We had fun playing 2D horror adventure Clea on Nintendo Switch for our review, so I got in touch with InvertMouse to talk a bit about the game. Come check it out!
PS4Blog: Hi! Thank you for joining us this morning. Can you please help us get started by telling our readers a bit about yourself and your work?
Hello! I am InvertMouse, and I have been developing visual novels and games since 2012 – with smaller, unreleased stories/games throughout the years before that. Storytelling and games are the two things I love the most. I hope to learn how these two elements can be mixed into the perfect blend!
There are a couple of dream projects I am working towards as my skills and experience develop. Clea is yet another important step on that journey.
PS4B: On that note, Clea is out now on Nintendo Switch. What can you tell us about this horror experience?
Clea is a horror experience that features zero jump scares. Enemies roam the halls dynamically in real-time, responding to a player’s every sound. They never cheat with teleports, popping in front of the player with a sudden loud noise. Through tactical play, players will always be able to predict the enemies’ locations, keeping them at bay while solving the mansion’s various puzzles.
While Clea is a survival horror title, it is primarily a test of skills. Depending on the player’s experience level, this is no walk in the park! I hope players will improve from each run, eventually dominating the highest difficulties, mocking even the enemy setups that some may deem unfair.
PS4B: How long did it take to develop the game? Were there any hurdles or challenges to overcome during the whole process?
Clea took around 1.5-2 years to develop. It was quite a challenge to find the right art style for this project. Thankfully, our artist Karousel, who I have worked with for many years, came through yet again right as we were struggling to find the right fit.
There are also many firsts for me. Learning to use Spine for animations – the animations were not created by me, but I still need a decent understanding of tweaks, etc. – first time porting to consoles, and the like.
PS4B: The aptly named sequel Clea 2 is on its way to Steam next year. Any chance we can also see it on Nintendo’s console?
We hope to! While there is no announcement yet, we are working on this daily. Please keep an eye out for news!
PS4B: And now it’s time for us to go. Is there something else you’d like to add before we end this one?
Clea has helped our community grow. I want to thank those who have been there since the early days of Clea, and especially the ones who have supported us well before that. To those who have just arrived, welcome!
I am proud of the friendly community we have formed, and I hope you will enjoy your time with Clea and beyond. My hope is to celebrate/love games together, grow from our experiences through games, and someday pass that knowledge forward.
