Earlier this week, we reviewed Born of Bread, an innovative indie RPG that features a charming storyline, familiar (but entertaining) gameplay mechanics and a sweet hand-drawn art style. It’s definitely a game worth your time, especially if you grew up with anything similar to Paper Mario.
But how does a game like this come together anyway? What ingredients are needed to make the perfect slice of Bread? Luckily, Nicolas La Marche, lead designer of the game, was able to sit down and chat with us about the experience.
So first off, where’d the idea of Born of Bread come from? How did you, ahem, begin making Bread?
After our first project we decided we wanted to try our hand at making an RPG. We sat down and looked at different stellar entries in the genre and decided on a couple titles including of course: Paper mario: The Thousand Year Door. We liked a lot of the mechanics in that game but felt some were underutilized; namely the partners who didn’t have a big place in the story besides their respective chapters. As a result, for Born of Bread, we made it one of our objectives to address that directly.
What would you say was the most difficult thing about its development?
For me, I’d say all the stuff that isn’t actually sitting down and working on the game. The business aspect of things can get tiresome sometimes especially when you need to adhere to a specific schedule. I wish we could have all the time in the world to make the game but we’re not at that stage yet and besides maybe that’s actually a good thing.
Some people will easily see comparisons to the classic Paper Mario games. Did they serve as good inspiration for putting the game together?
Absolutely! We’re such big fans of the classic Paper Mario games it’s no wonder it ended up being the biggest source of inspiration for our RPG. We tried to have charming storytelling, innovative gameplay mechanics, and a unique art style that could resonate with players of all ages just like the series we love so much.
How tricky was it to combine 2D animation with 3D backdrops? Or did it become easy over time?
The animations were relatively easy once we had a solid direction for the art style.What was trickier was the camera. We did lots of testing during the prototyping stage to see what the camera in the game excelled at and what it struggled with. After that, we implemented systems and safety nets to enhance or mitigate these effects.
Let’s talk about some of these inspired attacks. How long did it take to put the battle system together?
Years really. We had most of the combat system done fairly quickly during developpement but when it came down to the minutiae of combat (Ailments, Battle broadcast and some of the battle boons) it took a bit more time. It’s really fun to come up with battle event prompts that are simple but challenging!
Characters play a huge part in this game. Did you develop any particular favorites as the game got bigger and bigger?
My favorite character in the game has got to be Papa Baker. His love for Loaf and his general “dadness” is really endearing to me. Most of the time you only see him in between your adventures and that’s by design. We tried to make it similar to real life, like how most people don’t get to see their parents that often because of work and everything. This absence makes the heart grow fonder and we feel that we successfully captured that in the game as well.
What would you say is the most appealing thing that players will find in Born of Bread?
Hands down it’s gotta be the world and the characters. We have spent a lot of time creating a deep world inhabited by diverse landscapes, ancient ruins, bustling cities, and untamed wilderness. The world of Born of Bread is crafted with meticulous detail, weaving together a tapestry of cultures, histories, and mythologies. As players traverse through this immersive realm, they’ll encounter characters with depth and complexity, each with their own stories, motivations, and personalities.
How many bread puns are in the game, overall? Or is that something you want players to discover?
We’ve kneaded in quite a batch, but revealing the exact number might be a bit too crusty, don’t you think? We’d rather let players discover them all, slice by slice, as they explore our world. Our goal is to butter them up as much as possible. After all, these puns are the bread and butter of our game’s humor!
Reception has been great thus far. If it continues to go well, will you produce a sequel? Will we get a bakery?!
Now that would be telling… Let’s just say, we’ll always have something cooking over here in the WildArts bakery, whether it be a classic recipe or a new and exciting one. Oh, and you better believe it’s going to be tasty! That’s a baker’s promise!
Born of Bread is available on consoles and PC now.
