Breaking onto the adventure gaming scene four years ago with the popular indie title Barrow Hill, Matt Clark has made a name for himself amongst horror adventure enthusiasts already. At long last, his second game, Bracken Tor: The Time of Tooth and Claw, is now approaching release, and Adventure Gamers tracked Matt down for a chat about what's in store for players who dare enter the haunting Cornish countryside again in his newest endeavor.

Adventure Gamers: Let’s start out with something easy: Who is Matt Clark?

Matt Clark: Hello there! Yes, I am Matt Clark. I create games, under the studio name of Shadow Tor, from a studio perched on the cliff-tops of Cornwall. The games are inspired and set in the area, meaning I get to represent one of the most beautiful, and eerie, areas of England. Bracken Tor is my second game, following the 2006 archaeology adventure known as Barrow Hill - Curse of the Ancient Circle.

AG: What made you decide to start making adventure games? And why a horror game in particular?

Matt: Ha! I don't make horror games. I prefer to write 'supernatural adventures'. I associate the word horror with games like Dark Fall - Lost Souls, Silent Hill and Doom, where blood and monsters provide the chills and thrills. Instead, gamers should expect an eerie, mysterious puzzle-solver, with a strong story and plenty to interact with, and, of course, to explore!

AG: Did you experiment with game design at all prior to Barrow Hill, or did you jump straight into a full-fledged adventure as your first project?

Matt: Well, I did dabble a little before creating the first game. I created several mods, add-ons and levels for RPGs and FPS games, back in the 1990s. It was a fun excursion into games, but my aim was always to create some form of adventure title, as I am a huge fan of that genre. Working with other indie devs, in 2001, convinced me it was time to give a full blooded adventure a go, so I started thinking up what sort of world I wanted to create, and what kind of story I wanted to tell. I've always had a deep interest in archaeology, especially ancient stone circles and monoliths, which still fascinate today. With story and tone in place, it was time to get stuck in, and make my first full game.

AG: Barrow Hill seemed to be generally well received in the adventure community. Were you surprised at all by any of the reactions to the game, either publicly or critically?

Matt: Absolutely. It's always a nice surprise to find you've entertained other people. After the release I was especially pleased to learn how the game had inspired others to create their own adventure games. That's a great thing to know. It means that Barrow Hill was played, enjoyed, and discussed. This is probably down to the content and story of the game. Opinion about ancient sites is constantly evolving, with each new dig, discovery and theory. In writing a stone circle thriller, you have to imagine all sorts of new things, to help formulate your own theories and present them as truth. Quite a few gamers have written to me to discuss those ideas further. It has been especially interesting to hear from people from other countries, as they have wildly different interpretations about the Bronze Age landscape, its legacy and the role those places play to this day.

AG: What lessons did you learn from the first game that you’ve been able to apply to your new game, Bracken Tor?

Matt: To include more magic and mysticism, to really make the landscape feel alive, sentient and wise. The first game featured some definitely eerie places, which had to be discovered later in-game. They were puzzle locations, where unexplainable events took place, with no readily available explanation. But the second game has an atmosphere, an eerie atmosphere, right from the start. The moorland setting helped a great deal. The moorlands of the South West have featured in classic fiction, like The Hound of the Baskervilles, creating a moody, misty world in which time stands still. Pretty much every strange phenomenon, from ghosts and monsters through to UFOs and time travel, has been witnessed or experienced out there, in that great wilderness. Whether those sightings are genuine, or imagined, seems not to matter, as most would agree that the place 'feels' as if anything could happen. Capturing that mood, that sensation, was my great aim with Bracken Tor.



AG: This adventure deals with sightings of mythical beasts. What made you interested in making a game about that?

Matt: I wanted to create a world in which those sightings are a reality, and allow the gamer to get to the bottom of the mystery. Thousands of sightings are made each year on the Cornish moors. Everything from exotic big cats, like panthers and leopards, to creatures which defy identification. Strange creations such as dragons, basilisks, giant serpents and wild men! Seriously. As a skeptic, with a strong appreciation of archaeological fact, I thought it would be exciting to explore theories of what these creatures may actually be, or at least invent a scenario where they could be explained.

AG: What more can you tell us about Bracken Tor’s story?

Matt: The game opens upon the moor, the sun has set and dusk has fallen. It is the night of the Winter Solstice, an important night in the pagan calendar, and the longest night of the year. You play a journalist, sent out into the wilds of Cornwall to photograph the Beast of Barrow Moor. This legendary creature has been glimpsed many times, but has never been photographed. Your editor is convinced you are the right person for the job, and the Solstice is the night to see the 'things' that we dare not think of.

Pitching your tent near an ancient burial chamber, hidden beneath the Bracken Tor, you proceed to set up surveillance equipment across the darkening landscape. You won't have to wait long for your first sighting…which you'll hope is your last. For the Beast of Barrow Moor is no big cat, or half imagined nightmare. It is real, feral, hungry and desperate. Slipping back and forth between the now and the time of tooth and claw, you will discover the origins of the beast. Just make sure you make it back alive, and in one piece. History has a way of hiding the truth, especially in a place that hasn't changed for thousands of years.

AG: What sorts of research did you do to prepare for this game? Strictly academic or were there any overnights in the woods?

Matt: Yes! I spent a very spooky night on the edge of the moor, hidden amongst the pine trees with the guys and girls from the M.B.R.G (Mysterious Beasts Research Group). They got in touch, a year or so ago, after I made enquiries about 'sightings' in the local newspapers. Of course, I did expect to hear from a few 'eccentric' locals, but I could never have imagined a night of night-vision surveillance, animal tracking and strange phenomena. I've been camping before, many times, but never on the moor. It's a different experience altogether.

The place is weird; dark, damp and timeless, like something out of The Lord of the Rings. Yes, Fangorn Forest springs to mind. You really do understand how badly suited we are, as a race, to those environments. Squinting at fuzzy, distorted night-vision footage, transmitted from distant remote cameras really brings across just how little we know and can sense in that nocturnal world. I found myself, on many occasions, wondering what was watching back from the pitch blackness. What would happen if the scenario was changed, and we became the prey? There are lots of moments such as that in Bracken Tor. The research trips were spooky, but they really helped me create the mood I wanted for this game. Now gamers can experience that too!



AG: Will Bracken Tor use the same presentation as Barrow Hill, or will there be some changes this time?

Matt: It's tricky designing a sequel. Change too much and you'll alienate the existing fans, or change too little and you'll get bored during the creative process. I'm not really one of those studios that is happy to wheel out the same experience, year after year. So, I took a good break from Barrow Hill, and thought about what changes I would like to see.

For one, the game engine has been changed. I am now using the Wintermute Engine (used by Darkling Room for The Lost Crown, Lost Souls) which allows the creation of better, more fluid puzzles and interaction. It IS a game engine, after all, rather than a multimedia tool. It means I can style the game with greater ease, and provide more kinetic elements. There are no static scenes in this sequel; weather, light and magic have been included to bring the game-world to life.

And secondly, there are LOT more puzzles. I love puzzles. They are the reason I like adventure games, and the reason I make them. Bracken Tor is a first-person game, and I always associate puzzles with that presentation. You see the world through your own eyes, as you are playing the lead character. That means conversation puzzles are less vital, but some challenge must be included. Most of the puzzles in Bracken Tor are self-contained, meaning you will know when you've found one and the clues are nearby.

AG: This isn’t a sequel to Barrow Hill, but is Bracken Tor in any way related to the events of the first game, or does it stand completely alone?

Matt: It is a stand-alone experience, as you can get too bogged down in continuity and self-referential humor. I liked the idea of setting a game, and creating a scenario, that can sit alongside the events seen in Barrow Hill. Obviously, fans of the original game will spot some references, which will both amuse and enlighten, but for the most part it's all brand new, and exciting!