White Night
Storytelling Reinvention:
uses black and white aesthetics and minimal lighting in order to drive the plot and create an atmospheric story
Game Information
Release Date: March 3rd, 2015
Developer: OSome Studios
Publisher: Activision
Rating: Mature
Genre(s): Exploratory, Horror, Role-Playing, Strategy
Price: $14.99
Website: http://osome-studio.com/whitenight/
In March of 2015, Activision released a one of a kind noire-style video game. At OSome Studio, the original three-person team behind the development of White Night sought to combine a unique style of art with suspenseful interactivity. As the project was in development, the team established a goal, stating: "We want this first project to be the flag for OSome’s next productions and for the 'savoir-faire' of our team: an ever-evolving technology adapted to our projects, strong artistic directions based on strong gameplays, and a total artistic coherence to offer fun and meaningful games." (1)
The game takes place in the late 1930’s, where a man gets into a car accident and is forced to explore the only house near him in order to find help. This game uses a unique graphics system, using a classic style black and white interface where players rely on a matchstick for light in order to navigate around the haunted house. Players solve puzzles to investigate the mysteries of the house, paying close attention to the objectives at hand so they can avoid an encounter with a ghost.
White Night utilizes this atmospheric environment -- with its minimal lighting and extreme black and white aesthetics -- in order to convey and reinforce its storyline. In all, White Night is a very suspenseful experience -- the presence of a ghost continuously haunts players, and their matches always run out too quickly.
References:
1. About the Studio. Osome studios. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
< http://osome-studio.com/about-the-studio/ >.
Researcher: Nic Stevens and JJ Johnson Jr.
