What changed
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changedWe are so thrilled to have been nominated for not just one, but two Develop Awards for Blackwood Crossing , PaperSeven’s first PC / console game! The nominations, for Best Writing and Best Animation, represent two of the biggest learning curves for the team – which makes the nod even sweeter! The story of Blackwood Crossing was written as a tragedy, and left many players in tears, yet there is a warmth and a truth to the narrative’s sentiment. When development started, titles like Gone Home , Stanley Parable and Ethan Carter were going from strength to strength, but we wanted our story to come to the fore even more and to create a stronger emotional attachment. We wanted a game that made players think and feel. Adult themes told through children’s eyes - a relationship players could relate to.
changedOliver Reid-Smith, our writer, had to juggle the responsibility of writing the story with leading the gameplay and the integration of the various sequences. It was a mammoth task – so I’m pleased that the game has been recognized as one with stand out writing! So much of the story – and Blackwood Crossing itself – hangs on the connection you make with your little brother, Finn.
changedAnimation was key to increasing the players’ empathy, understanding of and bond with Finn. It didn’t have to be much – the tiniest curled lip, the movement of an eyebrow, a clasp of hands – but these small, subtle articulations were the exact tools the team needed to help construct such a complex, relatable and emotionally responsive character. An interesting contrast was our decision to not lip sync or fully animate the NPCs. Schedule pressures led to the idea of masks and their potential – bringing intrigue, conveying narrative, and also saving development time. But, as Blackwood Crossing really grew into its own, the masks became a centerpiece within the narrative, and even if you gave us another year of development, we wouldn’t take them off. We used a surrealist concept to provide a technical solution to a mechanical problem, proving that constraints can be so more inspiring than having limitless possibilities! Check out Blackwood Crossing on the Develop Awards shortlist !
Blackwood Crossing changes
changedWe are so thrilled to have been nominated for not just one, but two Develop Awards for Blackwood Crossing , PaperSeven’s first PC / console game! The nominations, for Best Writing and Best Animation, represent two of the biggest learning curves for the team – which makes the nod even sweeter! The story of Blackwood Crossing was written as a tragedy, and left many players in tears, yet there is a warmth and a truth to the narrative’s sentiment. When development started, titles like Gone Home , Stanley Parable and Ethan Carter were going from strength to strength, but we wanted our story to come to the fore even more and to create a stronger emotional attachment. We wanted a game that made players think and feel. Adult themes told through children’s eyes - a relationship players could relate to.
changedOliver Reid-Smith, our writer, had to juggle the responsibility of writing the story with leading the gameplay and the integration of the various sequences. It was a mammoth task – so I’m pleased that the game has been recognized as one with stand out writing! So much of the story – and Blackwood Crossing itself – hangs on the connection you make with your little brother, Finn.
changedAnimation was key to increasing the players’ empathy, understanding of and bond with Finn. It didn’t have to be much – the tiniest curled lip, the movement of an eyebrow, a clasp of hands – but these small, subtle articulations were the exact tools the team needed to help construct such a complex, relatable and emotionally responsive character. An interesting contrast was our decision to not lip sync or fully animate the NPCs. Schedule pressures led to the idea of masks and their potential – bringing intrigue, conveying narrative, and also saving development time. But, as Blackwood Crossing really grew into its own, the masks became a centerpiece within the narrative, and even if you gave us another year of development, we wouldn’t take them off. We used a surrealist concept to provide a technical solution to a mechanical problem, proving that constraints can be so more inspiring than having limitless possibilities! Check out Blackwood Crossing on the Develop Awards shortlist !
We are so thrilled to have been nominated for not just one, but two Develop Awards for Blackwood Crossing, PaperSeven’s first PC / console game! The nominations, for Best Writing and Best Animation, represent two of the biggest learning curves for the team – which makes the nod even sweeter! The story of Blackwood Crossing was written as a tragedy, and left many players in tears, yet there is a warmth and a truth to the narrative’s sentiment. When development started, titles like Gone Home, Stanley Parable and Ethan Carter were going from strength to strength, but we wanted our story to come to the fore even more and to create a stronger emotional attachment. We wanted a game that made players think and feel. Adult themes told through children’s eyes - a relationship players could relate to.
“Every look Finn has is masterfully handcrafted to lend him all the vulnerability, warmth and innocence of a real person, making it impossible to dislike him even when he’s being a nuisance.” PCGamesN
Oliver Reid-Smith, our writer, had to juggle the responsibility of writing the story with leading the gameplay and the integration of the various sequences. It was a mammoth task – so I’m pleased that the game has been recognized as one with stand out writing! So much of the story – and Blackwood Crossing itself – hangs on the connection you make with your little brother, Finn.
"You'll remember Blackwood Crossing as one of the most memorable gaming experiences in recent years… it will summon vivid and palpable feelings; joy and sorrow so touching" IGN Italia
The character design and the animation were therefore hugely important. For the most part we had a single animator, Ross Stanton, producing the anims. When we set out to create the game, in order to be sensible we had planned to ‘hide’ Finn more, and for there to be a lot less direct interaction. But when the story was written we knew we had to invest a lot more heavily and creatively in order to do the complex relationship between Finn and Scarlett justice. This, alongside the fact we were developing systems from scratch, meant we underestimated the effort needed to nail it. Naturally, this gave us big budget and schedule headaches, but both the emotional qualitative payoffs were massive.
“Outstanding facial animations and voice-acting” Polygon
Animation was key to increasing the players’ empathy, understanding of and bond with Finn. It didn’t have to be much – the tiniest curled lip, the movement of an eyebrow, a clasp of hands – but these small, subtle articulations were the exact tools the team needed to help construct such a complex, relatable and emotionally responsive character. An interesting contrast was our decision to not lip sync or fully animate the NPCs. Schedule pressures led to the idea of masks and their potential – bringing intrigue, conveying narrative, and also saving development time. But, as Blackwood Crossing really grew into its own, the masks became a centerpiece within the narrative, and even if you gave us another year of development, we wouldn’t take them off. We used a surrealist concept to provide a technical solution to a mechanical problem, proving that constraints can be so more inspiring than having limitless possibilities! Check out Blackwood Crossing on the Develop Awards shortlist!
