Indies

Tribeca Games: Every film that inspired the 8 official selections

This year’s Tribeca Festival features 8 indie games. The developers have revealed which films influenced their games.

by Giovanni Colantonio

Tribeca Festival 2021 features a first for film fests: Indie games will be present as “Official Selections.” Attendees can go hands-on with eight games, including Twelve Minutes and Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

The developers behind each game shared their influences, including films that inspired their unique visual styles.

Harold Halibut

Developer: Slow Brows

“Harold Halibut had so many influences, from the classical Czech animation films, Aardman Animations’ Wallace & Gromit, Wes Anderson, ‘90s sci-fi-fantasy films like E.T. or The Abyss, Pixar, Wong Kar-wai, Japanese cinema and animation.”

- Ole Tillmann, Art Director at Slow Brows

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Developer: Ember Lab

“Our time living in Japan exposed us to the works of Miyazaki and other cultural influences that have shaped the themes of many of our independent projects.”

- Josh Grier, Co-Founder and COO at Ember Lab

Lost In Random

Developer: Zoink

“The macabre, beautiful, and highly visual Kingdom of Random was inspired by the works of those such as Shaun Tan, Tim Burton, and Alice in Wonderland.”

- Klaus Lyngeled, CEO and Creative Director at Zoink

NORCO

Developer: Geography of Robots

“NORCO draws from a wide range of sources: Southern Gothic authors such as William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, or Cormac McCarthy, and many urban theorists and environmental justice scholars including Robert Bullard, Eyal Weizman, and Mike Davis.”

- Geography of Robots

Sable

Developer: Shedworks

“French and Belgian artists using the ligne claire style from the ‘80s and ’90s — and movies created by Studio Ghibli like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.”

- Gregorios Kythereotis, Creative Director at Shedworks
Signalis

Developer: rose-engine

“For Signalis, the works of Tsutomu Nihei, David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, and Mamoru Oshii have been a strong influence.”

- rose-engine
The Big Con

Developer: Mighty Yell

“We were heavily inspired by the '90s including Nickelodeon, Ghost World, Monkey Island, Toejam & Earl, and movies like The Wizard, Blank Cheque, Matchstick Men.”

- Dave Proctor, Game Director at Mighty Yell

Twelve Minutes

Developer: Luis Antonio

“Twelve Minutes pulls inspirations from films including Memento, Rear Window, and The Shining.”

- Luis Antonio, Creative Director

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