The new of the creators of Hellblade explores the human mind in an experimental work of which we offer some brushstrokes.
Ninja Theory has three projects announced. The studio behind Heavenly Sword and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is part of Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft's internal equipment network. After the departure of Hellblade, those of Tameem Antoniades have announced a new title, Project: Mara. Together with Senua's Saga: Hellblade II and Bleeding Edge, the new production seeks to investigate the recesses of the mind.
Born as an experimental project, Ninja Theory wants to redefine the way in which stories are told, to the point of defending that it could become a new medium to channel the narrative. Although there are still many unknowns to reveal, we review in four strokes all that has been promised with Project: Mara.
Project Mara
The theme: the horrors of the mind
As in Hellblade and in its sequel, the British have focused on the mysteries and diseases of the mind, an issue that has not been treated much in video games. However, developers want to combine videogames and research to design a title that tries to represent the “terrors of the mind”. Ninja Theory is convinced that these products can contribute to the cause and help to understand the functioning of the brain and its diseases.
"Why do we think video games can help?" Asks Antoniades. “Over the last decade, the video game industry has worked on real-time technologies such as virtual avatars, natural user interfaces, data Reviews tools or online technologies, which offer levels of sophistication that have been underestimated for the world in general. ” All these tenologies, says the creative, were created to attract a massive audience, so it can contribute to improving mental health.
A scene from the sequel to Hellblade
Ongoing research
Project: Mara is an experiment. This is defined by its creators, who have placed special emphasis on ensuring that the idea is to "recreate the horrors of the mind in the most appropriate and realistic way possible." To do this, they start from real experiences, which materialize in the videogame after a deep investigation. "Throughout the following months and years, we will share our vision and publish our results." Antoniades recognizes that the project will grow in complexity, so they will have to deal with problems "whose solution may not exist yet." These efforts have crystallized in a project known as The Inside Project, aimed at strengthening the link between technology, research, etc.
A new development model
With Hellblade, the studio opted for a smaller team, focused on developing creative ideas and experimenting with new elements. The announcement of the new production comes to follow that same line. In the development journal itself, the leader of the study, Tameem Antoniades, explains that this will also contribute to the team periodically publishing a series of videos in which progress is being made as development progresses.
Antoniades, during the development diary.
It is what came to be defined as a double A, that is, a video game with the appearance of great production that however is carried out without the large budgets of the most expensive titles. "We have a new mission: to be different, to take more creative risks and to inspire others to do the same," says Antoniades. "Small studies can achieve great things using procedural technology and small tools."
A single protagonist, a single location
According to Antoniades, Project: Mara will be “a real world” that will represent the real “mental terror”. It will be based on the research and interviews they have conducted. He asserts that the central nucleus will be its main protagonist, the only character in the game. Nor will there be multiple scenarios, but only one. The premise at the moment has been shaped on paper, so you have to wait to see how the project is developed.
What is clear is that Ninja Theory takes up single-player video games after Bleeding Edge, his next multiplayer job, which invites us to fight in teams in crazy battles. The sequel to Hellblade and Project: Mara again point to the narrative style, one of the hallmarks of the study.
