Review Fix Exclusive: James K. Isaac Talks ‘Green: An Orc’s Life’

Review Fix chats with James K. Isaac, Author/Writer/Developer, who discusses his new game, ‘Green: An Orc’s Life

Review Fix: How was this game born?

James K. Isaac: The game was born from a desire to blend simple mechanics with deep storytelling. More so, to allow all those unheard orc voices to finally be heard.

Review Fix: What was your role in the game?

Isaac: I am just a single human being and made it all, from sound, to pictures, to the writing. I liked the idea of having complete control of a project although, of course, this does have a great many downsides.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in the industry?

Isaac: Last year I finished a job as a teacher and felt rail-roaded and stifled by my recent experiences. I had written numerous short stories in the past and I wanted to progress and try my hand at creating something which gave the player/reader the ability to control the narrative.

I grew up with game-books and the distance between those and a computer game is more of a step than a leap. So, with this intention, I developed a choice-heavy visual novel, New Tricks for Old Gods. Enjoying the creative freedom, I decided to explore more avenues of storytelling with the card-swiper concept.

Review Fix: What was development like?

Isaac: It helped me to stick to a strict routine. The ability to create a new place/land/world is quite a motivator, but there are so many fiddly bits to deal with. Sometimes, these can feel a bit overwhelming for a lone game maker. Spending a day dealing with the fiddly-bits often left me feeling like I had wasted my time although, in reality, the fiddly bits are often the most important thing. Snapping fingers and making wishes doesn’t (yet) create a game.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Isaac: Much of the vast lore of orcs has been poured into this game and blended together to create a rich story-telling experience. Although common-sense is often your best friend when making decisions, the player must learn to think ‘orc-like.’

Exploring these fantastical identities is something games can excel at! And, deep down, I feel everyone who has ever played an rpg wants to grow their own orc. As well as a myriad of smaller choices, the game also has a few long-term, over-arching stories which can not all be experienced in just one play-through.

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Isaac: There are so many rpgs that have influenced this game, especially for providing inspiration for the many encounters and events. I love the old isometric classics (Baldur’s Gate et al). Games, like Dungeon Keeper and The Overlord, which let you ‘be the bad guy,’ also helped me to piece together some of the more twisted happenings.

Mechanics-wise, Reigns was a huge inspiration. It is such a simple, great idea to build up a whole story by swiping right or left. I notice there are many games, now, making good use of this concept.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Isaac: Can’t really add much new to this. Computer failure, loss of data, coffee and whiskey abound!

Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?

Isaac: I am not a programmer. I feel, if I had a more-secure skill base in this regard, things would have been much easier. Also, having an editor on hand is great for any game with a lot of text.

Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Isaac: If the gameplay mechanics work, and can’t be diluted more, then it could be counter-productive to complicate things. As I am story-focused, I feel that whatever mechanics work the best to deliver the game’s narrative should be the ones adopted, established or newly built.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Isaac: As a tiny child, the day I discovered that Super Mario Bros on the NES had things called Warp Zones blew my mind. From then on, games were something magical.

Also, in Baldur’s Gate 2, when I resurrected my murdered in-game love interest, which is only optional, showed me the emotional story-telling potential of games.

And when, in Knights of the Old Republic, you discover your character is actually, the BIG BAD, Darth Revan is, just, narratively and emotionally brilliant.

I have far too many more.

Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?

Isaac: A unique, story rich experience. Players should remember the joys of occasional pillage, that delicious tang of halfling meat and how lucky we are not the have the daily problems of an orc.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Isaac: I feel the next step in story-rich gaming I would like to explore could involve a point-and-click/rpg hybrid. Perhaps something using an engine like Adventure Game Studios or similar. I would love to create a grand narrative in a game with more freedom to explore the game-world.