What makes Fractured Blooms so special? We got the answers from Serenity Forge at Gamescom

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At Gamescom, we had the opportunity to speak with Zsófi Hámori-Gecser, Marketing Manager at Serenity Forge, about their new game Fractured Blooms. After trying out the 30-minute demo, we took a deeper dive into the game’s inspiration, mechanics, and Serenity Forge’s role as both a publisher and development studio. We also touched upon their future plans.

Fractured Blooms is a life-simulation horror game where you play as Angie, a girl trapped in a time loop. Her daily tasks include gardening, cooking, and renovating a dilapidated house. Behind the relaxing surface, the game reveals a profound story that explores themes of psychological stress, grief, and trauma. Each loop involves strategic resource management, while unsettling changes and creepy scenes intensify as the story progresses.

It has been announced that the game will be available for PC via Steam and for Xbox consoles.

How special is this project for Serenity Forge?

The development of this game is very special and personal for our founder and CEO, Zhenghua (Z) Yang, as the story is inspired by real-life events from his family. The goal of the story is to give a voice to quiet suffering and showcase the hidden struggles of trauma. Our mission is to create emotionally powerful games, and this is a perfect example of that.

What does it feel like to work on a game with such a personal and sensitive theme?

It’s an honor to work on this game. We are very careful with the subject matter, but at the same time, we have to be open and honest to convey the message in the right way. We use many different methods to convey the story, including environmental storytelling, as the house you are in begins to crumble and “fracture” the deeper you go into the story. We believe the unique gameplay mechanic, which combines elements of a relaxing gardening simulation with psychological horror, will truly show the core of the game’s message.

Q: Relaxing game genres are not usually combined with psychological horror, are they?

No, that was one of the key things we wanted to achieve at the beginning. We think it’s a very unique feature, but at the same time, it makes sense. However, the relaxing part somewhat disappears the deeper you get into the loop.

Q: The game’s visual style is beautiful. Can you tell us more about the creative process and the team behind it?

Our lead character artist Satchely also worked on Doki Doki Literature Club!, so she has experience with games that look cute and innocent on the surface but are actually quite unsettling and creepy. We also have a fantastic cast, including Nichole Goodnight from Slay the Princess, who lends her voice to our main protagonist Angie.

Can you explain how the game combines the relaxing elements of a gardening simulation with psychological horror?

On the surface, it’s a relaxing gardening simulation where you take care of your garden, prepare meals, and do household chores. However, there’s a time-loop mechanic that forces you to repeat the day. The deeper you get into the story, you begin to realize that the time loop is more of a metaphorical representation of a person’s routine. As you play, you start making small mistakes, and the house begins to change. It’s an interesting way to show the psychological effects of trauma and how they can affect a person’s daily life. We hope that players will feel like they are truly in Angie’s shoes and experiencing her reality.

How do the different gameplay systems, like gardening and cooking, work within the game?

The gardening system is a significant part of the gameplay, and players are required to manage their time and stamina effectively. As you progress in the game, you can unlock new recipes and discover what to plant. We generally drew inspiration from horror classics like Silent Hill, Mouthwashing, and MiSide.

What has been the reception to Fractured Blooms so far?

The game was announced at the Summer Game Fest in June and was one of the top 20 games with the most wishlists. Although the demo currently has cinematic scenes only at the end, the developers plan to add more as the story progresses.

What can you tell us about Serenity Forge?

Our company is headquartered in the US, but many team members, for example those currently at Gamescom, live in Europe. As a company, we have an in-house development and publishing department. For publishing, we work with developers from all over the world. For example, we published the game Long Gone Days in 2023, and the development team, This I Dreamt, is from Chile. We worked with them to release the game on multiple platforms and assist with marketing. Our main team for the game Fractured Blooms (our development team) is located in the US. We like this setup because we learn a lot about different cultures, and everyone brings different perspectives and ideas, which is really beneficial.

Are you working on any other games? How many games are you currently working on?

Within the studio, we have two other games, but they are of a significantly smaller scope. One of them is a relaxing rhythm game with a deep story. All our games have a story, and if it’s emotionally powerful, that’s our mission. The other is an even smaller narrative game, like a visual novel. As publishers, we have five more games to release.

Do you think it’s worth working on smaller-scale projects instead of larger ones?

Not always. We have seen the industry having problems, and unfortunately, many of our competitors have failed. I think it’s key to have a really good portfolio with bigger and smaller games so that we have experience with both scopes. I think that has really helped us to understand what we can expect and what to do in the long run.

Do you have any advice for indie developers?

A: We would emphasize the importance of being open to feedback. We believe a strong portfolio should include both large-scale and small-scale projects, which helps developers anticipate what to expect in the long run.