Claire de Lune creator Jesse Attard has spoken to GamesRadar about his upcoming sci-fi adventure and you can watch an exclusive clip of the game below.
The game, which has been in development since 2015, was developed by ex-BioShock 2 lead programmer Jesse Attard’s studio Tactic Studios and takes inspiration from the kind of games Jesse played growing up, from LucasArts to Sierra Entertainment adventure games.
The story focuses on father and daughter duo John and Claire who, after their spaceship crash lands on a foreign planet, become separated. John must then use his intuition as well as a range of other skills to repair the ship, escape the strange world, and reunite with his daughter. It isn’t as simple as it sounds for John though, who soon finds that his journey takes an unexpected turn.
As for what the game plays like, Jesse tells us that Claire de Lune “features platforming as a big, main component.” The game also features open-ended puzzles, as Jesse explains: “There’s a door that’s locked, and you have to find a way to open it. Whatever way you find, whether it’s smashing the window or finding a prop and prying it open [...] there’s always other ways of solving the puzzles.”
What makes this game unique is that it was developed using the studio’s own engine, Immortal Engine. The reasoning behind this ambitious development choice was as Jesse points out: “Back in 2015, the options for engines weren’t necessarily what they are now. [...] being a programmer, I really wanted access to source code to be able to have full control over what goes on in the game.”
So what can fans look forward to experiencing when Claire de Lune releases this year? According to Jesse, there’s a lot of one-hit kills in the game - whether it’s death by mutant spider-crab, killer plants, or pools of acid. Jesse states that “even to this day, I know the game inside and out, but it still makes me jump. [...] so it’s exciting to watch other people play and react to getting destroyed by these one-hit-kill creatures.”
Whether Claire de Lune will be making its way onto consoles anytime soon, Jesse explains: “We would totally launch on consoles – in fact, this game is approved to launch on Xbox One and PS4. We would have to finish the game on PC. If it performs well, we’ll absolutely port it to other consoles.”
He also adds that “ this game was actually rewritten as a two-part thing. So I actually have a whole second half of it written. But, you know, we’re only doing the first half for budget reasons, and because it does definitely come to a clear end, I think it makes sense as a complete game.”
For those now excited to get their hands on this game, Jesse has a few wise words for new players: “My recommendation for anyone playing it, is to stick with it. And hopefully, you’ll enjoy it. There are some cool surprises with some of the gameplay shifts later on. There’s a little less platforming, a little more adventure game stuff later in the game, also some combat sequences and some stunt sequences later on."
Claire de Lune is now available to wishlist on Steam and is due to release Spring 2021.
For more games to look forward to this year, take a look at our new indie games list.
