PAX AUS draws closer and closer for our New Zealand developers. Thanks to support from CODE, 18 NZ developers will be making their way to this event, some for the very first time.
GamesNight continues coverage of these New Zealand studios, and just in time for the spooky season, our next game is CORPOREAL, developed by Coldout, a paranormal-mystery narrative puzzle game about a haunted family photo album. We spoke to studio founder Max about CORPOREAL, the inspirations and unique mechanics, and Aotearoa’s thriving game development industry.
Hi there Max! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at GamesNight! Can you tell us about yourself and your studio Cold Out?
I’m Max, I’m based in Auckland and Cold Out is made up of myself and a small number of collaborators. Cold Out started in 2022-ish, after I got into game development during the pandemic. Prior to games I worked as a design teacher, an illustrator and artist. CORPOREAL is our debut game.
What can you tell us about Corporeal and how the idea came about?
CORPOREAL is a paranormal-mystery narrative puzzle game where you piece together a haunted family photo-album, set in late-90s NZ. It’s an eerie ‘interface game’ where you interact with tactile interfaces in first-person to solve puzzles, and the art-style is a combination of live-action photographs and 3D/2D artwork.
The idea came about when I was gifted a photo-album by my grandmother, and using that as inspiration (and literally for the early artwork) I started prototyping with gameplay I was interested in at the time: narrative-deduction, archival research, first-person interfaces and simple narrative branching. Then in the background there’s the entire genre of ghost stories as an influence, exploring concepts like haunting, time and mortality (including authors like Michael Mcdowell, MR James, Shirley Jackson and films like Pulse, Lake Mungo and Don’t Look Now).
Mystery, horror, puzzle, adventure , that’s a wide mix of genres! Can you explain these different aspects and how you are bringing this together!
Mystery/horror is the narrative genre, while adventure/puzzle applies more to the gameplay mechanics. The term ‘adventure’ has gotten a little muddled lately, but gameplay wise, recent releases like The Operator, Home Safety Hotline and Case of the Golden Idol have similar minimalist approaches to adventure/mystery gameplay. CORPOREAL is focused on visual puzzle-solving and as you progress you slowly glean more information about the past from the photographs, notes, drawings and occasional visits by spirits.
Just so audiences are aware, how scary are we talking?
CORPOREAL is an eerie ghost story. There will definitely be scares but they are tied into the fates of each character, and I want to build up to a few powerful moments (think Ringu or Lake Mungo).
Retro interfaces are a great addition that really takes us back to this time. What kind of interfaces will we see?
The main ones right now are the physical photo-album, containing many notes, photographs and drawings, and the Film Viewer, based on a Microfilm/fiche Reader machine from the early 90s, which you use to view, alter and print photographs. While not entirely accurate, it’s an attempt to capture the feeling of focusing on a strip of film with a magnifying glass.
Why the choice to go back to the 90s period? Did you consider any other time periods?
Currently the story takes place between the years 95 and 2000, on the cusp of the digital/online era. As a millennial born in 1990, this transition meant my childhood was captured on film, my teens on digital cameras. I chose this period as a strong limitation on the mechanics, as digital photography brings in a whole range of possibilities that I’d rather not consider. I could have gone even earlier (80s), but the 90s I’m most familiar with.
It appears you’re a solo developer; how has development been like and are there any challenges?
The first six months or so were entirely solo, aside from my composer Kane’s contributions. This year I have found a production designer (Electra) who will help with the live-action elements. It has been very challenging, especially shifting between dev, art, narrative, audio and business, it’s easy to get very overwhelmed and be unsure about prioritizing the right path forward. I’m looking to expand the team in 2025, especially for the photography, which is like making a tiny film.
How long has Corporeal been in development for?
I started on CORPOREAL with a small amount of prototype funding from the NZ Film Commission in early 2023, followed by NZ CODE Kickstart funding in 2024, which allowed for a little more support, so around a year and a half (but 2023 was mostly part-time prototype tinkering).
PAX AUS is only a few weeks away now, how are you feeling?
Terrified, excited. I’m hoping that the game resonates with people, especially in the crowds of the event. But I have confidence being surrounded by the other 17 teams from NZ.
I see you have attended events like GDC, is this your first PAX?
Yes, this is my first PAX and first public showcase!
The New Zealand game industry is seeing great support thanks to companies like CODE. What are your thoughts on the game industry and its progression here in New Zealand?
I am a newcomer, so I can’t compare the opportunities we have here now to the industry of say, ten years ago (or Australia’s), but NZ CODE is a huge help in supporting small studios which will hopefully progress to join the ranks of Black Salt Games, PikPok, A44, Grinding Gear etc. in international recognition and hopefully more opportunities for games workers here and more cultural recognition within NZ.
Thanks again Max and we look forward to Corporeal! Anything else you may like to add on how audiences can keep up with you?
Thanks for your time! You can wishlist CORPOREAL on steam, follow us on Twitter/X, or follow development through our site!
Be sure to check out our previous PAX developer interviews including Burger Bois and Doomtide!
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