Jonas Kyratzes on Alphaland, Collaborating with Terry Cavanagh, and Screenwriting
Jonas Kyratzes is a man of many talents. He’s an avid screenwriter, writing out the plots to both movies, games and stage plays. He’s contributed pieces of writing to several websites, including The Escapist. In the world of theatre, he worked as a set designer, designed props, and also directed for several Chaincourt Theatre Company productions. Most notable among his talents, Kyratzes is an up-and-coming game designer.
Kyratzes’ most recent release was the free-to-play Flash title, Alphaland. Alphaland is a kind of metagame that takes place entirely within a game currently in development, bringing in clever elements like buggy textures and glitches and making them part of the experience. The full review for the game can be found here.
With so much he’s capable of, it’s no wonder that Kyratzes is keeping himself busy. Among his many projects in development are a point-and-click title called The Book of Living Magic, for which he is currently searching for a sponsor. He is also contributing the script to Terry Cavanagh’s upcoming RPG, Nexus City. Finally, he’s focusing on an untitled project about trolls, planning to release it as a full-length commercial downloadable title. With so much on his plate, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Kyratzes had some extra time to answer a few questions about his work, his collaborations, and screenwriting.
IGC: Alphaland is interesting, in that it’s a game set within an incomplete code. Where did you get the idea for Alphaland?
Jonas Kyratzes: There were two sources: the so-called hidden levels of Metroid, which I encountered as a kid, and a test area for Nexus City that Terry made. The latter included a number of NPCs, created only to try out the dialogue system – but Terry had written lines for them in which they wondered about what would happen to them when the actual game arrived. For some reason that made me incredibly sad, and I decided to answer their question.
IGC: What are your overall feelings on Alphaland? Are you satisfied with the final product or is there more you wish you could have done with it?
JK: Very satisfied. It is as it should be.
IGC: One of your first finished projects was The Infinite Ocean, a game you’ve described as a “philosophical sci-fi adventure.” You originally finished it in 2003, but decided to remake it in 2010. What led to your decision to revisit this game?
JK: I’d never been entirely satisfied with my work on that game — particularly with the writing, which wasn’t all it could be. When I decided to start making Flash games, it seemed like a good idea to start with something familiar, so I realized it was finally time to go back to The Infinite Ocean.
IGC: One of the games you’re working on now is a game tentatively called Communist Space Cats of Venus. It’s in its early stages, but what can you tell us about the game so far?
JK: It’s a Catroidvania game, which is a type of gameplay that I really enjoy. As the title implies, it’s quite silly – but not pointless. I think of it as subversion via silliness.
IGC: You’ve also been working on a point-and-click adventure called The Book of Living Magic, but have been hesitant to show anything off until you find a sponsor for it. What can you tell us about this game?
JK: It’s a point & click adventure game set in the Lands of Dream, the same setting as another one of my games, The Strange and Somewhat Sinister Tale of the House at Desert Bridge. Like Desert Bridge, it is very colorful, full of humor and detail – but also quite serious. The story concerns a girl with the terrible name of Raven Locks Smith, who travels to the Mountains of Oddness to find the Book of Living Magic, which she has seen in a dream.
IGC: You’ve collaborated with Terry Cavanagh in the past, making mutual contributions on each other’s projects. You’re both currently working on an RPG project called Nexus City. How did your collaboration with him originally come about and what’s your role in Nexus City’s development?
JK: Actually, he’s contributed to my work (helping me with Alphaland and in many other ways) more than I have to his. Nexus City is our first real collaboration.
Terry approached me about working together because he really liked Phenomenon 32. Originally our collaboration was going to be something small, a Flash game for sponsorship. I pitched a number of ideas, and of course Terry picked the craziest and most ambitious one. But as we worked on it, we realized that this was a huge project, and even more exciting than it had first appeared.
My role in the making of Nexus City is primarily that of the writer. The story, the setting, the characters, the dialogue – those are the things that come from me, though they are strongly shaped by Terry’s feedback. We discuss most aspects of the game with each other, to make sure everything fits together properly.
IGC: Aside from games, you’ve also written screenplays. On your blog, you revealed a screenplay called “Melinoe” about a strange planet. You’ve also written the stories for your own games, like The Infinite Ocean and Phenomenon 32. What are the differences between writing a screenplay for a movie and writing one for a game and which comes easier to you?
JK: It really depends on the game. Screenplays are usually focused on dialogue, but storytelling in games is much more varied. The Infinite Ocean, for example, is full of story and text, but doesn’t have a single line of dialogue. Writing for Nexus City is a lot more similar to writing a screenplay, though it’s important to keep in mind that few games are as linear as a screenplay.
I can’t really say which comes easier to me – each form has its challenges and its rewards. Writing a screenplay allows you to focus a lot more on direct storytelling, whereas writing for games tends to be more of an act of worldbuilding. Neither should be underestimated.
IGC: What advice can you offer to aspiring game designers?
JK: The same advice I have for all artists: take your work seriously. If you’re going to make games, know something about games – but also know about the world. Know about history, about politics, about art and music and film and literature. Have opinions and ideas and something to contribute. If you’re going to speak, have something to say. But don’t confuse pretension with seriousness. Take your work seriously, not yourself.
And be prepared to work really, really hard.
IGC: You have a lot of projects that you’re currently working on, some of which we’ve already discussed. Is there anything else you have coming up that people can look forward to?
JK: There are several things that I’d love to finally share with people — including a novel, several short stories, and much else — but it all depends on factors that are outside my control. Getting one’s work published is not easy.
There are two things that are definitely worth mentioning, though:
The first is a large commercial/downloadable adventure game. I’m not ready to reveal all the details yet, but I can say that it’s about two trolls and their journey across the Lands of Dream. Where my previous Lands of Dream games have been more like short stories, this one will be more like a novel, and I think it will be quite special.
The second is a children’s book, also set in the Lands of Dream, with illustrations by my wife (who also did the graphics for Desert Bridge and Book of Living Magic), that will appear in December. It’ll be in Greek, but who knows – if it’s is successful, it may well be translated.
Beyond that…we’ll just have to see.
IGC: Thank you, Jonas Kyratzes, for taking the time to talk to us.
Those looking for more information on Kyratzes and his projects can find it on his official blog. Indie Games Channel will continue to follow Jonas Kyratzes and his upcoming releases.
