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Liberated developer talks mixing comic books and video games

Players are taken on a cyberpunk-meets-noir story of privacy versus security in Liberated, a comic book themed game.

Sam Chandler

June 16, 2020 7:00 AM

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Liberated is unique within the action-adventure genre and it’s all thanks to one thing: it’s set inside a comic book. Developed by Atomic Wolf, Liberated looks to tackle a variety of topics through its story, including human rights and privacy. We recently got to sit down with Poitr Gnyp to talk about Liberated and its beautiful, comic book artstyle.

Liberated developer interview

The unique look of Liberated is thanks to its comic book style. What’s more, this comic book style is entirely hand drawn, which creates an incredibly rich and evocative experience. However, as is the case with anything hand drawn, it makes development rather difficult. Gnyp mentions that while there were a few missions with alternative tasks, they’re not massive shifts that will drastically change the story. However, he does note that another playthrough could result in different tasks for the player to do.

Liberated also seems to tackle big, hot topic issues. One of the major themes is that of privacy and security. In the world of Liberated, governments are invading people’s privacy under the guise of security. It seems as if the story will tell you both sides, and it’s up to the player to workout which one they agree with.

One of the challenges of playing a game that’s set out as a comic book is that there isn’t much room within the frame. To solve this, some of the scenes move within the panel, such as when the player is running for their train or driving a car. However, it was important for Atomic Wolf to ensure that, no matter what, the player always feels as if they are reading a comic.

Interested gamers can add Liberated to their Steam wishlists ahead of its July 2020 release. For more interviews with developers, video game reviews, and guides, make sure you subscribe to the Shacknews and GamerHubTV YouTube channels.

Sam Chandler

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler