Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King (Shattered) takes players to a dark, foreboding world ruled by the Demiurges. These powerful creatures turned a once-lush land into the desolate world the players will see before them. Turning it back the way it was will mean facing these beings of incredible power.

Fighting something of that scope should stand out within the game. As such, the developers at Redlock Studio decided to make their boss fights into something completely different, switching their sidescrolling 2.5D action game into full 3D when facing the game's powerful demiurges, as well as in other special moments throughout the game.

"The idea is to change the player's perspective, making them know that they're facing a major event of the game." says Antoine Besnard of Redlock Studio. In changing the way the game plays, as well as the player's entire perspective, the developer hopes to drive home how important these narrative beats are by making it impossible for the player to ignore that something significant is happening. In these moments, the entire game changes.
A Change of Perspective

In the beginning of development, the developer had no plans for the 3D sections. With natural growth in the development team, though, Besnard felt they could take on something a bit more complex.

"Initially, the game was meant to be in full 2D. Easier to make for the small team we had at the time, this would have allowed us to make the most of our conce...