Inspiration is everywhere.

Sometimes a colour inspires, or a book, a quote, a person and even a location.

For software developer Duncan and his wife Marina, a writer, it was a visit to Sarawak that sparked an interesting idea for a new game.



"We have been to Malaysia twice. The first time was on holiday and the second time was actually to get married there," said Marina in a written reply to Rojak Daily.

Marina said that the trip was one that the two of them would never forget.

"I guess we loved it so much the first time we visited, that when choosing a wedding venue while facing endless bad weather in the UK, Malaysia seemed an obvious choice."

"A bunch of our friends and family flew out and we had the best time," she said.

The couple also spent their honeymoon in Sarawak, specifically Kuching. 

"Our Sarawak highlights were watching the sunset on the Kuching waterfront, eating delicious local food and visiting the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre."

"Our stay there was way too short though and we're itching to return!"

"That trip to Borneo inspired us to set our story (the game) there, with the rainforest and Kuching providing a perfect backdrop to central events in the game," she added.

A dream turned reality

 

For the last 3 years my husband and I have been working on Sarawak, a text-based narrative adventure game set in Oxford and Borneo. Today, we're delighted to launch the announce trailer. Retweets appreciated!

Wishlist us on Steam - https://t.co/iaRoW7gGZj pic.twitter.com/5Hm2YrfD0e

— Marina Sciberras (@cowleyfornian) April 20, 2020

Marina said that the Duncan and her had worked very hard on 'Sarawak' and the two plan to release it in January 2021.

"Sarawak is a literary mystery game set in Oxford and Sarawak. It is probably best described as a narrative adventure, and gameplay is split between interactive text choices and image-based puzzles," she said.

Other than the location, Sarawak themed designs and local music are also used in the game. 




"The soundtrack (for the teaser) was purchased from a stock music repository and we were really glad to stumble upon it as we thought it fit in very well with our vision for the game."

Marina said that for the actual game itself, they were looking to work with local musicians if possible.

"It would be lovely to work with Malaysian musicians, but sadly we didn't have the budget for the teaser." 

"We're hoping to commissiona local musicians for the game's soundtrack before release," she said.

Years of work

Marina detailed that developing the game was a lengthy process.

"We started just over three years ago now, but that time includes writing the game engine, learning to code (for me), homing in on a visual style and endless re-writes of the plot and puzzles!" she said.

 

This week: early starts and late nights to flesh out the Borneo chapters. Also, finessed the Oxford skyline zoom:#screenshotsaturday #sarawakgame #oxford #indiedev pic.twitter.com/Xkul2KzRlf

— Marina Sciberras (@cowleyfornian) February 1, 2020

As for the actual work, responsibilities are clearly divided among the husband and wife team.

Marina said that she does the artwork and writes the script while Duncan handles the programming and the designing of most of the puzzles.


"It's our first game together so we're still ironing out the best way to work together and use each other's skills. 

"We tend to come up with ideas together, often when we're walking our dog in the forest!" she exclaimed.

Sights from Malaysia

 

It's #screenshotsaturday! A scene from Sarawak, showing the #Kuching waterfront. What do you guys think of the sunset transition? #GameArt #WritingCommunity

Don't forget to wishlist: https://t.co/iaRoW6Z5AJ pic.twitter.com/KKFxpssLoT

— Marina Sciberras (@cowleyfornian) May 23, 2020

Malaysians and specifically Sarawakians will also be thrilled to know that various local landmarks will also be featured throughout the game.

"The second half of the game is set in Sarawak, with a number of scenes set around Kuching landmarks and the surroundings," she said.

 

Also, since #SteamSummerFestival has been postponed by a week, you can now play the free demo from Tuesday 16 June. We're also doing an AMA on Friday 19th. Come talk to us! Details here: https://t.co/krOHjsoaCp

— Marina Sciberras (@cowleyfornian) June 8, 2020

For those interested in updates on Marina and Duncan's progress, you can wishlist it on Steam or follow them via Twitter at @cowleyfornian.

We cannot wait for the game to be released!