Those Who Remain interview with Camel 101

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We recently had the chance to chat with Bruno and Ricardo Cesteiro, the founders of independent development studio Camel 101, about their latest release. Set in an eerie town with dark secrets, Those Who Remain is a psychological horror title focused on the interplay between light and shadow.

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by Chris Brand

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​@SuperCrisco

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Interviewees

Bruno Cesteiro

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Ricardo Cesteiro

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Those Who Remain has invited comparisons to Twin Peaks and Stranger Things. Did they influence you when designing the world of Dormont and its foreboding atmosphere? 

That is spot on, you have nailed two major references.

The setting of the game was heavily influenced by Twin Peaks. In fact, the fictional town of Dormont, where the action takes place, is very similar to Twin Peaks.

It also looks like a peaceful and happy place where nothing happens, but that in fact is hiding dark secrets just beneath the surface. I’m a huge fan of David Lynch and the way he mixes simple everyday things with all that surreal weirdness that’s so typical of him, and so we tried to capture that feel here too. 

Stranger Things was also important in the creation of the setting. When we first started designing the game, we were playing around with the idea of portals and different dimensions, and then Stranger Things came along.  We thought the upside down was so cool and that was kind of what we were trying to achieve. Although our alternative reality is very different, it does strike a resemblance to Stranger Things'.

What sets Those Who Remain apart from other psychological horrors, such as Silent Hills' P.T. or Layers of Fear?

I would say the two main mechanics that we have in Those Who Remain set the game apart from others.

One is that the player can’t go into the dark. There are shadowy figures there waiting to attack and kill whoever gets close, and light is the only thing that makes these figures disappear. So, a light source is always needed to clear a path through the darkness. This can be a lamp, fire, a spotlight – anything that emits light. There are no flashlights, though. Tough luck for our hero.

The other is that the player needs to travel through the alternate dimension that I mentioned above. This dimension is like a twisted version of our own reality, almost like a mirror, meaning that the actions done in one dimension, affect the other.

These two combined mechanics add an extra layer of complexity to the puzzles and situations that the player has to solve.

Edward Turner is not a hero, in fact, he travelled to Dormont in order to end an illicit love affair. Was it a challenge to create such a flawed character and still have players invested in his story?

It was very interesting to create Edward. I personally think it’s more interesting to play with a character with whom we can relate too, instead of a golden hero that does everything right and never hurts anyone.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that illicit love affairs are a regular thing. What I mean is that we’re all flawed, we’ve all done things we regret. And sometimes we’re trying to do the right thing, and we end up hurting someone we love. That’s because life is not black and white, reality deals in shades of grey.

I think Edward being flawed and feeling human is one of the things that draws players in when they first start the game. They want to know what’s going on, why he’s meeting his lover in a motel and why he feels so bad about it.

We've seen a host of demons in trailers and gameplay videos. Is light our only weapon or will we have other tools at our disposal? 

The shadow people that stand in the dark will disappear by using any kind of light source. That’s the only way to fight them. There are creatures that can walk in the dark and in the light. In these cases, the only options are running and hiding.

You've mentioned in interviews that choice and consequence are big themes; can we expect multiple endings which encourage repeat playthroughs?
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The main premise of the game is choices and consequences. Not just the things that Edward’s done, but the things that he will do. And so, we want players to feel the weight of their actions too, meaning that there are three different endings based on the player’s choices. So yes, there’s always room for more playthroughs.

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Those Who Remain is available now on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. A Nintendo Switch release will follow this summer.