Whilst browsing Steam Greenlight last week, we came across the gorgeous-looking Niko: Through the Dream by Spanish developer Studio Paint. We reached out to the team with a few questions about their curious minimalist adventure.
According to the Steam Greenlight page, in Niko: Through the Dream players accompany the game’s namesake in her return to her world. They will travel through different islands, each of them being the representation of an important event of her past; happiness, solitude or fear melted with hidden riddles, players will face up dangers and confront them with determination, ability and logic.
Studio Paint is an indie, amateur team founded in 2012. A big thank you to the team for giving us their time and their answers to our quick-fire questions.
Can you tell us how the Studio Paint team was founded and what made you decide to start making Niko: Through the Dream?
“We’re a team of nine people created two years ago. We’ve just wanted to make our dream true, to make our own game.”
Are you a gamer yourself? If so, what’s your preferred genre and do you have any favourite titles?
“My favourite gaming genre is RPG, but I like to try everything.”
Niko is a minimalist adventure accompanying Niko in her return to her world. Are you able to reveal any further details about the character and her background?
“Niko is an orphan girl. She only met solitude until being adopted by a man, who gave her all the love she needed.”
There seems to be a rise in first-person puzzle games recently, with upcoming titles The Witness and Obduction garnering a lot of attention. How did you come to the decision to make this a first-person experience and what do you think it adds to the game?
“We want that the player can merge into the story, so we choose a first person view.”
Players will travel through different islands that represent important events in Niko’s life, each with a different mechanic. Can you give us an example of how some of these will work?
“In order to open a door you should explore the environment, solve a puzzle and escape from danger, everything is connected.”
The islands sound a little like Myst – and indeed, the beautiful graphics instantly reminded us of Cyan’s classic when we first watched the trailer. Were you inspired by this game or any others?
“There are several influences in Niko, but a personality of her own.”
Although Niko is described as an adventure, there seems to be a number of genres at work: puzzler, platformer and stealth. Has it been difficult to combine these times of gameplay and how do they transition between each other?
“Yes, it is difficult, but if it were easy, everybody will do it.”
Using the Unreal engine has enabled you to create the beautiful and stylish visuals. What challenges have you faced in creating this level of graphical quality?
“Shading is, by far, the most defining and time-consuming event in the project.”
How have you found the Steam Greenlight process so far and have their been any hurdles?
“It’s really difficult for an unknown team like us to find a place among the indies.”
Is there any advice you’d give to someone who’s thinking of making an indie game?
“First, make a small prototype to be aware of the limitations of the game. Most indie games failed because of bite off more than one can chew.”
What does the future hold for Studio Paint?
“Step by step, our current goal is to make Niko a good game!”
Looks gorgeous, doesn’t it?
Thank you to the Studio Paint team for answering our questions. Head over to the Steam Greenlight page to give Niko: Through the Dream a thumbs-up, and keep an eye open for this gorgeous-looking title on PC and Mac in the next year.
