12-19-2018, 02:22 PM
Away: Journey to the Unexpected is a New Take on the FPS Genre
<div><div class="media_block"><img src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/Vignette-Gameplay-release-date-reveal-Away-hd-hero.png" class="media_thumbnail"></div>
<p><span>Hello, I am Aurélien Regard, one half of the team behind </span><strong><i>Away: Journey to the Unexpected</i></strong><span>, releasing on Xbox One February 8, 2019. I’d like to quickly go through the creative process behind <em>Away</em>, from 2016 to how it is today.</span></p>
<p><span>One thing I love about the first-person shooter (FPS) genre is the power of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. However, between over-the-top action shooters and narrative walking sims, I felt like the genre was missing the concept of action-adventures. </span></p>
<p><span>So, came the idea behind <i>Away: Journey to the Unexpected</i>! At least the foundation of its gameplay. Here’s a look at some early prototype screenshots…</span></p>
<p><img class="lazyload wp-image-107097" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/image001-1.jpg" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="349" /></p>
<p><img class="wp-image-107097" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/image001-1.jpg" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="349" /></p>
<p><span>I also took some inspirations on the way, in terms of artistic direction. For technical reasons I had to make easy-to-produce characters to fit in the 3D environment, and the idea came from the old-school <em>Doom</em>: making “cardboard cutout” characters constantly looking towards you.</span></p>
<p><span>I had the key concepts locked in now: an action-adventure FPS with 2D characters in a 3D environment!</span></p>
<p><img class="lazyload alignnone wp-image-107096" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/cartoon_attack_Gif_04.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-107096" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/cartoon_attack_Gif_04.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><span>Then I needed to define the story and core gameplay mechanics. Taking on the same idea of FPS games being generally violent or very mature in their narrative, I took the opposite direction: let’s make a fun game about a kid living a fun adventure with friends! In regards to the art style, I dug into my childhood memories and tried to capture the feeling of the anime style that was all over the 90s TV in France.</span></p>
<p><span>And there you go, the concept behind <em>Away</em> was set around that core idea: creating a new type of FPS adventure, with a lighthearted and fun story, and a nostalgic 90s anime style to it. I hope you enjoy this little post!</span></p>
<p><img class="lazyload alignnone wp-image-107098" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/ingame_hits_Gif_07.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-107098" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/ingame_hits_Gif_07.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><em><span><strong>Away: Journey to the Unexpected</strong> will release February 8, 2019 on Xbox One via the Microsoft Store. For more information on this title and many others</span><span>, keep it tuned here to Xbox Wire for all the latest Xbox gaming news and features.</span></em></p>
</div>
<div><div class="media_block"><img src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/Vignette-Gameplay-release-date-reveal-Away-hd-hero.png" class="media_thumbnail"></div>
<p><span>Hello, I am Aurélien Regard, one half of the team behind </span><strong><i>Away: Journey to the Unexpected</i></strong><span>, releasing on Xbox One February 8, 2019. I’d like to quickly go through the creative process behind <em>Away</em>, from 2016 to how it is today.</span></p>
<p><span>One thing I love about the first-person shooter (FPS) genre is the power of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. However, between over-the-top action shooters and narrative walking sims, I felt like the genre was missing the concept of action-adventures. </span></p>
<p><span>So, came the idea behind <i>Away: Journey to the Unexpected</i>! At least the foundation of its gameplay. Here’s a look at some early prototype screenshots…</span></p>
<p><img class="lazyload wp-image-107097" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/image001-1.jpg" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="349" /></p>
<p><img class="wp-image-107097" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/image001-1.jpg" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="349" /></p>
<p><span>I also took some inspirations on the way, in terms of artistic direction. For technical reasons I had to make easy-to-produce characters to fit in the 3D environment, and the idea came from the old-school <em>Doom</em>: making “cardboard cutout” characters constantly looking towards you.</span></p>
<p><span>I had the key concepts locked in now: an action-adventure FPS with 2D characters in a 3D environment!</span></p>
<p><img class="lazyload alignnone wp-image-107096" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/cartoon_attack_Gif_04.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-107096" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/cartoon_attack_Gif_04.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><span>Then I needed to define the story and core gameplay mechanics. Taking on the same idea of FPS games being generally violent or very mature in their narrative, I took the opposite direction: let’s make a fun game about a kid living a fun adventure with friends! In regards to the art style, I dug into my childhood memories and tried to capture the feeling of the anime style that was all over the 90s TV in France.</span></p>
<p><span>And there you go, the concept behind <em>Away</em> was set around that core idea: creating a new type of FPS adventure, with a lighthearted and fun story, and a nostalgic 90s anime style to it. I hope you enjoy this little post!</span></p>
<p><img class="lazyload alignnone wp-image-107098" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/ingame_hits_Gif_07.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-107098" src="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/ingame_hits_Gif_07.gif" alt="Away: Journey to the Unexpected" width="620" height="310" /></p>
<p><em><span><strong>Away: Journey to the Unexpected</strong> will release February 8, 2019 on Xbox One via the Microsoft Store. For more information on this title and many others</span><span>, keep it tuned here to Xbox Wire for all the latest Xbox gaming news and features.</span></em></p>
</div>