research different sources, would you say that the game requires an overabundance of research, or would research outside the game be minimal?
Hybriona Labs: Technically, the amount of Research need is quite minimal. All the puzzles can be solved just using Internet Research. But here, the “skills” of the players makes the scope of the game big. Some people are good at “Internet Research” and some are not. Everybody has his own skill sets and so the game encourage the players to use any real life resource they have. It can be by just sitting around the computer with internet, or visiting libraries, reading books, and even taking references from teachers and professors. Also, why can’t my Granny help in this? Yes, she can. Because in this game, the whole world is a resource.
Speaking of research; since the game has an obvious basis in real life, Alternative History and Conspiracy Theories, did it take you long to amass the information needed in order to make the game believable?
Hybriona Labs: No, it didn’t took much longer. The content of first chapter was created in less 15 Days. That is because I was very much interested in it. And the experiences from the life helped us a lot.
Mystery Puzzle Hunt also includes what you’ve called a “sandbox computer,” with elements such as an Email Client, Photo Editor and Notes. What was it that inspired you to include this in the game?
Hybriona Labs: When I was thinking of making this Game more interesting and realistic, I thought of adding external entities like Email, Phone, Photo Editing Software and Websites. And then I thought “It’s a great Idea”. But then I realized that majority of the Players would be skeptic about it and it was highly probable that it would also lead them to exaggerate the puzzles. So, I decided to add a Computer like module inside the game itself. It is the most complex module in the Game but also very important. Currently there are just three elements but as the game will progress more will come.
Aside from Steam Greenlight, you’ve also launched an IndieGogo campaign. Should both the Steam Greenlight and IndieGogo campaigns be successful, will there be more features added to the game down the line?
Hybriona Labs: Yes; nine more Chapters, Enhanced Graphics and Cut-scenes at end of each Chapter. The Elements inside the “Sandbox Computer” will increase as more will be added like “(Sandbox) Internet Phone”, “(Sandbox) Software store, Mini Games, and (Sandbox) Web Browser”.
Also many In-Game tools will be added like a UV light and a Mobile Phone. But in case the Indiegogo campaign fails, the game will still be delivered but without cutscenes and enhanced graphics.
Speaking of once the campaigns are finished; is there as set timeline as to when you might be able to get a full version of the game released, aside from the fully functional prototype you’ve already released?
Hybriona Labs: Yes, the timeline is decided. The Game will be released on April 2016.
You can check out Mystery Puzzle Hunt on Steam Greenlight here, and the games IndieGogo campaign here. Tattered Media would like to thank Hybriona Labs for the interview.
Luke Luby is a Journalist and Digital Marketing Specialist based in Cork City, Ireland. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter. Luke is available for Freelance Opportunities. You can also find Video Game Crunch on Facebook and Twitter.