French studio Casus Ludi's upcoming game Blanc is an adorable hand-drawn co-op adventure starring two unlikely companions, a wolf pup and a fawn, as they journey home through the aftermath of a snowstorm. Every facet of the game from its colorless art style to the philosophy behind its mechanics is wholesome and intended to bring players of all ages and backgrounds together. The wolf pup and fawn each possess unique abilities that drive the cooperative gameplay, and it can be experienced either through local co-op or online multiplayer from a distance.
In a recent interview, The Best War Games spoke with Florent de Grissac, game designer of Blanc and CEO of Casus Ludi, about the virtues of cooperative gameplay. In his opinion, co-op is particularly engaging since it drives people to work together toward a mutual goal, rather than against one another in an antagonistic way as commonly seen in many of today's predominantly competitive multiplayer games.
Blanc's Co-Op Gameplay Allows Parents and Kids To Work Together
One of the benefits of Blanc's co-op gameplay is that people of varying levels of experience can meaningfully work together to succeed in the game. This truly shines when it comes to friends and family, as developers noticed during testing with gameplay among parents and children. Since Blanc is meant to be experienced by a wide range of people together, it was important for the game's systems to be accommodating.
As we made a game without outstanding difficulty, without violence, this cooperation mechanic made us want to design a game that could make people play together even when they are not at all at the same perspective, relative to games. People that never played video games can play Blanc with someone else that already played and they can enjoy this journey together. We wanted parents and children to work together to play this game, so cooperation was really at the heart of what we designed. One funny thing about the design is that we were thinking "Okay, that will be nice because parents will be helping their children play the game. That would be really cool." But when we tested the game at some events, we witnessed the opposite: young children teaching their parents how to play the game.
This positive shared experience isn't quite as possible in an antagonistic setting like a fighting or racing game, and Blanc's accessible control scheme and game design make it possible for less seasoned gamers to share this journey with their loved ones. It's an ideal type of game for close friends or romantic partners where one player may not be as experienced as the other, and this makes Blanc's Valentine's Day release date particularly timely.
Cooperative Games Like Blanc Are A More Positive Experience Among Friends
Furthermore, de Grissac noted how it's more refreshing to cooperate with friends rather than compete against them, especially since circumstances may lead to certain people in the group having an advantage that ultimately isn't terribly fun or rewarding except for the winner. An emphasis on players working together means nobody in the group is singled out as a loser, and the spirit of cooperation generally leads to a more positive atmosphere among players.
Right now, we are only playing co-op games because it's more interesting. We are not at the stage where we want to compete among ourselves, we know that there is no point in that if someone is tired, they will lose, or if someone is more at ease with this kind of mechanic he will win. Okay, great. Not fun. But I think a challenge that we can face together and overcome through cooperation is interesting and fun. So we play Marvel Champions and 7th Continent and Gloomhaven, Pandemic Legacy, all good games. So cooperation is one of the key messages from my perspective. It's more fulfilling when there is cooperation instead of competition.
Although popular party games like Super Smash Bros or Mario Party can be a good time, the competitive nature of these games can lead to frustrating moments, arguments, and tension. Part of the appeal of tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons is that every player is working together to make it through the campaign, and Blanc taps into this productive relationship between players by offering a wholesome journey with teamwork-oriented puzzles.
Blanc releases February 14 on Nintendo Switch and PC.