Hasta La Ideas

Story by Jess Joho for Kill Screen

Tale of Tale’s upcoming game Sunset has beguiled us since we first saw it—a vision altogether more assured, colorful and inviting than the vast majority of games we come across. Last week, when the first real look at the game arrived in the form of screenshots, we took the opportunity to discuss the game a little further with the creators.

Gaming’s favorite (and only) Belgian power-couple, Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, first began thinking of what would eventually become Sunset years ago. Inspired by films like Wong Kar Wai’s Chungking Express, they envisioned an exploration of romance through space, in a relationship between a cleaning lady and the apartment’s inhabitant. But as time went on and the game evolved, their focus turned from pure romance to a more pressing issue.

“How do you get on with your day-to-day while living in a world or atmosphere filled with violence?” Auriea asks. “I think we’re all experiencing that to some degree now, with the constant wars, terrorism, everyday another bombing, another shooting. Michaël and I at least feel this need to step back, to think about what it all means and how to deal with it. We thought if we needed an experience like that, maybe other people did too. And since games can be such a great tool for examining the world around us, maybe something like Sunset could be an opportunity to explore that atmosphere in a controlled environment.”

Sunset follows the story of Angela Burnes, who emigrates from the revolutionary climate of 1970’s America and into the revolution of a war-torn South American country. As the housekeeper of the highly cultured (perhaps even pretentious) native to the country, Gabriel Ortega, your relationship to both your employer and his country develops through how you choose to interact with his apartment.

“A lot of Tale of Tales games has ourselves in it,” Auriea explains. “In this case, my experience of being an American expatriate is definitely part of Sunset. I want to give people that experience: of at first feeling completely alien to a city, and then eventually developing a sense of place there, a real stake in your new country.”

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