Ian Dallas, the innovative founder and creative director of the acclaimed video game studio Giant Sparrow, often finds himself discussing culinary delights, yet his gastronomic preferences mirror his unique design philosophy. āIām always interested,ā he remarked, āin whatās the strangest, new intense experience that I can have.ā This quest for the extraordinary is vividly reflected in Giant Sparrowās latest creation, What Remains of Edith Finch, which stands out as one of the most compelling fusions of narrative and gameplay in recent years.
The game, which unfolds as a collection of poignant stories about a family beleaguered by a mysterious curse in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, originally began as a scuba diving simulator. This transformation highlights Dallas’s remarkable ability to pivot and adapt ideas into something entirely new.
From the initial rough prototype to the polished final product, Dallas was driven by the desire to evoke a sense of the sublime. He tirelessly sought out ways to capture that exhilarating feeling, resulting in a relentless cycle of prototype development. Through the alchemy of artistic endeavor, he and his dedicated team crafted a game that features a unique gameplay mechanic for each narrative, exploring the last day of various characters’ lives. For instance, players may experience a little girl who metamorphoses into a cat, an owl, a shark, and even a fearsome sea monster; in another tale, a man working at a fish cannery spirals into an internal fantasy while engaged with a fish-slicing machine.
Dallas’s approach to project development can be succinctly defined as a commitment to experimentation within established boundaries. He often shares with new team members his desire to encounter ideas that might initially seem unappealing. āIf I donāt see ideas that include some that are just really out there, then weāre not trying hard enough,ā he explained. What may appear unpromising at first can, in fact, serve as the fertile ground for unexpected creativity in the future.
A couple of years after the triumph of What Remains of Edith Finch, in January 2019, Dallas embarked on a new adventure by developing a bird simulator prototype aimed at sparking fresh ideas. His enduring fascination with birds provided the initial inspiration. However, much like his earlier scuba diving prototype, he remained uncertain about the direction this new concept would take him.