DRAWN TO LIFE: THE NEXT CHAPTER - DEVELOPER DIARY 1
Executive Producer Joseph Tringali talks about creating the sequel...
Hi there! I’m Joe, Co-Owner of 5TH Cell and Executive Producer on Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (TNC) for the Nintendo DS. This is a short post to kick off a series of Developer Diaries from 5TH Cell, and over the next few months, we’ll share information regarding the development of Drawn to Life from members of the Development Team.
The Drawn to Life franchise was born at 5TH Cell in 2006, from the brain of our Creative Director, Jeremiah Slaczka. The title put us on the map as a Developer, and there is a fond place in our hearts for the Raposa we created, and the world they inhabit. Like most developers, we had ideas for a sequel before we finished development on the first Drawn to Life. That was our first DS title, and there was many development challenges involved which prevented us from developing a game that matched our vision. While extremely proud of the commercial and critical success of Drawn to Life, we still had more to say with the Raposa and innovative and exciting gameplay ideas to share with our fans.
I wrote the dialogue for the Raposa on their first adventure, and oversaw the story development for the sequel. We have many talented designers on the project, and some of them will share their story with the fans over the next few months. Our vision was to grow Drawn to Life in all directions; game play, the character customization, music, and the overall story / world. I think we’ve succeeded, despite some significant challenges. Our Lead Designer Matt Pellicane (who you’ll hear from next month) truly pushed the envelope with the game design.
While an action-adventure platformer at the core, the story of Drawn to Life: TNC for the DS is a labor of love by all involved, and truly fleshes out both the world and characters of the first Drawn to Life. The world of Drawn to Life is a classic tale of our reliance on something bigger than ourselves, and the struggles we face when we try and tackle life alone. Some consider Jowee the main character of the first Drawn to Life, but while writing, I actually based the story around Mari. The story in Drawn to Life: TNC, penned by our Creative Director, Jeremiah, focuses more on Jowee, and by the end of the game, I think both characters have grown to a point that we’re happy with them.
Each Village in Drawn to Life: TNC for the DS was hand drawn by our Art Director, Edison Yan, and animated by the talented Paul Robertson. There is an aesthetic beauty that comes from 2D that can’t be captured in 3D. Following up on the much loved vocal ending theme ‘The End’ from Drawn to Life 1, our composer David J Franco is back with two new vocal tracks in Drawn to Life: TNC the Nintendo DS. I’m proud of our entire development team, and excited to share this true sequel with all our fans. This game, as with all our games, is made for the fans.
Until next time...
- Joe
You can check out an online version of the Drawn to Life Nintendo DS drawing tool over at drawyourhero.com - where you can also win the chance to see your hero up on a billboard near you!
The Drawn to Life franchise was born at 5TH Cell in 2006, from the brain of our Creative Director, Jeremiah Slaczka. The title put us on the map as a Developer, and there is a fond place in our hearts for the Raposa we created, and the world they inhabit. Like most developers, we had ideas for a sequel before we finished development on the first Drawn to Life. That was our first DS title, and there was many development challenges involved which prevented us from developing a game that matched our vision. While extremely proud of the commercial and critical success of Drawn to Life, we still had more to say with the Raposa and innovative and exciting gameplay ideas to share with our fans.
I wrote the dialogue for the Raposa on their first adventure, and oversaw the story development for the sequel. We have many talented designers on the project, and some of them will share their story with the fans over the next few months. Our vision was to grow Drawn to Life in all directions; game play, the character customization, music, and the overall story / world. I think we’ve succeeded, despite some significant challenges. Our Lead Designer Matt Pellicane (who you’ll hear from next month) truly pushed the envelope with the game design.
While an action-adventure platformer at the core, the story of Drawn to Life: TNC for the DS is a labor of love by all involved, and truly fleshes out both the world and characters of the first Drawn to Life. The world of Drawn to Life is a classic tale of our reliance on something bigger than ourselves, and the struggles we face when we try and tackle life alone. Some consider Jowee the main character of the first Drawn to Life, but while writing, I actually based the story around Mari. The story in Drawn to Life: TNC, penned by our Creative Director, Jeremiah, focuses more on Jowee, and by the end of the game, I think both characters have grown to a point that we’re happy with them.
Each Village in Drawn to Life: TNC for the DS was hand drawn by our Art Director, Edison Yan, and animated by the talented Paul Robertson. There is an aesthetic beauty that comes from 2D that can’t be captured in 3D. Following up on the much loved vocal ending theme ‘The End’ from Drawn to Life 1, our composer David J Franco is back with two new vocal tracks in Drawn to Life: TNC the Nintendo DS. I’m proud of our entire development team, and excited to share this true sequel with all our fans. This game, as with all our games, is made for the fans.
Until next time...
- Joe
You can check out an online version of the Drawn to Life Nintendo DS drawing tool over at drawyourhero.com - where you can also win the chance to see your hero up on a billboard near you!
