{"id":126802,"date":"2022-07-25T16:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T16:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer.apple.com\/news\/?id=din5adp5"},"modified":"2022-07-25T16:00:48","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T16:00:48","slug":"behind-the-design-wylde-flowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/07\/25\/behind-the-design-wylde-flowers\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Design: Wylde Flowers"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Lots of games defy easy explanation, but Wylde Flowers is a particularly rare bloom.<\/p>\n

This charming Apple Design Award-winning game is a cross-pollination of farming simulation, eerie mystery, optional love story, and exploration of tolerance and understanding. <\/p>\n

Also, you\u2019re a witch who sometimes turns into a cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wylde Flowers experience is a bit different for everybody,\u201d says Amanda Schofield, the co-founder, creative director and managing director of indie developer Studio Drydock. \u201cIt\u2019s all about self-expression and self-exploration.\u201d And as the game elegantly shifts from cozy sim to curious mystery \u2014 and introduces a gratifyingly diverse cast of characters \u2014 that experience transforms, too. <\/p>\n

\"Tara<\/p>\n
\n

Tara begins life in Fairhaven as a mild-mannered farmer, but there\u2019s more to the town than meets the eye. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Wylde Flowers is set in the idyllic town of Fairhaven, a pastoral little hamlet where everyone knows everyone (for reasons the game turns into a winking challenge) and the most urgent menace appears to be the rotting boards blocking the entrance to an old mine.<\/p>\n

Fairhaven \u2014 and Schofield \u2014 make your welcome as comfortable as an old cardigan. You play as Tara, a young woman who\u2019s fled the city after a tough breakup to recharge and reconnect with her Grandma Hazel \u2014 who keeps secrets of her own but whose love for Tara radiates from the first cutscene. \u201cThe first thing we do is literally wrap you in a warm hug from Grandma,\u201d says Schofield. \u201cThat\u2019s the personality of the game. We\u2019re saying this is a safe space, where things are they way they should be. I think that\u2019s quite needed at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once in town, however, who Tara is \u2014 and what she becomes \u2014 is entirely up to you. Your in-game decisions shape the direction of her friendships, possible love life, and farming skills. Serendipitous interactions move the story along; bump into the gregarious bartender Damon or the flirty doctor Amira at the right moment, and you might change your plans (or unlock a special cutscene or quest). In that early conversation with Grandma, you even decide who Tara broke up with.<\/p>\n

\"Fairhaven\u2019s<\/p>\n
\n

Fairhaven\u2019s cast includes the friendly merchant Kai, the kindly Grandma Hazel, and the guarded Kim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Such inclusivity is certainly intentional; townsfolk like the non-binary butcher Kim and the married couple Angus and Francis play key roles in the story and date back to the game\u2019s earliest prototypes. Yet at the same time, Wylde Flowers isn\u2019t a game that strives to make its points. \u201cThe LGBTQ+ characters aren\u2019t defined by their queerness,\u201d says Studio Drydock marketing lead Victoria Kershaw. \u201cIt\u2019s a part of who they are, but it\u2019s not their story arc. In Fairhaven, everyone is accepted as human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that way, Fairhaven mirrors the ethos of Studio Drydock itself. \u201cWe\u2019re creating a game for young women in a formative part of their lives, women who are dealing with problems that they might not necessarily have the tools to broach,\u201d Schofield says. \u201cWe wanted to show them a world where all their choices could be accepted. So we didn\u2019t need to make a story about people trying to find acceptance. Let\u2019s just assume this place has evolved past that.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Wylde Flowers kicks off with a Tara making Grandma a nice mushroom risotto, things, as they say, escalate quickly. Without giving too much away, the story soon takes a peculiar turn, one that involves a dark forest with a mysterious gate, a shady-looking company of hooded figures in masks, curiously specific plant requests, and a cat that just keeps showing up. \u201cWe needed the story to be a slow-boiling frog,\u201d Schofield says.<\/p>\n

\n

We needed you to walk in and feel comfortable, but we didn\u2019t want you to think you were just playing a farming game.<\/p>\n

Amanda Schofield, creative and managing director<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A farming sim that also includes rebound relationships, undisclosed trapdoors, 30 chatty characters, and a sprinkling of witchcraft is not exactly a simple undertaking; Schofield jokes that the game\u2019s script is \u201cjust a little bit longer than War and Peace.\u201d The game\u2019s tone was the subject of daily discussion: Was it dark enough? Was it cozy enough? Did the mystery unfold at the right cadence, and did it pair with that warm welcome? \u201cWe needed you to walk in and feel comfortable,\u201d says Schofield, \u201cbut we didn\u2019t want you to think you were just playing a farming game.\u201d<\/p>\n

That script fell first to Desiree Cifre, the game\u2019s narrative director. Cifre signed onto the game a few months into development \u2014 the protagonist had a backstory, but (at the time) no name. \u201cWe made the choice to have a designed character,\u201d says Cifre. \u201cWe wanted her to have specific depth in her backstory.\u201d Cifre calls it a controversial choice. \u201cBut we felt it would ultimately give us more freedom in helping the players decide what kind of Tara their Tara is,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\"Early<\/p>\n
\n

Early sketches of Tara show how the character (and her hair) evolved throughout the development process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Much as finding the tone was a balancing act, Tara\u2019s story needed to hit some consistent marks. \u201cOften, I\u2019m brought onto a project at the end, after they\u2019ve decided on the design. It\u2019s basically creating narrative reasons for why the design is the way it is,\u201d says Cifre, with a laugh. \u201cWith this, Amanda\u2019s design was developed in tandem with the narrative, which is why is works so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

To begin sketching out the narrative, Schofield drew on her past experience as a senior producer on Sims FreePlay, where she had helped add a \u201cstory arc\u201d to the game\u2019s famous open-world structure. \u201cMy epiphany was that people love making their own stories, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t like engaging with other handcrafted stories too,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

The initial draft came quickly. Cifre \u2014 alongside co-writer Elizabeth Ballou, who was brought in midway through production \u2014 wrote for a world that had \u201ca foot in fantasy\u201d but stayed close to the human element. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want something that was arch or twee,\u201d Cifre says, \u201cbut we wanted to tell players, \u2018It\u2019s OK for you to get really invested in these people.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

The game would be a farming sim with a malleable storyline that prized inclusivity and acceptance. To do that, the studio needed a way to tell a story about prejudice without necessarily targeting a particular group \u2014 and still match the game\u2019s vibe. They found their answer in an unlikely set of headlines. \u201cWe got the idea to focus on witchcraft while watching an election in the United Kingdom,\u201d she says. \u201cA group of individuals had decided to hex the government as part of their campaign. It seemed like an appropriate idea for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Early<\/p>\n
\n

Early sketches of the game\u2019s mysterious witches, who harbor a surprising secret.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It was appropriate on a number of levels. \u201cHistorically, [the witchcraft label] has been applied to groups \u2014 predominantly women \u2014 that people were afraid of,\u201d Schofield says. \u201cIt\u2019s been applied to healers, to people who have deep connections with the Earth. There\u2019s always been an element of distrust for powerful women who are able to do things other people don\u2019t understand.\u201d Cifre dove into the literature of witchcraft, infusing the story with a melting pot of history and mythology drawn from Russia, South Africa, Iran, and more.<\/p>\n

In addition to core plot points, the script had to allow for enough agency in a player\u2019s choices so that they could feel ownership over the direction of the story. Tara needed to be sincere and irreverent but also a little lost, adrift after the loss of her job and relationship. Her experience discovering the town \u2014 and being \u201cgobsmacked\u201d by her new reality, as Cifre puts it \u2014 mirrors the player\u2019s experience. Serendipitously, the character, town, and game grew together. <\/p>\n

And then, there was the cat. <\/p>\n

\"Schofield<\/p>\n
\n

Schofield says the game\u2019s cats were \u201cthe most critical things to get perfect,\u201d and she might not be kidding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOK, so everyone in the studio is cat-obsessed,\u201d says Schofield. \u201cWe have whole channels of pictures of cats. Honestly, the cats in the game were the most critical things to get perfect.\u201d (She\u2019s kidding \u2014 probably.)<\/p>\n

There was just one kitty-catch: The lone non-cat person in the room was Mike Taylor, a 20-year game design veteran \u2014 and the animation director charged with bringing them to life. \u201cMike probably had the most stressful job in the game,\u201d Schofield laughs. \u201cWe\u2019d have meetings with 25 people telling him, \u2018No, this is how the cat should sound! More real! But also more cozy!\u201d <\/p>\n

She laughs. \u201cIf you\u2019ve never been in a video call with 25 people meowing, it\u2019s something.\u201d <\/p>\n

Schofield and Studio Drydock co-founder Alex Holkner first conceived of Wylde Flowers with a team of about a dozen, plotting out a snappy narrative that mirrored the \u201cspring\u201d section of the game. But after the initial development phase, they found the game expanding fourfold. \u201cYou know that meme with the red strings all over the wall?\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s what our hires looked like after that first year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tara<\/p>\n
\n

Tara hits the lunch counter at Sophia\u2019s diner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cNo studio goes into their first game saying, \u2018Let\u2019s build the biggest game we\u2019ve all ever done!\u2019\u201d Schofield laughs. \u201cAs a producer, I\u2019m supposed to manage scale creep.\u201d <\/p>\n

But the team\u2019s passion rendered her pleasantly powerless \u2014 something was clearly happening. Ideas came from anywhere: Cifre pitched a character whose feet are backwards, concept artists furnished quests. Cultural consultants were brought in to ensure dialect and dialogue were accurate and respectful, sometimes changing a word or two of the script or even redrawing entire dwellings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe animator would come in and say, \u2018Look, I made this character\u2019s hair move dynamically in the wind,\u2019 and then the character artist would see it and say, \u2018Well jeez, now I have to make the hair look better,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t competition. It was everyone wanting to meet a standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n
\n

A look at Studio Drydock\u2019s prototypes of the gregarious barman Damon. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

All told, Wylde Flowers has about 18 hours of dialogue, 350 cutscenes, and 230 names in the credits. (To be fair, that last figure does include the orchestra.) Reaching those figures took about three years. Early game designs experimented with a top-down view (the better for mobile play), but Drydock quickly determined that play felt too disconnected from the characters, especially in a game with so much acting. Subsequent versions brought the view down to an angle \u2014 and would zoom in and in until it got as close to the characters as it could.<\/p>\n

The scaled-way-up game\u2019s story and visuals were taking shape, the growing team was deeply invested, and the town of Fairhaven was coming slowly to life. There was just one thing missing: its citizens. <\/p>\n

Schofield had been noticing the degree to which game studios were bringing in voice actors, especially the K-pop or J-pop stars turning up in games produced in Asia. The voices, she knew, were key. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t have gotten away with calling it a narrative game without voicing it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Studio Drydock \u2014 and its gifted voice director, Krizia Bajos \u2014 took immense care in casting its voice actors; Kershaw laughs at how the the team auditioned \u201cso many Taras\u201d in pursuit of the magic combination of humor, lightheartedness, and deep emotion. Their choice was Valerie Rose Lohman (she\/they), who earned a BAFTA nomination for her work in What Remains of Edith Finch. \u201cIt\u2019s important that the voices of the characters are portrayed by the community being represented,\u201d says Lohman. <\/p>\n

For the character of Kim, a non-binary (and emotionally guarded) town butcher, Drydock brought on Erika Ishii (she\/they), a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community on social media. \u201cThe writing for Kim was so natural and the script was so rounded and fleshed-out,\u201d Ishii says. \u201cIt was a dream.\u201d The cast also includes BAFTA award-winning actor Cissy Jones as Hazel, Baraka May as Amira, and Michael Scott as Damon.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cThe<\/p>\n
\n

\u201cThe writing for Kim was so natural,\u201d says voice actor Erika Ishii.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Story and game iteration was a running process; the team tested play and cutscenes on a shared Unity build, tweaking on the fly. Even in the recording studio, actors would sometimes improvise lines, or ask Cifre and Ballou to rewrite on the fly over Slack. The storyline\u2019s pliable nature meant the actors would often play the same scene numerous ways. The scene in which Tara proposes, for instance, offered Lohman an especially engaging challenge since the game offers seven potential suitors. \u201cEvery time I recorded the proposal scenes, I was a giggling mess,\u201d says Lohman. \u201cThe scope of representation was so fun, and I\u2019d perform differently with, say, Kim than I would with Amira or Wesley. I feel like I got to help create seven lovely love stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cEvery<\/p>\n
\n

\u201cEvery time I recorded the proposal scenes, I was a giggling mess,\u201d says Valerie Rose Lohman, who plays Tara.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It also helped that the actors shared a near-eerie similarity with their characters. Lohman had recently gone through a rough break-up and has an honest-to-goodness Grandma Hazel; Ishii, like Kim, is a queer non-binary Japanese\/Chinese\/American with a side shave. <\/p>\n

For its actors, Wylde Flowers was more than a job \u2014 it was an avenue to connect with a real-world community. \u201cI\u2019ve never worked on a project so thorough in its representation of diversity,\u201d Lohman says. \u201cI do believe that (games) have the power to change someone\u2019s mind, because gaming makes you live in someone else\u2019s shoes. That\u2019s powerful.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/p>\n
\n

Residents of Fairhaven gather for a town meeting (and a little music).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis has spoiled me for life,\u201d laughs Cifre. \u201cThis came at a perfect time, when people were looking for these kinds of experiences. This game is about community, and it\u2019s wonderful to see it resonate.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, the experience was just a bit magic. \u201cIt was such a culture of supportiveness and kindness,\u201d says Schofield. \u201cIt was lightning in a bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about Wylde Flowers<\/a><\/p>\n

Download Wylde Flowers from Apple Arcade<\/a><\/p>\n

Behind the Design is a weekly series that explores design practices and philosophies from each of the 12 winners of the 2022 Apple Design Awards. In each story, we go behind the screens with the developers and designers of these award-winning apps and games to discover how they brought their remarkable creations to life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Explore more of the 2022 Behind the Design series<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lots of games defy easy explanation, but Wylde Flowers is a particularly rare bloom. This charming Apple Design Award-winning game is a cross-pollination of farming simulation, eerie mystery, optional love story, and exploration of tolerance and understanding. Also, you\u2019re a witch who sometimes turns into a cat. \u201cThe Wylde Flowers experience is a bit different […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apple-developer-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}