Interview: Child of Light | Patrick Plourde - Ubisoft

There's a lot of talk about Child of Light, a smaller project from big studio Ubisoft. With this adventure, the company looks towards a roleplaying game with a distinctive art style and a soothing atmosphere. As the name suggests, there will be a child roaming these colorful environments and light will play a role in it. Still, to know a little more about the game, we asked some questions to the humble development team, to which creative producer Patrick Plourde kindly replied.
 

 

Ron: A Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG) crafted in a poetic manner, with influence from a fairytale, sounds appealing for a younger audience. Do you believe that there is enough depth in the story to grab the attention of adults as well?

Patrick Plourde: Fairy Tales have been told from parents to their children for hundreds of years. I wanted to recreate this experience in a game that a fan of classic RPGs could share with his family. The subject is done in a mature way; it is not condescending to anybody. So I believe that people of all ages will be able to appreciate the story.

Ron: What was the inspiration behind this distinctive visual design?

Patrick Plourde: The main inspirations were the artists of the Golden Age of Illustrations: Arthur Rackham, John Bauer, Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen. They were all illustrating Fairy Tale books in the late 19th century. Their depiction of fantasy worlds were real inspirations for me and the artists on the team.
 

 

Ron: Beside the protagonist Aurora, we only know about a few characters of Child of Light. Are there other, more noticeable characters?

Patrick Plourde: Aurora will be accompanied by Igniculus, a very young Firefly that doesn’t know much about life. Like Aurora, he’s going to grow up during the adventure.

Early in the adventure you’ll be able to meet a Jester that wants to be reunited with her brother, then a young Capilli that wants to prove that he’s courageous. There’s also Robert the mouse that wants to impress Margaret and marry her.

Ron: The creative director of Child of Light, Patrick Plourde, worked on major Ubisoft franchises over the past seven years. Why the switch to this smaller project now?

Patrick Plourde: As a creator, you need new types of challenges to stay creative. I’m not interested in staying in a comfort zone. Child of Light is the kind of game that I wanted to work on for a couple of years now, and I’m really happy to be able to bring this project to life.

Jeffrey Yohalem, writer of Far Cry 3, as well as Brianna Code, a former Assassins Creed: Brotherhood programmer, are featured in the making of Child of Light.. Was it challenging for them to cope with this new style of development?

Every project comes with its own challenges, and the amount of work for each individual is the same regardless of the team size. Overall I would say that this project was the smoothest production I’ve been part of, and this sentiment is shared with the whole team.
 

 

Ron: Unlike other 2D sidescrollers, Aurora can both walk and fly: left, right, up and down. This provides a great sense of freedom. How did you come up with the idea for these movements?

Patrick Plourde: I knew I wanted to make a game where you play a flying fairy. I was playing Rayman Origins to check what we could do with the engine, and while playing the underwater level, I came to realize that Flying is basically swimming, but outside of water.

Ron: Developed using UbiArt, an in-house engine by Ubisoft, previously used for Rayman Origins and its sequel, Rayman Legends, there are still noticeable differences present in Child of Light. What are some of the major obstacles the team has come across using these tools?

Patrick Plourde: We had to learn a whole new production pipeline. All of our artists and level designers were used to working with a 3D engine, so there was a learning curve there since a 2D game comes with its own constraints. Not to sound silly, but in 2D everything needs to be on screen, while in 3D you can move the camera. That means that you must think about everything in relation with the frame instead of with the 3D space.

Ron: What have you taken from Ubisoft or fans with this project? How much impact do you think this fairytale will have compared to modern day fantasy?

Patrick Plourde: I think there’s a huge audience of pationate fans for quality content that is outside of the Space Marine fantasy. I am really amazed by the beautiful fan art that we receive. Since day one everybody was on board at Ubi with the idea of making a playable poem. I hope we can send a clear message that people want variety in video games.
 

 

Ron: With so much talk going on about Child of Light already, you must be excited. What are some of your expectations with Child of Light’s arc? Is there a sequel already in the cards?

Patrick Plourde: It really depends on the reception of the game. I have a couple of ideas in my mind already.

A big thanks to Patrick Plourde for taking the time to talk with us. We look forward to hearing about your upcoming projects and wish you continued success with Child of Light.

Keep up with Child of Light on their website, give them a like on Facebook and follow on Twitter.
 

Sarwar Ron, NoobFeed
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