I reviewed Stray Path a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. It’s still part of my rotation, and I’m continuing to work out new strategies for my runs. Recently, I had the opportunity to send in some questions to interview Fan from chx games, the developer of the game, to get some insight into the inspiration behind Stray Path and a slight glimpse at its future.
origins of the game
What was your inspiration in coming up with the gameplay for ‘Stray Path’? I also feel a lot of old-school point-and-click adventure games in it.
The initial idea came from wondering what it would be like if all enemies, events, and other elements were presented as cards in a first-person adventure game. This simple idea gradually evolved into the current gameplay. For example, the cards in the game convey the feeling that their content exists within a scene, such as treasure chests falling on the ground or exits with different appearances in various levels.
Did you encounter any difficulties in structuring the game and deciding how you wanted it to work?
A game with many new concepts will inevitably bring many new rules. For me, the most challenging part was making sure to present the game’s rules in a simple and easy-to-understand way for players.
I loved the enemies that make you use the different items to your advantage rather than attack them straight-up. How was it balancing that?
Each Stray Path enemy has different attributes, such as being defense-oriented or attack-oriented. These attributes, combined with the enemies’ unique abilities, essentially create different enemy builds with distinct combat directions. In each level, we distribute enemies with various types of builds, allowing for different strategies to defeat them.
How did you settle on FreeCell as the foundation of ‘Stray Path’? Is that a game you’ve also spent a lot of time on in the past, or something you just had a light bulb moment about?
It was just a sudden idea for a combination that allows enemy and event cards to continuously change the state of the game in an evolving manner.
The Future of ‘stray path’
Is there a chance of adding new characters down the road or is the game essentially complete minus any patches?
The game will continue to receive updates, including the addition of new characters, relics, and new gameplay features. For example, a new character we plan to update: the Chef. This character will utilize the mechanic of discarding relics to develop some new builds.
So, I think the characters you’ve created have real potential for adventures going forward. Has there been any early consideration towards other games featuring them?
My personal favorite Stray Path character is the assassin. I like their simple and direct gameplay, and I think combining them with some survival ability relics would make for a very powerful character. Your suggestion is a great one, but for now, there are no plans to add the character to other games.
Last but not least, are there any tips for gamers just getting started? Personally, I like to push my attack power and depend on the rat cage to help eliminate enemies.
So, for beginners, the Mouse Cage is a great choice. It can be used in any build. Having a few mice in your backpack gives you a great sense of security.
I’d like to thank Fan for taking the time to answer my questions. Stray Path is available now on PC.
The post ‘Stray Path’: The VICE Games Interview appeared first on VICE.
