Creating a Fun Game with Limited Resources: The Case of Nobody Wants to Die

Contents:

• Stages of creating the game Nobody Wants to Die
• Gameplay that transcends the boundaries of a walking simulator
• Innovative mechanism and mastery of technology
• Remote creation of audio recordings and musical compositions
• A belated appearance

In mid-July 2024, a noir detective story was born under the name Titled Nobody Wants to Die, the events of which take place in an alternate New York in the year 2329. This project stands out among other indie games thanks to its realistic graphics, and in terms of visual design and a well-developed universe, it can compete with games in the AAA segment.

However, how did the small Polish company Critical Hit Games achieve such remarkable success, given its modest resources? The answer lies in the development team's experience, a well-developed concept, careful resource planning, and the use of modern technologies.

In the process of creating this article, information about the game's development progress was collected mainly from an interview that took place on the Polish-language YouTube channel Granaliza, which specializes in games and conversations with developers.

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Stages of the creation of the game Nobody Wants to Die

The idea of ​​the game was developed by a team of experienced specialists who founded Critical Hit Games. The prototype of the detective game, created by Grzegorz Golenia, a producer and game designer who previously worked at the Polish studios Can’t Stop Games and Fuero Games, appeared back in 2018. He then brought in a friend from school, 3D artist Andrzej Marszałek, known for his character work for games like Lawbreakers, Rage 2, Get Even, and other notable titles, to join the project. Initially, the friends hoped to complete a prototype in just a few months, but soon realized that their initial ideas weren't meeting their ambitions and decided to start from scratch. Grzegorz later contacted another acquaintance, Artur Jaskulski, who had previously been his boss, and convinced him to join the team. Artur, with nearly 25 years of experience in the gaming industry, has managed the development of various projects throughout his career, including browser-based and mobile games, as well as MMORPGs like Mimesis Online. Thus, this trio of seasoned professionals formed the core of the new studio. Later, in addition to their responsibilities as co-founders, Grzegorz took the position of lead game designer, Andrzej became art director, and Artur became the project's producer.

By the end of 2019, work on the final version of the prototype was completed. Although the final understanding of the gameplay mechanics and overall concept continued to take shape during further development, the creators noted that elements of a noir aesthetic and the atmosphere of a dystopian future were already noticeable in the presented build. The prototype included a detective investigation episode—a key element of the gameplay, which took about ten minutes, excluding additional exploration of the location. It was this version that the developers presented at meetings with potential partners.

It should be emphasized that the process of negotiating with publishers and potential investors became significantly more difficult due to the pandemic. Despite the surge in user interest in video games during the lockdown, many companies lacked a clear understanding of how to respond to the changing situation, leading to slow investment decisions, especially for lesser-known studios. At the same time, the co-founders of Critical Hit Games also noted some positive aspects. With exhibitions and conferences temporarily canceled, developers were able to conduct most business meetings and negotiations online. The company's first investor was Google, which was actively promoting its Stadia streaming platform at the time, which unfortunately didn't survive to this day. As a result, even during the lockdown, Critical Hit Games managed to build a small team, including both in-office and remote employees. At the height of the project's development, the team numbered 28 people, but by the final stage, the team had shrunk to 24.

During the project's development, the studio was able to secure support from Epic Games through the Epic MegaGrants program, and also received funding from the Polish Ministry of Culture. The game was published by Plaion, a collaboration between Germany and Austria.

Gameplay that transcends the boundaries of a walking simulator

The team recognized that expanding the project with limited resources was fraught with certain risks that could negatively impact the completion time and the overall quality of the game. The developers noted that their initial target audience was not the mass consumer; they were primarily focusing on a more mature category of gamers who may not always have much time to devote to gaming due to work. However, this type of audience is not averse to spending several evenings with a captivating and rich storyline. Nobody Wants to Die provides an average of 5-7 hours of gameplay.

The plot of "Nobody Wants to Die" revolves around the sudden death of a high-profile character. The circumstances of this incident remain secret, and to prevent unnecessary public discussion, the police chief decides to involve former detective James Carr in the case. Given his unpredictable nature and penchant for "unconventional" investigation methods, James is assigned a partner, dispatcher Sarah. And although their interaction leaves much to be desired at first, as the plot develops, a strong bond begins to form between them. Perhaps they will become friends. Meanwhile, a string of mysterious deaths among the elite continues.

At first glance, the gameplay may resemble Firewatch, in which the main character explores the surrounding world and communicates with a partner via radio. The creators admit to parallels between the projects, but they emphasize that they sought to avoid the walking simulator format by incorporating elements typical of more complex and expensive games.

These methods include investigating crimes reminiscent of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, using a unique device—a reconstruction bracelet. This gadget allows Carré to recreate scenes from the past. Events such as shootouts, accidents, bouts of madness, and private parties are visualized. At the same time, the detective is able to manipulate time, collecting a complete picture of the incident and reproducing fragments of the reconstructed events in both accelerated and slow motion.

In addition to recreating the events that occurred at the crime scene, significant attention is paid to the investigative process. Interaction with various objects is often accompanied by comments from James, to which Sarah sometimes responds, staying in touch. Although the locations themselves are quite isolated and restrict movement, players usually do not think about such restrictions, as the game focuses their attention on the story and dynamic actions during the investigation.

The developers persistently deny any similarities between Nobody Wants to Die and walking simulator games, emphasizing that minimal time is devoted to moving around the game's locations. Indeed, scenes of movement from one point to another are kept to the necessary minimum and serve to develop the plot. For example, in the first part of the game, there is a moment when James returns to his apartment after completing the investigation. Despite the fact that the futuristic "entrance hall" offers almost no interaction points, the player is given the opportunity to delve deeper into the game world by paying attention to propaganda leaflets hung on the walls or simply listening to the conversations of neighbors from nearby apartments.

The game's creators tried not to reveal too many details about the gameplay aspects before the project's release. Their goal was to maintain an element of mystery, assuming that the understatement would generate even greater interest in the game. That is why the gameplay was demonstrated either in general terms, as in the announcement trailer, or in a very limited way, as in the gameplay video, which was published shortly before the release. We will evaluate how successful this approach was a little later.

It is worth noting that Critical Hit Games managed to significantly reduce the costs of creating a pre-rendered trailer, which was presented during the announcement. To do this, the company used the same locations and game assets as in the game itself. Filming was conducted from various angles, and in some scenes, the layout of objects was changed.

Innovative Mechanics and Technological Mastery

The dystopian world presented in Nobody Wants to Die is permeated with an atmosphere familiar to many works of art. The developers note that the main sources of inspiration were scenes from mid-20th-century film noirs, the literary works of American author Raymond Chandler, as well as the games BioShock and Observer. They also did not ignore such cult works as the film Blade Runner and the TV series Altered Carbon. The game's visual style, which was the aspiration of the art department led by Andrzej, is aimed at creating a cinematic experience, which in turn was supposed to elevate Nobody Wants to Die to a new level of execution.

With the release of Unreal Engine 5, the developers realized that the latest engine technologies could significantly increase the capabilities of their game. However, the decision to transition required approval from the publisher, as this step could significantly impact the project's timeline. To convince partners of the feasibility of the changes, the team created a small but impressive prototype. The project was migrated to the fifth version of the engine in mid-2021, and the new graphical capabilities proved to be very timely.

Journalists from Digital Foundry highly praised the visual aesthetics of Nobody Wants to Die, emphasizing that, despite the closed game world, it contains many dynamic objects and high-quality assets. They also emphasized the Lumen technology used, which utilizes various ray tracing methods to implement global illumination and reflections.

For example, when using high graphics settings, it becomes possible to observe realistic light reflections, allowing for quick identification of materials, whether it's a marble floor or a leather chair. In addition, the main contours of the surrounding space are clearly visible on mirror surfaces.

Impressive scenes with a dynamic urban atmosphere create the appearance of a vast open world, despite the fact that the character's movement within this space is strictly regulated by the story. Although the levels use Nanite technology to render a significant number of triangles simultaneously, a close examination of the scenes using a free camera reveals a variety of simple but effective artistic techniques.

In the skyscrapers, the window frames use Interior Mapping shaders, and numerous people are depicted using animated sprites. The background is formed by overlaying multiple translucent planes with a glowing effect. Glowing elongated structures represent the white spaces between the buildings. Taken together, all these elements create the illusion of dynamic life in a futuristic metropolis.

During the game, you can discover numerous small details that, while not demanding significant resources, nevertheless perform their functions successfully. For example, the wipers of the main character's car "erase" the animated texture of raindrops from the windshield every time they rise. As they rise, the texture reappears, leaving a characteristic semicircular trail for a moment. Such details significantly enhance the feeling of immersion in the atmosphere of a rainy evening in a futuristic metropolis.

"Some people say that the attractive look of our game is due to the use of Unreal Engine 5. This is not true. Nobody Wants to Die achieves its visual aesthetic thanks to the efforts of our wonderful and dedicated team, who put a lot of work into its creation. The presence of a modern engine does not mean that the graphics in the project will be stylish and modern."

Grzegorz Goleń, co-founder and lead game designer of Critical Hit Games, gave an interview for the Granaliza channel.

Currently, many independent developers are turning to character modeling technologies, among which the free MetaHuman from Epic Games has become especially popular. However, the Critical Hit Games studio did not decide to use this tool on a permanent basis in their project, since the original concept of the game did not require a large number of characters. To fill the background with a busy crowd, using sprites proved to be a more effective option, as noted earlier.

Arthur Yaskulsky shared his opinion that during the development phase, MetaHuman's results weren't particularly impressive, especially in the context of games and their optimization. This is because the technology was initially aimed at creating animations and films, particularly for developing preliminary visualizations of future scenes. However, the tool proved to be quite useful for the developers, as it simplified the process of transferring animations, including motion capture, and also facilitated the creation of secondary characters used in scenes related to investigations.

Speaking about the technical aspects of development, the co-founders noted that they sometimes failed to fully control the physics processes in the game engine. For example, as a result of manipulating temporal parameters, characters could leave the game scene without warning. An additional complication was that the player could activate animations using a reconstruction tool while in a specific location.

Focusing on modern technologies, the developers decided to release the game exclusively on next-generation consoles and PC. They concluded that creating versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was not economically justified, as a significant number of players had already switched to the new systems. Moreover, this would have meant abandoning a number of graphical features, which, in turn, could have diminished Nobody Wants to Die's appeal on the previous generation of consoles.

At times, the team had to find alternative solutions and employ various tricks, many of which were finalized at the very last minute. For example, when investigating the Icarus airship incident, a character would end up at the site of the destroyed bar and then use the reconstruction device to rewind time, they could become stuck in the reconstructed counter due to object collision.

Issues like this were only noticed near the end of production. As a result, in such situations, they began to use forced character movement away from the area where the reconstructed structure was located. Grzegorz notes that such methods are not elegant, but given the lack of time to create a more advanced collision system, such drastic measures are necessary.

"The game could have looked significantly more impressive if we had a larger team, additional resources, and the ability to implement the project with a more impressive budget. <…> However, this concerns issues of scaling the project, and not the style that Andrzej and the team worked on together."

Artur Jaskulski, producer of the film Nobody Wants to Die and one of the co-founders of Critical Hit Games, gave an interview to the Granaliza channel.

In recent years, indie developers have increasingly turned to neural networks to solve a variety of problems, especially in the field of design. However, Critical Hit Games has rarely used such technologies, with the exception of developing a concept for their game's cover. The team notes that artificial intelligence demonstrates high efficiency in this context, allowing it to generate a variety of compositions with diverse combinations of elements. This, in turn, helps to obtain high-quality intermediate results that can serve as the basis for creating key artwork.

Remote creation of audio recordings and musical compositions

To reduce costs, the studio decided to abandon the Polish dubbing, choosing the English version as a basis. The game itself has subtitles in twelve languages. Yaskulsky emphasized that even this seemingly more cost-effective option significantly impacts the budget and requires considerable time to organize the translations and integrate them.

To select the voice actors, the developers held casting calls on specialized platforms where voice actors post their profiles. The main challenge was not only finding suitable voices but also selecting candidates capable of conveying the emotional connection between James and Sarah throughout the game. As a result, the roles of the two central characters were played by Phillip Sacramento and Keaton Talmadge. Interestingly, the actors had not previously known each other and were located in different parts of the world. Nevertheless, they successfully brought to life the interaction between the lone detective and the police dispatcher. All recordings were done online: each actor recorded their lines independently, interacting with their partner via voice communication. The project's co-founders also participated in these sessions, making changes as needed.

The music for Nobody Wants to Die was also recorded remotely. The project's composer, Mikolaj Stroinsky, who has previously created music for games such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Chernobylite, Age of Empires 4, and others, collaborated with the conductor of the Bulgarian orchestra Four For Music. The developers emphasize that remote soundtrack recording has become a fairly common practice these days. The orchestral parts in this game are an "improved" version of compositions previously written by Stroinsky.

"Mikołaj agreed to participate in our project at the prototype stage. At first, he wrote the music for the game, using synthesized sounds, but without orchestral elements. <…> We wanted the musical compositions to more vividly convey the atmosphere of noir. In response, Mikołaj suggested inviting an orchestra to enhance the overall sound. <…> We always try to take into account the opinions of specialists in this field, so we made an effort to find the necessary resources. The result was simply wonderful."

Grzegorz Goleń gave an interview for the Granaliza channel.

Belated Release

Despite positive reviews from critics and many flattering responses from players, the game's release revealed the negative consequences associated with a limited marketing budget. On the one hand, the trailers gained significant popularity on YouTube, especially thanks to posts on specialized gaming channels. The cinematic trailer, for example, has garnered approximately 1.5 million views, while the trailer released for the game's launch has garnered over half a million views. However, on the other hand, it seems the PR campaign was rather ineffective. For example, if you try to find information about the game online (excluding reviews), search engines will offer a very limited number of pages, most of which offer no informational value. The only exceptions are the Polish-language Samograj w Trójce podcast, available on Spotify, and the aforementioned interview on the Granaliza channel, which has collected around 600 views at the time of writing.

Users have also noted the lack of promotion for the game. In one Reddit thread, participants expressed confusion as to why a project that experienced industry professionals had been working on for nearly four years was only being discussed a few months before its release.

During the thread, one participant suggested that the lack of an active advertising campaign may indicate the publisher's doubts about the upcoming project's success, which, in turn, explains the game's lack of promotion. Other commentators noted the unusual presentation of the trailer, which, despite its cinematic quality, does not clearly define either the genre or the gameplay features. Some viewers also expressed confusion over the relatively high price, given the game's short length and its status as a "graphics showcase." The Steam community also encountered skeptical potential buyers. Overall, the approach to promoting a project that only became known in the spring of 2024 truly raises many questions.

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A small indie team, led by experienced specialists, managed to create an impressive, albeit short, work that will undoubtedly attract the interest of at least fans of noir and sci-fi. This story suggests that with a professional approach, it is possible to create a compact, yet vibrant and memorable game, even with limited resources. However, it is important to remember that game development is, after all, a business, and it is necessary to convince users of the project's value. In other words, you need to convey to them that the game is worthy of their attention. Perhaps the Critical Hit Games team will take this important aspect into account when creating their next game.