Hazelight Studios is a developer known for making games that require two players to work together to complete them. Recently, the studio shared a few details about how it created A Way Out on a budget, using the tools and people it had rather than blowing its budget.
A Way Out is a visually stunning game with incredible scenes similar to those in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise. Surprisingly, the game’s motion capture was done with whatever equipment the studio could find, and all the actors were members of staff who were also working on building the game. This was done because the studio didn’t have the budget for the top-spec motion capture equipment, but it shows just what you can achieve when you work within your means.
A Way Out‘s motion capture might have been basic, but it shows how much passion went into making the game
Hazelight Studios recently posted a behind-the-scenes video on Twitter detailing how some of the scenes in the game were made using basic motion capture equipment and members of staff from the office. I think it makes the game look even better, considering that we’re used to being shown motion capture warehouses with professional actors playing the roles of every character.
To put this into perspective, The Last Of Us was released for PS3 in 2013. The motion capture process for that game looks much more sophisticated than what Hazelight Studios is using, but A Way Out looks no worse for the basic setup.
My favorite scenes that the developer has shown in this video include studio founder Joseph Fares leaping into the arms of a co-worker and holding onto them for dear life to capture a parachuting scene with a single parachute between both protagonists and the dog attack where it looks like Fares is about to rip someone’s arm off.
Seeing a developer wave their arms around in a motion capture suit to replicate someone splashing water in a stream is so playful that it brings me joy, too. In a way, I believe A Way Out must have been even more of a work of passion than many video games because staff not only worked at their desks to bring it to life but got on their feet and literally threw themselves around to bring the ideas in their heads to our screens.
A Way Out is a fairly unique co-op game that can be played online or at home with someone else. Each player controls their own character, but the story sees them interact in interesting ways as they break out of prison and attempt to restart life on the outside. what makes it stand out is the visuals, the set pieces, and the situations these characters find themselves in as they progress, from fighting a group of thugs simultaneously to leaning on each other to climb all the way up a ventilation shaft.
