The Finns from Octane, from whom you took the game, wanted to add magic to the game, but you decided to remove it.
We are trying to clearly separate two things: magic and superstition. We used many elements that would seem "magical" to the contemporaries, but that was only due to their superstitions. If we use potions that give combat modifiers or poison the enemy, then this simply isn't magic. Just take some plants from those regions, mix them and bind them using a decent basis (i.e.
spirytus rektyfikowany spirit) and... well, it's hard to deny the effects, but it's all biochemistry, not magic. We aren't using any fireballs, and we've also managed to avoid enchantments. A raven, for instance, is as physical as you can get, but in many cultures it was considered an ill omen (usually foretelling a storm), and this is why the natives could fear it. We tried to use nuances of that kind.
In press releases, you claim that you will present 'a story that can really be influenced'. How non-linear is Raven's Cry?
I don't want to spoil anything, but, for example, we have different endings...
How many?
Two, and that is all we need (
). The ending depends on the decisions the player makes at key points of the plot. Not every quest has 50 thousand branches, but choices will happen, and they will influence both the course of the quest and the ending.
Before we see the endings, the main story will take us some 25 hours, but there will also be side activities. What kind? Gathering Animus fragments?
We don't want to have any artificial gameplay lengthening, which, by the way, is not completely nonsensical, because there is a big group of collectors among gamers. We didn't implement any collecting of notes, feathers or post-it-notes. There are normal side quests that don't influence the main story, but let you have fun by spending time in the game world - by sailing out to seek treasures, challenging someone to a duel, trading or taking part in a brawl.
You want to make a brutal game...
But without gore.
Yes, that. PEGI gave you a "sixteen". Is it really possible to create a mature story with that label? (
)
We are always aiming for a sixteen because it's a good limit. It closes some doors - we can't show any guts or decapitations... but I don't think that shedding blood by the gallons is so crucial for the atmosphere. Emotions become bigger when we let ourselves do something implicit. "Alien" made a much bigger impression than the later "Aliens" exactly because it avoided being explicit at all cost (
). The first part, despite having the smallest budget, had the best, most mature atmosphere. We should all strive to use implicit themes - they are the ones that engage us emotionally. You also have to be careful when you are explicit, especially when it could potentially turn out tasteless.