INTERVIEW - Quinn K.

Quinn K.

I’m Quinn K., a writer and game developer from Austria. I live in a dream, and I’ve yet to be shown the door to reality. I’ve created three versions of a fan translation for OFF, and worked on a few games of my own, such as the IGF-nominated An Outcry and There Swings A Skull: Grim Tidings. Currently working on a disturbing roguelike RPG called BLANKSWORD.

How did you discover OFF?

I discovered OFF in 2011 as a teenager, via an old, long-extinguished flame from France that I was in a long-distance relationship with. She'd made fanart of the game and I was immediately intrigued by it, and soon, it was in my hands. My French wasn't very good yet at that point, but the game had such an effect on me I moved to translate it to English to show other internet friends right away.

How has it influenced your own work?

OFF has been hugely influential on the character of surrealist imagery and worldbuilding in my stories and games alike. Things often happen not because they make literal sense, but metaphorical sense; enemy and boss designs are exaggerated with a lens of fear.

What is the answer to the 3rd phone puzzle?

I'm not (anymore?) familiar with a phone puzzle in OFF! Which is striking, because I spent more time than most in that game's script. That's scary. Thank you!

Who’s your favorite character?

Zone 3's guardian, Enoch. His dialogue was a delight to translate, and the reveal he gives you as he dies has stuck with me until now, more than a decade later.

What part of the game are you most excited for new people to play?

The Library. I want to see people's reactions to a certain regular enemy in that area (if you know, you know).

What do you think fans of OFF would like about your game?

BLANKSWORD's surrealist sense of world, and the way it adheres to its own, warped rules; the characters, like the Angel of Fatherhood (Dad) and Horizon the Exorcist would likely appeal to OFF fans, too.

How did OFF influence your approach to game design?

I take great care to weave narrative and gameplay together very directly. The same way that OFF's relentless and inescapable combat during boss fights hints at the nature of its protagonist, so, too, do I like making the options a system gives the player have implications on the characters and world.