As a seasoned horror enthusiast with over three decades of chills under my belt, I can say that the journey of Bloober Team has been nothing short of captivating. Their transformation from an anonymous studio to the architects of the critically acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake is a testament to perseverance and the power of passion.
As a dedicated gamer, I’ve been following the conversations around Bloober Team and their latest projects. They’ve certainly read the mixed feedback, seen the skepticism, and felt the pessimism. Even they acknowledge that not all of their past games have been perfect. But now, they’re eager to show that the success of Silent Hill 2 Remake wasn’t a fluke, built on a reliable blueprint from the past.
In an interview discussing their post-Silent Hill project, which started following the release of The Medium in 2021, Wojciech Piejko, the director/designer, emphasized that they aim to create a distinct game rather than a replica of Silent Hill 2. While Cronos: The New Dawn and the Silent Hill 2 Remake were developed concurrently by separate teams within the studio, they are intended to offer unique experiences, much like two different pizzas with varying toppings, both delightful in their own ways. Although Silent Hill 2 Remake surpassed many expectations, Cronos: The New Dawn aims to demonstrate their ability to craft something extraordinary from scratch as well.
This game revolves around a character known as The Traveler, who traverses different time periods. One extreme features a dystopian future decimated by a pandemic and populated by grotesque mutants. Contrastingly, there’s communist Poland in the 1980s on the other side. The Traveler is given the mission to journey back through time to save VIPs who didn’t survive in their original timelines. By doing so, they alter the course of history, bringing these individuals into the future where they might offer assistance. If you think things could get complex and confusing – reminiscent of traditional time-travel tales – I wouldn’t be surprised! The creators mentioned that this game is inspired by Dark, a captivating Netflix series that left viewers with a challenging yet satisfying puzzle to solve as they navigated its intricate plot.
Although created amidst the COVID-19 period and dealing with its own pandemic narrative, Cronos is not intended as a significant statement about COVID by Bloober Team, clarified director/producer Jacek Zieba. Initially, they were apprehensive about this plot point due to it reminding them of the hardships of the pandemic era which they had hoped to move past. However, they decided to keep it in once they realized that the storyline was too compelling to abandon.
As Cronos marks the team’s debut in creating their first original survival-horror game, following a series of horror titles like Layers of Fear and Observer that leaned more towards narrative than gameplay, the team is eager for the next stage of its development. This progress can be attributed to some extent to the influence of Silent Hill 2. As Zieba explained, “The technology advancements facilitated by Silent Hill 2 were instrumental in our transition from a first-person perspective to a third-person camera, incorporating ranged combat and additional features. Consequently, when we embarked on pre-production for Cronos, we had a solid foundation laid by the Silent Hill team.
Starting from that point, the team aimed to take a completely contrasting path, partly to dodge any closer comparisons between their remake and the original intellectual property they were working on. They ultimately settled on a science fiction horror genre that traverses both time and space. However, there is one other significant connection: Bloober Team views Cronos as the “second strike” in a powerful two-punch combo for them, according to Zieba, who likened the studio to an unexpected victor. Previously, people doubted their ability to deliver, but they proved themselves. It was a great honor that Bloober could collaborate with Silent Hill and Konami on this project, as they are big fans of Silent Hill, much like most other horror enthusiasts.
Despite this, everyone within the team was acutely attuned to the tone of criticism towards the Silent Hill 2 remake and their studio in particular, which erupted online. When it was announced that they would be developing Konami’s major comeback project, the response from many was either pessimistic or skeptical. Some felt that Bloober Team lacked the necessary credentials for the task, given that they hadn’t previously produced authentic survival-horror games and thus had not demonstrated their ability to create intricate features like inventory management and combat. Ultimately, the company released a public statement, asking for understanding as they worked on Silent Hill 2, while those within the team found it difficult or refused to shut out the negative feedback.
He shared that the time period just before the launch of Silent Hill 2 was challenging, but he also noted that the remake team was resilient and managed to stay focused. “They brought it into existence, we did too, Bloober Team did too. Now, there’s a sense of pride inside our studio. We want to demonstrate our capabilities and show how we can develop and innovate our concepts.
In a statement about his team working on the remake, Piejko said, “They re-created a legendary game; what was once thought to be impossible, they made possible. It wasn’t easy; they faced criticism online and felt immense pressure, but they persevered, and their success is a significant milestone for our company.
Previously, the team declared that Layers of Fear marked a renaissance for their studio, as they transitioned from producing poorly received games like Basement Crawl into focusing on horror genres, although these early efforts didn’t please everyone, including some gamers and developers. Layers of Fear helped put Bloober Team on the map, but those within the studio knew it wasn’t their ultimate goal. The Silent Hill 2 Remake is viewed as the beginning of “Bloober Team 3.0,” given its exceptional reviews, making it the best-rated game in the company’s history. Now, the team hopes Cronos will showcase a more organic evolution into a new, promising era for the studio, following the positive response to the announcement of Cronos: The New Dawn.
Upon unveiling Cronos, Piejko shared that everyone felt a sense of relief, stating, “Comments were along the lines of ‘This looks fantastic! I adore the character design.'” For him and others, it was heartening to observe the shift in studio’s perception becoming more apparent. Although there remains significant pressure with the Silent Hill 2 Remake, they are determined to demonstrate their ability to create enchantment uniquely, as this is the genre they aspire to excel in.
According to Zieba, their aim is to establish themselves as a company specializing in horror productions. They are keen on identifying their specific area of expertise and believe they have found it, so now the goal is to grow alongside this niche. The process of growth might be intricate, but it also unfolds naturally, much like how their 2016 release, Layers of Fear, saw members within the studio acknowledging that their previous works were less than satisfactory, but they could evolve and improve.
According to Piejko, our team is passionate about horror. Consequently, it seems challenging for us to venture into other genres, and we have no intention of doing so.
Cronos: The New Dawn arrives on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.
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2024-10-19 00:39