Titanic II: Orchestra for Dying at Sea explores the unknowable shape and feel of the afterlife

gamedeveloper.com:

This interview is part of our Road to the IGF series. The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. Every year, Game Developer sits down with the finalists for the IGF ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry.

Nominated for the Nuovo Award, Titanic II: Orchestra for Dying at Sea takes players through a journey into the afterlife and the complicated, snarled feelings that surround death.

Game Developer sat down with Flan Falacci, the game's creator, to talk about what they wished to explore in this journey through the afterlife; digging into the connection among horror, wonder, and humor; and the strange process by which playing with fog and background colors lead to this compelling experience.

Who are you, and what was your role in developing Titanic II: Orchestra for Dying At Sea ?

My name is Flan! I’m the designer and developer of Titanic II.

What's your background in making games?

I started making games in 2016 when I transferred into the NYU Game Center. I had no coding or dev experience before that. There, I learned a little bit of everything: programming, level design, 3D art, and how to play-test and iterate. I liked the jack-of-all-trades approach because it allowed me to build full experiences on my own. I’ve mostly stuck with Unity since I’m most comfortable in it.

I got exposed to a lot of interesting and cool games through people I met in school. Since graduating, I continue to make stuff on my own and collaborate with a few friends under the name Big Bag collective.

How did you come up with the concept for Titanic II: Orchestra for Dying At