Developer Mike Bithell is exploring a unique approach to the immersive sim genre with his upcoming game, Vampirium: 1997. Rather than adhering to traditional 3D implementations, Bithell is opting for an "im-slim" design that prioritizes player agency through a simplified interface.
Bithell announced Vampirium: 1997 earlier this month, describing it as a text-based immersive sim that incorporates a menu system, a map for player positioning, and a limited number of 2D images for visual context. This departure from the 3D experiences of his previous work, such as John Wick Hex and Tron: Identity, follows a period of significant change for Bithell Games. Following the underperformance of Tron: Identity, the studio had to reduce its staff, but this also resulted in greater independence for Bithell.
"It is nice to have complete control and to… not have to worry about the absolutely reasonable concerns of major corporations," Bithell stated in an interview. He expressed satisfaction in creating a project that feels personally authentic and allows for open communication about its development. Bithell believes Vampirium: 1997 has "awesome potential," driven by its innovative format. The "im-slim" approach aims to distill the expansive possibility space and player choice characteristic of immersive sims into a more focused, tile-based experience.
Bithell's primary goal is to maintain a simple visual presentation to maximize the depth of player interaction. He elaborated that this minimalist design allows the development team to "massively overinvest in the possibility space." This means that new mechanics or player actions, referred to as "verbs," can be implemented relatively quickly, taking only a couple of days compared to the substantial time investment required for similar additions in traditional 3D games.
While the ultimate success of this design philosophy remains to be seen, Bithell likens the process to "real dieting," emphasizing the importance of streamlining the right aspects of the game. He shared an anecdote about a playtester's suggestion to implement a "push" mechanic, which was then rapidly developed and incorporated. This suggests that, from a production standpoint, the "im-slim" approach is proving effective. The key question now is how players will respond to this novel take on the immersive sim. Vampirium: 1997 is currently available to wishlist on Steam.