Stasis is a wonderful looking sci-fi horror game, crafted in the vein of classic point and click adventure games, featuring brilliant art and a deep, yet disturbing story. The game is on kickstarter now, and despite how busy mastermind and extremely talented dev Christopher Bischoff is lately, I managed to snag him for a bit to answer some questions I had regarding the game.

Niche Gamer: For our readers who have not been following your game’s development, can you give a brief overview for Stasis?

Christopher Bischoff: STASIS is a 2D isometric horror game, using classic adventure game mechanics pioneered by Manic Mansion and perfected in the classics like Money Island and The Dig.

NG: The Brotherhood is headed by both Bischoff brothers, how many people are in your studio?

Christopher: Our studio in SA is made up of just Nic and I.

NG: You guys are based out of Johannesburg, South Africa, but are some of your members from out of the country?

Christopher: We have a talented PR guy, John, in the US who is working with us.

NG: How long has Stasis existed, whether it be playable or just in concept?

Christopher: I started working on STASIS in my spare time over  December 2010 and had a playable prototype of one level after a weekend. But it has taken a long time from that initial snippet of game play to get it into its playable state, as it is now.

NG: In the beginning of Stasis you wake as a seemingly injured John Maracheck. Do we get any exposition behind John?

Christopher: John and his family are fully fleshed out characters, with the three of them sharing a special familial bond forged in tragedy. John is more than just an avatar for the player which influences many of his reactions to the world around him.

NG: The Groomlake is the drifting spaceship in which you try to escape from. Just how big in size are we talking?

Christopher: The ship stands just under a mile in length, from stern to bow. She is a big girl!

NG: You describe the ship as a platform for horrific experiments and research, while some of the screenshots are gory already. For the gore-fiends out there, is this an example for what’s to come?

Christopher: I’m a fan of all types of horror, from the horror of B-Grade slasher films, to the subtle implied horror of films like The Human Centipede. STASIS touches on all of those aspects – and revels in them. STASIS may include implied experiments in the shadows to seeing the direct results in brightly lit medical corridors.

NG: Some puzzles are described as spanning multiple rooms, even entire floors. How difficult can the puzzles get, and could you give an example of one, without spoiling anything?

Christopher: I have tried to keep the puzzles logical and make sense in the STASIS world. The puzzles do get challenging with many elements building up on each other, but there is always one key moment where a clue is provided to prompt players in the right direction.

It’s difficult to explain more without divulging too much, but in STASIS you could be expected to fix a generator or start a fire.

NG: The Cayne Corporation sounds pretty evil, despite their role in advancing human technology. Are they more of a parody on today’s corporate machine or a parallel of them?

Christopher: Cayne Corporation isn’t inherently evil, but when an entity grows to that size it’s very difficult to remain completely in the clear. Like most sci-fi, there is an element of truth and reflection on today’s society. I would say that the Cayne Corporation parallels the moral dilemmas of mega conglomerates and corporations.

NG: The time period of Stasis is described as “a time of blurred morality, where corporate pursuit of profit outweigh the rights of the few.” Are there many grey moral scenarios or decisions, and how much weight is put on your decisions as John?

Christopher: John’s main mission is to find his family and throughout his story there will be key points where he is forced to chose between his own moral code and doing what needs to be done to save his wife and daughter.

I think that people have react differently in situations where their family is involved. Bringing in that as a story element really let us push John very far. His, and ultimately your, decisions really are life or death in STASIS.

NG: The events that take place in Stasis happen within our solar system, specifically the planet Neptune – this raises the question of how far into humanity’s future the game happens?

Christopher: Stasis takes place roughly 100 years into our future, where space travel is fairly accessible but the distances between spacial bodies is still seen as extreme. There are no warp drives or folding of space/time, so cryogenic stasis freezing is required for travel.

NG: How much do sci-fi classics like Alien and Event Horizon influence Stasis? Are you staying far away from stuff like Prometheus, that just can’t capture the magic of older flicks?

Christopher: I love ALL Science Fiction, even the more obscure, like Cargo and Dante 01 (exceptional French sci-fi films). Prometheus is a beautiful film to watch where you can obviously see elements of Ridley Scott’s beautiful touch in the film. There is certainly more influence from films of the 70s/ 80s.

NG: I’m getting nostalgic just from looking at the highly detailed art and environments. Are they done purely in 2D?

Christopher: They are all designed in 3D and then rendered into a 2D image, where they’re painted over in Photoshop for additional detail. It’s a painstaking process, but this way I have direct control over all aspects of the image.

NG: How much of a threat are other passengers aboard the Groomlake?

Christopher: Let’s just say that they’re not happy…

NG: Would you consider Stasis a survival horror experience, or just purely horror? I hope I don’t get the purists angry with that accusation.

Christopher: While STASIS certainly has elements of survival horror, one key feature of that genre are extremely limited resources –  STASIS has no real resource management systems.

I would say that it leans towards a pure horror game, with the elements of an extremely vulnerable protagonist, which is a cornerstone of the survival horror sub-genre.

NG: Now that Mark Morgan is on board for music, do you feel the talent behind your team is well-rounded, or are you looking for more collaborators?

Christopher: Musically, I was always looking to have talented composer like Mark Morgan on board. I feel that voice artists are a must. We are looking to make STASIS the best game possible, so bringing on contractors is always on the cards.

NG: Should your kickstarter be funded, would you eventually return to kickstarter for another project?

Christopher: Kickstarter is an incredible platform for building a community of people who have a vested interest in your product. From that point of view, I can’t see a reason why it shouldn’t be an option for any indie developer.

NG: Coming from that, is there ever a possibility for a Stasis 2, or is the game planned as a complete experience?

Christopher: STASIS is planned as a complete stand alone experience, but there is a sequel already planned.

My idea was to be able to provide certain elements in the STASIS that you could recognize in the sequel, but only after playing both games all the way through.

I love finding ‘Easter eggs’ and foreshadowing in TV and film series – so to bring those elements into STASIS is great fun.

NG: Lastly, before we close out, do you have any words for your backers, and for any potential pledges?

Christopher: STASIS is the result of three years’ blood, sweat and tears. It’s an breathtaking feeling to know that there are so many people who have enough faith in the project, and in me, to make it a reality. The best is yet to come.

So there you have it folks – Stasis has met its funding goal but they still need your help to make the game everything it can possibly be. Right now the kickstarter campaign is sitting at around $108K, but there are several stretch goals that can really enhance the experience:

• $120,000 – An extended soundtrack from composer Mark Morgan.
• $140,000 – The Cayne Chapter, a prequel chapter for Stasis that tells the story of the Cayne Corporation.

Plus there can easily be more that are yet to be revealed, should these two goals be met. If Stasis looks awesome to you, dear reader, as it does to me, you should head on over to their kickstarter page and throw your money at Stasis.