“We place in the hands of the player the fate, ethics and hardships of a hunted protagonist, the last trace of a clan that is disappearing. Legitimate heir to the Port of Naples, Nina is mainly animated by two feelings, survival and revenge”. Speaking is Mattia Bernatti, Game Designer who followed the project developed by the Turin studio 34BigThings, author of the futuristic racing series Redoutin collaboration with Sandbox and Fandango.
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gomorrah, the video game is an all-Italian product, a visual novella with a strong dramatic narrative system, Mattia explains to us: “The aspect of the game that we consider the strong point is decision-making, the decisions that players are called to make, crucial element for the success of a narrative title with this style. We hope players feel that there is nothing good they can do in certain situations. This is the goal, the mafia works like this. We wanted to work on a story that talks about the struggle of those born in a context connected to the mafia, difficult to escape, therefore most of the choices found in the game have real and harsh consequences”.
The Gomorra video game is not based on the book or on the television series, but is inspired by the world outlined by Roberto Saviano in his work, Mattia tells us: “It will not be necessary to have seen the film or have read the book before, but playing the game will want to do it, and vice versa. Saviano’s book from which our game is inspired may or may not like it, but it manages to recreate a Naples as naked as it is real in the minds of millions of readers around the world. This type of language, almost universal, represents the foundations from which we started to build our research, both narrative and aesthetic”.
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The title of 34BigThings deals with very sensitive issues, especially for us Italians, and he does so using videogame language which could represent a further criticality, Mattia explains: “We are confident about the seriousness we want to convey with this product, which was created with a clear goal in mind. We want to tell a story about the difficulties of those born in a context linked to the mafia, from which it is difficult to escape. So the various decisions in the game are always hard and with concrete consequences. We are trying to express the need to tell a story and raise awareness of a situation that is very complex in Italy”. He continues: “The medium we have chosen has a positive characteristic, interactivity, capable of conveying the sensations we want the user to experience. The player chooses directly and lives his choices in an active way, a very powerful tool to convey strong emotions”
As the main protagonist, the studio has chosen a female character, Nina Miniero, a strong choice to tell a story of the Camorra. “Nina seemed to us to be an excellent subject as she provides the possibility of experiencing the dramatic situations we propose from a singular point of view, that of the spoiled daughter of a Boss. In the story there will be moments in which we will also show Nina in another aspect, that of a young girl like many others. Element that enhances the player’s attachment to the character and consequently to the entire gaming experience”.
In the narration of Gomorrah the various characters have been linked to the protagonist since her childhood, they have seen her grow up or have grown up together, explains Mattia: “These bonds will be explored throughout the story of the game and their relationship is a key element for the resolution of the whole narrative arc. We are also proud of the replayability we offer with eight different endings”.
Mattia continues: “The choices made by the player will lead to one of the eight endings, but there are also choices that are less relevant to the progress of the story but important for the evolution of the ethical sense that we are going to create in the players”.
The 34BigThings project was created to generate a high emotional involvement on the part of those who use it, it is a duty to take responsibility for dealing with the theme and the context with due ethical shrewdness, explains Mattia: “The choice of a subtly cartoonish tone it’s what can make a tense, violent, and very black entertainment experience easily digestible to a wider audience. We are trying to reach as many people as possible with a story that needs to be told as much as it is understood and feared. The intersection with the world of comics has been able to respond coherently and completely to the needs of Gomorrah, and the hands of Luca Negri they did a very good job”.
In the criminal universe of Gomorrah, especially if we think of the television series, the soundtrack plays a very important role, transporting this evocative element into a video game can be difficult, Mattia tells us: “Since the title was also created for mobile devices, the theme of the music was a difficult process in the development phase because we wanted every player to enjoy it in the same way, regardless of the device used. The music of Gomorrah it helps to convey emotions in the player according to the phase of the game, accompanying and never disturbing the reading”.
The videogame Gomorrah is available for PC, via Steam, mobile devices, iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) at a cost of 2.99 euros. The title is multilingual and localized in Italian.