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The Red Lantern's harsh environment can lead to death by squirrel, developer jokes about "Zen mode" and Nintendo Labo VR support

Cruel squirreld
by rawmeatcowboy
21 March 2019
GN Version 5.0

The Red Lantern is out to tell you a story how harsh things can be in the Alaskan bush. It'll be you, your sled, and a team of dogs trying to survive the harsh environment. There are plenty of ways you can get taken out, including death by squirrel. Game director Lindsey Rostal explains...

“We have a strong narrative background. I’ve made branching games and I wanted to find a new way to have a more dynamic narrative. Something that worked more in a streaming context and for a larger variety of audiences. It’s a fun way to write. You don’t know what’s really going to happen. There’s likelihoods and there’s relationships between animals in the environments and everything like that, but things are changing all the time. The unexpected nature of the world is really exciting. You’re like, 'This is likely to happen, but [then again] this squirrel might murder me... It can happen."

As The Red Lantern has a huge narrative aspect to it, a strong lead voice actor is necessary. Many will be happy to know that the role of "The Musher" will be played by Ashly Burch, who's known for her work in other games like Life is Strange and Horizon Zero Dawn.

The developers of The Red Lantern are hoping that the narration along with the unforgiving gameplay will help immerse you in the experience. There are some other ideas the team are kicking around for immersion as well. A "screensaver zen mode" is a feature that has been considered/joked about, which would let you look at the scenery while using gyro controls. The team is even open to Nintendo Labo VR support if possible. Elaborating upon that support, Rostel said, "You never know! If they give me a parka version I’m in."

[Link]