Developed by Nocturnal Interactive, Scarlet Lake is a retro survival horror game that sees protagonist Ben Murphy attempt to investigate some shady goings-on in the titular town. There are plenty of secrets to uncover and puzzles for players to solve as they try to find any information about Ben’s missing wife.
The game has lots of twists and turns that are designed to keep players on their toes. In an interview with Game Rant, developer Nocturnal Interactive spoke about its upcoming game and many of its core features, as well as the journey through the game’s development. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
The Idea Behind Scarlet Lake And Its Development Process
Q: Scarlet Lake is your first official game. What made you decide to get into the world of gaming development?
A: A deep love for games as an art form. I always wanted to work in the gaming industry, but as I got older and got the relevant qualifications, I sort of realized that I didn’t just want to work on someone else’s game. I have so many ideas and stories to tell, and I selfishly want a hand in every aspect of the development, which led me to create a solo dev studio that maybe one day will have more people on board.
Q: As a solo developer, creating a game from start to finish is no easy task. What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced during development?
A: Getting to make the game is the easy part and a privilege. Having to manage the non-creative parts like marketing and public relations is tricky if you’ve never considered it, and it is something that I think most indie devs neglect.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the development process? What did day one look like? What does the next year look like?
A: Day one was full of experimentation and a lot of brainstorming. Before I even began putting together any systems, I wanted a rough idea of the game I wanted to make. The demo was released at a stage where all systems were in place, but not many of the levels were built. So the next few months are spent finishing off the remaining areas and polishing/testing before entering the final launch campaign.
Q: The music in Scarlet Lake is pretty eerie, and it really helps to create a tense and spooky feel for those exploring the island. Can you talk us through how you landed on this style of music?
A: Classic PS1 Survival horror games have a style that is synonymous with the time, so it was important to consider every instrument and effect to build something close to my inspirations while also curating a unique sound for Scarlet Lake. It involved a lot of creating a piece and then stripping it back and making it sound older or grittier.
Q: Scarlet Lake has a real retro feel to it. What made you choose its art style, and how long has it taken you to get it “right”?
A: There are a series of distinct design features that led to the style of Scarlet Lake, where my intentions were to bridge a gap between old-school graphics and new school mechanics.
Firstly, the classic fixed camera style, while iconic, was something that I wanted to pay homage to but not utilize. The isometric approach is then what felt like the middle ground between modern over-the-shoulder horror and the old-school fixed view.
I also wanted to emulate the low-resolution textures, and while researching a way to do this, I came across a plethora of games utilizing PSX filters and attempting to de-make games into that style. This led to me using a pixelation filter to have the benefit of 3D models and animation with the old-school aesthetic.
It probably took the better part of a year to finally land on how the game looks now. Over time, models have gotten more detailed, and certain visual effects have been added that were not present in the original build.
Scarlet Lake’s Location, Creature Design, And Inspiration
Q: The game being set in a small walled-off town on an island helps to create a sense of isolation. Is the town of Scarlet Lake based on any real-world locations? Could you talk a little bit about how you create that sense of isolation when playing Scarlet Lake?
A: It is indeed based on a real-world location. However, I won’t disclose the name to avoid any infringement. I can, however, talk about the inspirations and what led to this place, and that is the work of Stephen King. Many of his stories are set in Maine, a place that visually is almost stuck 20 years behind most major cities and has a lot of these small towns with just a few thousand people in them. Scarlet Lake is meant to be aesthetically ‘timeless’, whereby certain objects may look from an era, but you can’t quite place them, and so, as an inspiration, this worked best.
Q: There are plenty of small details in Scarlet Lake that help to draw you in, such as the way Ben changes his walk when injured and the power cables that sway in the wind. Are there any other small details that you would like to highlight? Any you’re especially proud of?
A: At this point, there are probably too many to mention, and I would have to rely on players to pick out what they would call small details. Something that stands out to me, though, is that I am a big admirer of FromSoftware’s work and storytelling through the world itself. While this isn’t really plausible in Scarlet Lake, there are tons of visual cues about what might have happened in the town, as well as collectibles that tell a deeper story.
Q: So far, we have seen that it’s possible to get a knife, a pistol, and a shotgun. Are there any other weapons that you can gather as you make your way through Scarlet Lake? Can you talk a little bit about the goals for weapons in Scarlet Lake?
A: Scarlet Lake is one big love letter to Resident Evil 4 and, therefore, follows the same sort of design patterns when it comes to weapons. You can buy/sell and upgrade every weapon, and there are plenty more in the full game.
Q: The bizarre creatures that take over the local inhabitants’ bodies are pretty unsettling. How did you come up with the design for these creepy creatures?
A: The creatures are heavily inspired by John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing.’ I always loved how the people could mutate into anything, and therefore, there is no limitation on design. I enjoy the body horror aspect of these films and wanted to utilize this with the enemy design. I can’t talk too much about it, but the story does play a part in the visual look of the enemies.
Q: Do you have any tips for players making their way through Scarlet Lake’s demo?
A: Play around with the controls before you first encounter an enemy. Get used to aiming. Most importantly, have fun!
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