On March 28th, the open world text-based RPG The Secret of Darkwoods was released on Steam. As its developer, Rap2h, is French, we played with him the questions/answers game and he was kind enough to answer us. So let’s get to know this creator and his game better.
(Version française)
Can you introduce yourself (first name, last name, age, professional background…)? What is your role in relation to The Secret of Darkwoods?
Hello, my name is Rap2h. I have been a web developer for over 15 years, mainly in start-ups, and I have specialized in open-source and public services in recent years. I am the creator and developer of The Secret of Darkwoods.
How did the idea for the game come about? What were your influences for the development of this game?
I played a lot of gamebooks when I was a child. I make music and I am interested in procedural generation. I wanted to create a non-linear gamebook, and I was inspired by two games that left a big impression on me: Daggerfall and Might & Magic 6 (and, of course, the « Fighting Fantasy » books).
What are the features of The Secret of Darkwoods? Its lifespan? Its replayability? In which category can it be classified?
It is an open-world narrative role-playing game. It takes about 4 hours to complete the main quest and 6 hours if you want to explore the world a bit and do the side quests. Some players have played several times, but I think replayability is quite limited.
How did its development go and how long did it last?
I made a prototype in a few days, which I tested in the form of a video on several forums. I received positive feedback, so I decided to go ahead. I spent about 7 months in my spare time, and I think I spent more than 500 hours in total.
How many people worked on it? If so, how did your work with other people involved in the project go?
I am the main author, but I had a lot of help from my friends and family. I also met a writer on Reddit who offered to write 2 quests (they are 2 great quests, by the way). Regarding the music, which is one of the most important parts of the game, I made a call for participation in a Dungeon Synth community, and 8 composers submitted their pieces. I encourage you to visit their Bandcamp site, there are some really great music tracks. I also had help from blind players to make the game accessible.
What tools were used for development?
I coded the game in Typescript with Electron. The images, which I think helped the game gain more visibility, were generated with Midjourney (it’s AI-generated images) with the help of a friend.
You wrote a background. What inspired you?
The main story is a mix of improvisation with a simple general plot created with another friend. There are quite a few references to books or games I liked.
Was the reception good? What was the feedback from people and testers?
Thanks to more than 50 testers, the game was improved throughout its development. The initial feedback was sometimes negative, and it helped me fix the game. Since the release, the feedback has been mostly positive, and the number of people who played or even finished the game has exceeded my expectations.
What is your definition of RPG? What are your favorite RPGs?
I don’t have a specific definition. I like Daggerfall and Might and Magic 6, as you might expect, two very different games that are the two main sources of inspiration for The Secret of Darkwoods. I enjoyed the two episodes of Pillars of Eternity, the side quests of The Witcher 3, and the atmosphere of Legend of Grimrock. Developing an indie game made me want to play many independent games, and I would be happy to receive recommendations! I just started Disco Elysium and Ambermoon. The latter is a huge favorite; I don’t know how I missed it, and I highly recommend it – it’s free! Some screenshots of the game.
Following your intervention on the game not being in French, we understood why you did not translate the game into French. But why didn’t you plan for it from the beginning of development?
Developing and communicating in English allowed me to build a small community that would probably have been even more difficult to build if I had to search only on French-speaking forums, for example. Apart from a few friends, the people who followed the development came from all over the world, and the French language represented a small fraction. Since it’s a small project, I did it as quickly as possible and programmed the game without a translation system.
Why is the game free? We know many games of this type are paid on Steam…
I made this game as a hobby, so I didn’t consider selling it. I also do open source and make music that I distribute for free. I think I like free things. The challenge of creating something without artificially increasing its perceived value with a price seemed interesting to me.
Any last words for the readers? Maybe you have specific things to tell us: about DLCs, projects, long-term plans for the game… or something else?
I haven’t planned to make any changes to The Secret of Darkwoods and I don’t have any other game projects. I loved this experience, and developing a game made me discover many other video games, which made me want to play them, so I’m going to enjoy that.
