We’re currently working on a review for Far From Noise on PlayStation 4, so we got in touch with George Batchelor to talk about the game’s development for Sony’s home console.
PS4Blog: Welcome to PS4Blog.net! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers and tell them a bit about yourself and your work?
Helloooo. I’m George, a 24-year-old game making person from Manchester, currently living in London. Far from Noise is my second independent release after my dog speed dating game Hot Date a couple of years back. I tend to make things that are a bit of a mix of the light-hearted and introspective sides of life. With talking animals.
PS4B: You’ve released Far From Noise on PlayStation 4. How would you describe the game to someone who’s never heard about it?
I have! So, Far from Noise is a story set on the edge of a cliff in an old withering car. You’re trapped balancing on the edge of said cliff, and all you can do is talk. You talk with yourself, trying to figure out how it happened, what to do now everything’s at the end. Eventually, you’re met by some welcome (and not so welcome) companions as you discuss what it means to balance between life and death. It’s a kind of atmospheric experience that asks you to slow down and think a bit about life and… things.
PS4B: How long did it take to complete the game’s development? Where there any hurdles or challenges you had to overcome when working on the PS4 port?
Well, during the day I work at another games company, State of Play, so Far from Noise has been a labor of love in evenings after work for around two years now. I’ve aged two entire years making this! That was one thing, I feel like I changed as a person and a thing-maker over the course of the development, so a lot of the themes morphed over that time.
PS4-wise, it wasn’t too bad actually. I had some fun making the light on the controller fade with the color of the sunset and little things like that. Technically, all things considered, it was reasonably hassle-free. Ignoring the bug where if you completed the game twice in one sitting and opened the settings menu the screen turned upside down. We’ll pretend that one didn’t happen.
PS4B: Now that Far From Noise is ready, what are you currently working on?
I’m still rolling out a few different releases, so I still feel like I’m well and truly sat inside Far from Noise for the time being. I’ve got a tonne of little ideas and things I want to play with next. I’m kind of itching to get started on the next thing, I doubt it’ll be as big, but who knows.
PS4B: And now it is time for us to go. Would you like to add anything else?
BUY FAR FROM NOISE. For real though, my favorite thing about the game is the music and the composer Geoff Lentin just put the soundtrack online, so definitely check that out.
