Tweet
Sang-Froid: Takes of Werewolves is a game about fighting wild animals - and it was inspired, in part, by one of its designer's experiences fighting wild animals. "I had just spent six months in Thailand," explains Vince Blanchard, the president of Artifice Studio. He's Skyping from the company offices - a kitchen in his friend's house in Montreal. "Long story short, I had to go through packs of dogs every time I wanted to get to my home."While you could argue that any story that involves navigating packs of dogs doesn't really deserve to be cut short, this was far from the only element in the game's mix. Sang-Froid's a wonderfully strange blend of strategic tower-defence planning and real-time tactical combat. The clash of genres is fascinating, yet what's truly exciting about the whole thing is the way it allows international audiences a glimpse of a culture that generally doesn't get a look-in when video games are concerned. And I'm not talking about Thailand anymore.
Artifice Studio's debut is set in Quebec in 1858. You're cast as a local lumberjack who must protect your ailing sister from the machinations of the devil. Every day you stock up on supplies, chop wood to earn money, and place a series of traps around your cabin and the surrounding woods in preparation for the next onslaught from the forces of darkness. Every night, you take to the fields on foot and deal with wolves, werewolves, Maikan warriors and other miscellaneous ghouls face-to-face. Frosty, pine-laden and possessed of an unmistakable hardscrabble work ethic, it's a game that speaks volumes about the culture that produced it.
Read more…
More...