A coat shifts as its wearer walks through a rain-darkened town. In Silver Pines, details like that begin with a real performance before an artist draws over the footage frame by frame. Wych Elm's survival horror game is among the titles selected for Xbox's November Indie Selects, announced on November 4.
Published by Team17, Silver Pines launched on October 8 for PC and consoles. Players follow private investigator Red Walker into a remote American town to find a missing musician, navigating a 2.5D world of locked paths, puzzles and limited supplies.
The official Silver Pines launch trailer from Team17.
Project: Silver Pines
Production: Wych Elm / Team17
© Wych Elm AB. Separate editorial reuse permission unconfirmed.
A small team in front of the camera
In a September development diary, Wych Elm explained that its team made costumes, filmed their own movements and drew over the recordings. Artist and studio co-founder Mattias Snygg performed many actions, while teammates and friends provided references for other characters.
Promotional artwork from the official Silver Pines Steam page.
Project: Silver Pines
Production: Wych Elm / Team17
© Wych Elm AB. Separate editorial reuse permission unconfirmed.
The team says the technique preserves small irregularities in movement, clothing and hair. Its 1990s influences include games the developers played on the Amiga, but Wych Elm also added shadows to give the drawn figures a sense of volume.
Building depth from photographs
The environments use a different starting point. World artist Calle Schytt Winberg captured photographic textures, then altered and painted over them. Wych Elm says the game places 2D sprites within a 3D simulation to create depth.
That combination gives the detective's hand-drawn movements a setting with layers to explore. Xbox's selection also highlights the in-game camera, which lets players pin photographs to the map as reminders of puzzles or blocked routes.
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