Cozy games, celebrated for their heartwarming narratives and calming atmospheres, have experienced a meteoric rise in popularity in recent years. Players seeking refuge from the fast pace of modern life have flocked totitles likeA Little to the Left,Sticky Business, andUnpacking. These experiences offer people a chance to unwind, explore at their own pace, and connect with something genuine. EnterTell Me Your Story, an upcoming story-driven puzzle game from RedDeer Games, poised to be a particularly refreshing addition to the genre. While it promises a similarly heartfelt experience as its predecessors,Tell Me Your Storytakes a bold step by crafting its narrative entirely without dialogue. This unique twist compels players to become more engaged with the world and its inhabitants, piecing together the story through environmental details, art, and its clever puzzles.
Following the release of the demo on Steam, Game Rant spoke with the team behindTell Me Your Story. The upcoming game boasts a captivating narrative centered on a young girl’s relationship with her grandmother, alongside over 70 puzzles and riddles for players to solve. During this discussion, Game Rant was able to delve into topics such asTell Me Your Story’s inspirations, development process, and potential plans for the future.This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Tell Me Your Story’s Premise Takes Inspiration From Real-World Grandparents
Q: How long hasTell Me Your Storybeen in development?
A: The development ofTell Me Your Storytook about half a year. We’re a small team, and it’s exciting to be so close to release!
Q: Where did the idea for the narrative behindTell Me Your Storycome from? Did you start off knowing you’d like to tell the story of Grandma Rose’s life by slowly revealing it in bits and pieces, or did that idea come later?
A: From the beginning, we knew that we wanted to do something with an adventure story that involvedsome kind of “Indiana Jones” type characterwhere players can dig to find different artifacts. When we thought about it a bit longer, I had a feeling that we were missing something that could make the overall game more engaging. I started to think about relationships, specifically mine with my grandparents and with my daughter, and how my relationship with those older than me impacted who I am today. I wanted to share those feelings with a bigger audience, as most of us have had that experience, and some of us regret that we didn’t have enough time to spend time with some of our loved ones.
The second layer of the game is the importance of having dreams and moving forward to make them come true. Like Grandma Rose, she was raised in a more patriarchal world where young girls who come to a certain age have old-fashioned expectations associated with them. We wanted to make Rose someone who broke through those expectations and chased her dream of exploring the world.
This focus is something that Rose ends up sharing with young Amelia on her summer vacation and what we wanted to translate within the simple gameplay. Maybe it isn’t visible at first glance, but it’s developing and, hopefully, that is something that players will go with.
Tell Me Your Story’s Development Process and Cozy Art Style
Q: Were there any games that were particularly inspirational for the development ofTell Me Your Story?
A: We had a lot of inspiration from most of thecozy puzzle games, such asLittle to the Left,Unpacking,orVenba. The goal was to take all the small pieces of these games that we enjoyed playing and mold them together to make something unique while also incorporating the emotional core we envisioned.
Q: Were there any particular inspirations for the vibrant 2D art style ofTell Me Your Story?
A: Similar to the previous question, there were many sources of inspiration for both the artwork and design ofTell Me Your Storyincluding the aforementioned games. We were also inspired byanimated movies from Studio Ghibliand Winnie The Pooh’s hand-drawn aesthetic.
Though the color scheme is kept warm and bright throughout the game, each chapter of Rose’s life also has its own assigned tones. For instance, the Amazon Forest chapter is characterized by its rich warm greens, the Yunnan story is mostly colder greens and blues, and the Orient Express is all pinks, purples, and blues. The beginnings and ends of each chapter are also consistent when it comes to tone. All of this serves to make it easier for the player to be aware of where they are in the story. By looking at the tones, players should be able to differentiate parts of the game seen from Amelia’s perspective and those told via Rose’s memories.
Q: What was the process like for creating a point-and-click puzzle game? How might this differ from other RedDeer Games projects likeSprout ValleyorFreaky Trip?
A: Two aspects needed balancing inTell Me Your Story:the plot of the game and the puzzles. They are deeply interconnected, so making sure that players understood what was being shown to them was a priority. Moreover, in a classic point-and-click puzzle game there are possible game-overs, butTell Me Your Storyalways puts the relaxing and cozy vibes first. As the chapters were being put together, level balancing came into play. This is the reason why some puzzles are easier (so no one gets lost while experiencing the story), and others are harder and more thought-inducing.
As for developing new games in-house, we are constantly trying to play with different styles and gameplay mechanics.Each RedDeer Games teamhas a different goal and style. Each artist has a unique art style too, and I believe that this is the very point of how it differs from one project to another. The team behindTell Me Your Story, developed its first project,Cat Cosmic Atlasand the style is quite similar. It’s hand-drawn, with smooth outlines and a mostly pastel color set.
When we were first trying to figure out what Rose and Amelia would look like, we took inspiration fromsources like Studio Ghiblias well as that first project. After we decided on the color palette and the characters, we started making everything else.
Tell Me Your Story’s Desired Audience And Future Plans
Q: How do you thinkTell Me Your Storystands out today compared to other cozy puzzle games? (Ex.A Little to the Left.)
A: In my opinion, what stands out aboutTell Me Your Storyis the story behind the game. It’s told without any words, but there is tons of beautiful artwork. Instead of going deeper into a book or a real-life journal,Tell Me Your Storypresents its players with an opportunity to directly take part in the adventure that Rose wants to retell. Traveling through a deep jungle, traditionally making tea, and following the rails of a legendary train route - all of these are told via experiences rather than words.
This adventure is also very open for players to connect with their own family stories or older family members. Perhaps it can even help them better understand the previous generation. It’s anall-ages gamefor a reason, and we’d love it if people took inspiration from the game to spend more time with their loved ones. Maybe they’ll even play some games with them.
Q: Is there a particular audience you’d like to see connecting with your game?
A: The core audience is definitelycozy game enthusiastsand people of all ages and backgrounds. However, we tried as much as possible to makeTell Me Your Storyaccessible and enjoyable for a wide range of ages and skill levels.
Q: What’s next for RedDeer Games? Will you continue updatingTell Me Your Storyand/or are there already new games in the works?
A: We are already working on another project related toTell Me Your Story. I can’t tell you much about it at this moment, but what I can say is that the game will be related to Clement, Amelia’s grandfather!
Q: Is there anything you might like to add?
A: I can’t wait for the players to check out the game! It was incredibly fun to work with talented women from the development team. I hope that in the future girls’ power will be more and more significant in the game development world. Fingers crossed!
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Tell Me Your Storylaunches on April 26 for PC and Switch.
