Criminals Withinis an upcoming action-adventure co-op game set in a medieval fantasy kingdom and developed in Unreal 5 Engine by indie studio Space Rock Games. TheCriminals Withinofficial reveal trailer shines the spotlight on a comedic encounter with its two playable protagonists (Jarel the thief and Helena the royal guard) and dragons. In the trailer, viewers may notice some potential parallels with DreamWorks Animation’sHow to Train Your Dragonmovies, as Jarel hilariously attempts to steal treasure from a massive purple dragon, with questionable success as even more dragons take interest.
There are many video games that use comedy to great effect, whereas others can sometimes try a bit too hard to be entertaining. Game Rant recently spoke with Space Rock Games' Managing Director Zsombor Pirok aboutCriminals Within’s tone of humor and how important comedy is in the game overall. Pirok also explained Within’s inspirations from video gamesand movies, potentially contextualizing the presence and role of comedy in the game.
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Criminals Withins' Inspirations From DreamWorks' Movies
When asked aboutCriminals Within’s key inspirations, Pirok named a mixture of video game and movie inspirations, includingFable: The Lost ChaptersandHow to Train Your Dragon, the latter of which is arguably one ofDreamWorks' best-animated moviesyet. As Pirok explained,
When it comes to the DreamWorks movies, we wanted to provide the same experience with this game as those classic movies did (How to Train Your Dragon,Shrek,Road to Eldorado, etc.), where every part of the family, regardless of age, could have fun. I watched these movies as a kid and loved them, but when I watched them again as an adult, I found all the hidden adult jokes that made my parents, and now me, laugh.
Judging from the kids-friendly movie inspirations listed, it makes sense thatCriminals Withinlooks to be afamily-friendly co-op gamewith comedy elements. Jarel and Helena each possess unique combat abilities and shared ones, and Pirok described how players must work together through two-player co-op to be victorious. It will be interesting to see what comedic momentsCriminals Within’s duo bring to the game, with their contrasting characterization and skill sets, plus how accessible and entertaining the adventure game experience might be for different age groups. However, gameplay footage and images seen so far look promising.
How Criminals Within’s Comedy And Tone Of Humor Meets How To Train Your Dragon
Some of the best and funniest dragon encounters in theHow to Train Your Dragontrilogyinvolve its unique and personality-rich dragons, such as when Hiccup meets and makes friends with Toothless for the first time. Toothless seems to be a fierce and menacing dragon at first but then shows his true colors as a goofy, playful, and lovable creature. Where comedy is one ofHow to Train Your Dragon’s key selling points, Pirok also described comedy as “one of the core aspects” ofCriminals Withinand explained more about the game’s similar tone of humor,
As for the type of humor we are aiming for, I think the best way to describe it is the style classic DreamWorks movies have - probablyHow to Train Your DragonandThe Road to Eldoradobeing the prime inspirations for the comedy. Fun fact, Jarel’s original design was massively inspired by Miguel and Tulio.
Information aboutCriminals Within’s protagonists and dragons revealed so far, like the adorable-looking pug dragon, seem to feature unique designs. However, details about their potential individual personalities remain to be seen, along with how much they and other characters add to the game’s intended tone of humor and DreamWorks' comedy vibes. It will be intriguing to discover more and see how exactly the game incorporates comedy into its approach tofantasy adventure gameplay.
