A tactical RPG set in the world of 18th-century pirates, Flint: Treasure of Oblivion stands out, not least, for its story told using comic-book codes. In this latest article, we explain how and why Savage Level adopted this original narrative style.
A comic-book-inspired narrative dimension
In Flint: Treasure of Oblivion, players explore immersive environments created with Unreal Engine 5, and fight in turn-based combat. The twist is that the story unfolds in the style of a comic book! For example, during a dialogue, a first box appears with our hero and his speech bubble, followed by a second with his interlocutor... In this way, we gradually build up a real on-screen comic strip.
Aside from dialogues, Flint: Treasure of Oblivion also uses comic-book codes to accentuate actions and emotions. During a thunderstorm, for example, you'll have the chance to admire a beautiful illustration of a bolt of lightning accompanied by the onomatopoeia "Kraakk!" An image of a surprised face will also pop up when our crew attacks an adversary. Finally, comic bubbles will be integrated into the scenery, above characters’ heads, to share their day-to-day discussions.
Aurélien Josse, Chief Creative Officer at Savage Level, explains the reasons behind this choice: "It all started with the observation that in many narrative games, the story and dialogues are conveyed by large blocks of text, which can be tedious and cause players to lose interest. In seeking a solution to this, I made the link with comics, which have always fascinated me. With their images and pace, they're a much more engaging alternative. And thanks to the comic strip format, it's also possible to display a variety of emotions, which 3D characters can struggle to achieve without the benefit of an AAA budget."
A first-class team and a complex creative process
For Aurélien, this approach is also a way of paying tribute to Franco-Belgian comics, whose reading experience is "a pleasure in itself ". Indeed, Savage Level called on some of the best in the field to produce the artwork for Flint: Treasure of Oblivion! In charge of the drawings is Fabrice Druet, whose work includes Methraton, the spin-off from the Black Moon Chronicles. But also Bruno Tatti, a talented colorist who worked on XIII and Blake and Mortimer…
The team also includes a storyboard artist and several writers. Not forgetting the game designers, who created the comic book system from scratch using Unreal Engine 5. "We had to develop speech bubbles that would adapt to the space taken up by each language, while respecting the layout of the boxes," says Aurélien. "Another challenge was to strike a balance between what was shown in the comic strip, in 3D, and in simple speech bubbles. It had to be just right, otherwise the narrative flow wouldn't work."
A final challenge was to ensure visual consistency between 3D characters and their comic book alter egos. For this, Savage Level has a process that's fairly unique in the video game industry, first creating concept art, then a comic book version, and finally a 3D model. Thanks to all this work, the studio is confident of offering a truly original game formula at the end of the year. "Our comic-book-inspired narrative is the true innovation of the game," comments Aurélien, "and we hope it will leave a lasting impression - but the feedback we're getting from players has already convinced us of that."
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