In an exclusive interview with Gamelevate, Ciro Camera, Co-Founder of Imaginarylab, shared the creative journey behind their latest project, Whirlight – No Time To Trip. The idea originated three years ago during a brainstorming session with the founding team. They combined elements like time travel, quirky concepts, and the story of an unlucky inventor.
Building upon their previous success with Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bonetown, Imaginarylab aimed to create a more intricate and engaging point-and-click adventure, refining mechanics based on user feedback.
Drawing inspiration from classic animation studios and iconic adventure games, the team designed a whimsical and evolving world that reflects the protagonists’ journeys and imaginative storytelling.
What inspired Imaginarylab to develop Whirlight – No Time To Trip, and how does it build upon your previous work, like Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bonetown?
About three years ago, the founding team—Massimo, Davide, and I—were having a brainstorming session about potential game ideas. During that call, Massimo came up with the concept of an inventor, a brilliant yet hopelessly unlucky character, whose misadventures form the core of the story.
I was leaning more towards the idea of incorporating time travel, while Davide kept suggesting these quirky, off-the-wall concepts. That conversation became the seed for Whirlight. We took all those initial ideas, merged them, and developed them into what Whirlight – No Time To Trip is today.
The game shares similar mechanics with Willy Morgan, as both are point-and-click adventure games, but Willy Morgan was designed to be an entry point for players new to the genre. With Whirlight, we wanted to offer something more complex, appealing to a wider audience, including experienced players.
We also learned a lot from the feedback we received on Willy Morgan. Before diving into the development of Whirlight, we took time to focus on the user feedback from Willy. We crafted a more intricate story and designed the game with more depth and longevity, making it a richer experience overall.
The game seems to have a whimsical and imaginative world. What were some of the key influences behind the art style and setting of Whirlight?
We wanted the first part of the game to feel surreal, reflecting the mental state of Hector, one of the two protagonists, who’s struggling with creative block. You find yourself in a completely grey room that mirrors Hector’s frustration.
As the game progresses, the world becomes more colorful and vibrant, symbolizing his search for a new idea. Spoiler: since it’s a dream sequence, we wanted it to be a little strange, with elements drawn from various influences and reimagined in a dreamlike way. You’ll notice nods to Twin Peaks, Naruto, Stairway to Heaven, and many others.
When Hector wakes up, the setting shifts to a more grounded environment, heavily inspired by real-world locations like Venice and Burano, but still maintaining a playful, cartoonish look. For the art style, we took inspiration from the classics—Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Blue Sky—along with the geometric and exaggerated design seen in old-school adventure games like Day of the Tentacle and Sam & Max Hit the Road.
This blend of vibrant environments and quirky designs is key to the whimsical tone we aimed for in Whirlight.
In terms of gameplay, how does Whirlight – No Time To Trip differentiate itself from other point-and-click adventure games?
One of our main goals was to simplify the gameplay mechanics. With Willy Morgan, we noticed that using the right mouse button could sometimes complicate the solving of certain puzzles. So, for Whirlight, we streamlined the controls so that players can do almost everything with just the left mouse button, without missing any key plot points.
This makes the game more intuitive while maintaining the depth of the story. We also put a strong emphasis on alternating between characters. In Whirlight, you’ll play the first part of the game as Hector and the second part as Margaret.
After that, you’ll have the ability to switch between them. Each character has unique abilities—Hector can do certain things that Margaret will need to finish, and vice versa. This dynamic interaction between the two characters adds an extra layer of complexity and strategy to the gameplay.
Can you share more about the narrative and themes explored in the game? What kind of journey can players expect to embark on?
The game begins with Hector, one of the protagonists, struggling with inventor’s block. To overcome it, he decides to pursue an idea that came to him in a dream. From there, the story takes off into a series of incredible and unlikely adventures, starting in Verice Bay but eventually expanding across both space and time, as Hector teams up with Margaret, the other protagonist.
However, this isn’t just a space-time adventure. Along the way, players will meet a variety of characters, each with their own stories to tell. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with these side characters and influence their personal journeys, shaping secondary events in meaningful ways.
The narrative is a mix of wild, imaginative scenarios and deeper moments of connection with the world and its inhabitants. It’s a journey full of surprises, creativity, and a lot of heart, blending humor and emotion throughout the game.
Imaginarylab has a reputation for intricate puzzle design. How did you approach crafting the puzzles in Whirlight to challenge players while keeping the experience fun and immersive?
Our process always begins with sketching out each puzzle on paper. But the real evaluation happens once the puzzles are implemented and rigorously tested.
It’s crucial that the logic behind the puzzles is solid—if a puzzle feels complex because it lacks clear reasoning, it’s not going to work. However, if it’s challenging but logical, that’s when it hits the mark for us. We also think it’s important to balance the difficulty.
Some puzzles can be easier, and that’s okay, but if everything were too simple, the experience would become repetitive—just a series of “use item here” tasks. We aim to create a mix that keeps players thinking but also engaged in the story.
When players solve a puzzle, it should feel rewarding, both in terms of the challenge and how it ties into the progression of the narrative. That sense of satisfaction is key to maintaining the fun and immersion throughout the game.
What challenges did the team face when designing the characters and interactions within the game’s unique world?
One of the most intriguing aspects of the design was the dynamic contrast between our two main characters, Hector and Margaret. Hector is a brilliant but socially awkward scientist, while Margaret is a free-spirited artist who, surprisingly, tends to be more pragmatic and precise than Hector.
The challenge was finding the right balance between Hector’s genius and recklessness and Margaret’s practicality and grounded nature. This balance is crucial to their interactions—when one character faces a problem, the other steps in with innovative ideas or solutions, each staying true to their distinct traits and ways of thinking.
This interplay adds depth to the gameplay and makes the characters’ relationship more engaging. On top of that, designing puzzles that unfold across different timelines was quite complex.
We had to carefully consider the consequences of cause and effect, ensuring that actions in one time period logically impacted events in another, all while maintaining the flow of the story and keeping players immersed in the game’s world.
How did you balance humor and storytelling in Whirlight to create a cohesive and engaging experience for players?
From the very beginning, we envisioned Whirlight as a humorous and lighthearted project. There’s always a subtle vein of humor running through the game, even in moments that could feel more tense or challenging.
We didn’t want the game to be too dark or overly serious—the goal was to ensure that players are constantly having fun, no matter the situation.
What new gameplay mechanics or systems did you introduce in Whirlight compared to your previous titles?
Compared to Willy Morgan, we’ve definitely streamlined the gameplay to make it more accessible. One of the key new features we introduced is the ability to play as two different characters, Hector and Margaret, each with their own unique abilities and perspectives. This adds a new layer of strategy, as you’ll need to switch between them at various points to solve puzzles.
Additionally, we’ve expanded the game’s scope by incorporating multiple timelines. Players will interact with different time periods, and their actions in one era can affect outcomes in another.
This dynamic makes the gameplay more intricate and adds depth to the puzzle-solving, as players must consider the cause-and-effect relationships across time.
How important was player feedback from your previous games in shaping the development of Whirlight – No Time To Trip?
Player feedback was absolutely essential. As we mentioned earlier, we started by carefully analyzing the feedback we received on Willy Morgan, especially the negative comments.
We wanted to address those areas and improve the overall experience. We also remain highly attentive to player suggestions throughout the development process.
Before launching the demo, we had players test Whirlight, and based on their impressions, we made several adjustments. The work is ongoing—since the demo’s release, we’ve been closely monitoring user feedback and have already made a number of changes to improve the game.
It’s a continuous process, and player input plays a huge role in shaping the final product.
Are there any exciting post-launch plans, such as additional content or expansions, that players can look forward to after the game’s release?
At the moment, Whirlight is designed as a complete story that starts and ends once players finish the game. However, we’re not ruling out the possibility of additional content down the line—though that would require careful consideration and planning.
We want to make sure any new content would fit naturally within the world we’ve created. After the game’s release, our main focus will be on porting Whirlight to various consoles. Once that’s in place, we’ll explore the idea of adding extra content, but for now, the priority is delivering a polished and engaging experience across platforms.
