Roy van der Schilden, narrative designer and business director at Wispfire, reflects on a feeling of hopelessness in the face of endless conflict. "You look at the news and you’re like, ‘Another pointless war, another pointless bloodshed, another pointless genocide.’ And that can make you a bit hopeless." This sentiment resonates with the protagonist of the studio's upcoming game, Red Kiss—a vampire navigating a blood-soaked Cold War Berlin.
Gameplay and Setting
In Red Kiss, players start as a human inhabitant of Cold War Berlin, trying to endure the conflict outside through partying, journaling, and activism, yet feeling empty. When offered a new life of power and purpose, the choice is clear. Van der Schilden notes, "I think a lot of people who create vampire games feel the anguish and the melancholy of the genre. Like, how to deal with your feeling of justice in an unjust world."
This tactical narrative RPG plunges players into a fictional 1980s Berlin by dispatching vampire agents to its fractured streets. These agents serve as the player's eyes and ears, seeking clues, building reputation with city factions, and quenching their bloodthirst. Similar to last year's superhero caper Dispatch, players encounter opportunities around the map, each with specific requirements, using a skill-check system tied to six character skills. The challenge lies in selecting the right vampire for the job while managing their energy, money, and blood supply.
Character Depth and Technology
The vampires under the player's command are the heart of the experience. Their backstories are progressively unveiled through personal missions, where players learn about their pasts and struggles. These moments allow players to enact change and share purpose with others, determining how their stories resolve. Wispfire emphasizes the cast with hand-drawn portraits, voice acting, and motion-capture (mocap) animation using Live2D, a software commonly used by VTubers to animate virtual avatars during livestreams.
Art director and animator Aïda de Ridder explains the limitations of the tech: "With a mocap character for 3D, you usually can move your entire head. There’s something stuck to your face and it moves with you, right? We have a static phone, so we have to make their performance more centred. There is a limit to the range of movements." To make models feel "animated," performers must exaggerate their facial features, a technique Wispfire is familiar with from their background in interactive theatre. As Van der Schilden says, "It’s harder to see for people in the back if you do a muted performance."
Queer and Dark Lens
Vampires shine when they have strong personalities and distinct looks. In Red Kiss, intersecting elements give characters power and purpose, all funneled through a queer and dark lens—like the best vampire stories. Van der Schilden explains, "We like queer media, but we, as a team, always felt that a lot of the media was very pink rainbows, happy-go-lucky. We wanted to make a really dark, queer, diverse game. And I think Red Kiss is that." Red Kiss is currently in development for PC, with a release date to be announced.
