This is my Weekly Design Inspiration, this is a space where I share some design work that has either inspired me or caught my attention for its execution or concept. The things I feature on here can include (but not limited to) branding, web design, app design, illustration, typography, video games or anything that shows creativity in a unique way.
In a world where the most popular video game is a 100 person battle, filled with 13 year olds, hopped up on Monster energy drink, shouting profanity at each other, it's nice to see that there is still room in the market for video game creators to take things a bit more seriously and come up with something truly fascinating.
Recently my girlfriend started playing a game called 11-11: Memories Retold; I knew little about this game other than it being set during World War One. 11-11: Memories Retold is a collaborative effort between Aardman and Digixart, and published by Bandi Namco. Also, one of the Aardman designers working on the UI for this game was Gavin Strange that I have previously featured on my Weekly Design Inspiration, which you can read here. The fact that Aardman was involved in this production is what got me intrigued as I had not heard of them being involved in video games before (besides games based on their own IPs). So with that in mind I thought I would watch my girlfriend play through it and see what it's all about. What I saw was very different to what I could have imagined.
Now as I said, I knew this was a World War One based game, and with that in mind you would assume that there would be some form of combat or shooting involved. You'd be wrong, this game takes an entirely different approach and opts for character focused narratives and an emphasis on story over action, with most of the gameplay being puzzle solving and exploration. This concept got me very attentive as it’s refreshing to see a game based in a real war setting that doesn't glorify violence or require guns and action to be engaging.
I won't spoil the story for you, as I would recommend you go away and play this game yourself, but I'll give a brief overview of the games narrative. The story takes place following two men from different sides of the war. Harry, a Canadian photographer who joins the war to impress a love interest back home and Kurt, a German father whose son has gone missing on the front line and intends to find him. The game bounces between these two characters and tells the stories of the struggles of the men on the front line and the difficulties faced by everyone during the war. It was especially interesting to have the German perspective shown as this is something that is not often portrayed in video games, and when it is it's typically negative and only shown as something to shoot at. This game attempts to humanise the German side of the war and show that there was struggle on both sides and that the losses on both sides were equally catastrophic.
11-11: Memories Retold does an amazing job of immersing you in the lives of these characters that are outstandingly brought to life by voice actors Elijah Wood and Sebastian Koch. As well as the awesome characters and voice acting this game has a very unique art style to it. It almost looks as though it's a living painting where everything is constructed from hundreds of tiny brush strokes. This becomes really compelling when there are areas of strong light that affect a large space like in tunnels lit by red lanterns. It's a cool idea and it really feeds into the whole concept of retelling these stories or memories in a medium that looks of the time and slightly fractured. This art style is what gives the game its unique feeling and makes it stand out against other WW1 titles. I imagine the creators of this game could have gone for a more realistic approach to graphics but felt that this stylised approach breathes more life into the story and makes for a more memorable experience. As well as the gameplay itself having an unique visual appearance, some of the cutscenes in the game are comprised of still paintings that have so much life and energy in them and therefore link in perfectly with the rest of the game style.
The gameplay itself, while I appreciate the idea of restricting combat, it isn't particularly groundbreaking in the puzzle solving genre. The puzzles are fairly simple, which is good for the sake of moving the story along, but doesn't require too much skill or ingenuity from the player. There are a few moments that become frustrating due to the restricted movement options, like being gunned down repeatedly while trying to cross no man's land, but this was few and far between. There are also a hefty amount of collectables along the way which when all parts of a piece are gathered allow the player to view a relic of the war (presumably real objects that have been researched and digitally added into the game). This adds a level of replayability for players to go back through and explore the settings a little deeper. There is also an incentive to play through the story again as there are a handful of choices you can make that change the outcome of the narrative. Any time a game implements choice options I feel it deepens the experience for the player and makes them think more carefully about what they are doing and the story they are trying to tell. Some of the choices are quite difficult ones to make and there isn't always a clear right or wrong, this coupled with a timer on some options makes certain scenes very tense and gripping to play through.
Overall, this is a spectacular game that has tried something new and broken conventions for war based games by using different gameplay, a focus on narrative and a unique art style. I would seriously suggest giving this game a play through if you are interested in history and seeing games try new things, it's a truly unique experience. Also, this game, all be it quite short, is extremely well priced and offers a fair amount of content for its low price. You owe it to yourself to try out a game that takes a step back from the norm and offers a new perspective on not only the war itself but what games can achieve in the future.
Have you played 11-11: Memories Retold? Let me know your thoughts. Or maybe you've played another game recently that has broken conventions, let me know as I'd love to hear.
Honourable Mentions
As part of my Weekly Design Inspiration I also like to share some bits and pieces that I have seen which have inspired me in the last week. I have captioned each image with some info and relevant links so you can find out more.
A few weeks ago I posted on my Weekly Design Inspiration the teaser trailer for the upcoming Star Wars fan film Vader: Shards of the Past. Well, since then the fan film (or rather, the first episode of a series) is now out and it does not disappoint. True passion from a devoted fan has gone into creating this. The YouTube channel Star Wars Theory funded this whole project himself and spared no expense when it came to hiring the right people for the job, including visual FX teams and prop and set makers. If you are at all interested in Star Wars then this is a must watch for you!
When I started out my career as a freelance designer one of the first agencies I was fortunate enough to work with was Little Lightbulb (as they were known at the time). When I worked with them they were quite a new agency but had big plans and ambitions. During the time I worked with Lightbulb (as they are now known as) they were based in the Glove Factory in the beautiful surroundings of the Wiltshire countryside. Since then they have moved into Bristol and have rebranded and really refined their presents. They are looking really clean, professional and contemporary with a bit of a fun edge. Their portfolio of work is impressive and you should go check it out if you haven't already.
Borodante is a YouTuber that creates amazing illustrations, often using a digital platform but sometimes dabbling in traditional means. Most of his illustrative work recently has been created on an iPad using Pro Create, Art Studio and Overpaint. His style is a nice blend of digital art with a traditional look to it. Borodante, is very good at self reflection and improving his skills based on feedback and is an inspiration to other artists who want to improve their own skill set. Recently, he has created an illustration based on Spider-Man: Enter The Spiderverse and it's a fascinating journey to see this artwork come together over the handful of episodes he uploaded about his process. If you watch the above process video I would recommend setting the speed to 2x as it is quite a long watch otherwise.