Last March, I discussed the collaborative Midgar Special Pack DLC for Final Fantasy VII with the lead designers at FuturLab and PowerWash Simulator. Since then, the game has received numerous cross-platform content and feature updates, as well as additional paid DLC packages. The latest one is PowerWash Simulator – Alice’s Adventures Special Pack, based on Alice in Wonderland. If you haven’t figured it out yet, read Sean’s comment. I also reviewed the Warhammer 40,000, Midgar Special Pack, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Back to the Future DLC packs. I had the opportunity to work with Alex Dawson (Senior Artist at FuturLab), Dennis Morgovan (3D Artist at FuturLab), Antony (Ant) Lingard (Senior 3D Artist at FuturLab), Laura Fontaine (3D Artist at FuturLab), and Nick Peacock (Concept for FuturLab Artist) discusses the latest DLC releases, lessons learned from past packs, dream collaborations, coffee, and more.
TouchArcade (TA): It’s been over a year since I interviewed FuturLab about PowerWash Simulator. How, if at all, has the development team changed since then?
Dennis: What a big change! We’ve expanded almost every department in the company – and we’re excited to have more people working and developing games together!
face: One of my favorite aspects of this game is the surprises each DLC pack brings. It usually involves IP we don’t want to see in the game. How did the team decide to develop PowerWash Simulator – Alice’s Adventures Special Pack?
Laura: Some of us in the studio are big Alice fans because some of us grew up reading the book. Alice in Wonderland also provides us with an opportunity to explore open IP, and we thought it would be fun to explore different things in the world of PowerWash Simulator.
face: The bag has been well-received in my own circles and seems to be doing the same online. What lessons have you learned from past DLC packs to ensure PowerWash Simulator – Alice’s Adventures Special Pack is as good as possible?
Ant: We learn a lot about what players like and don’t like, which helps us plan our levels and improve our workflow. One thing we want to focus on is reducing the “busy” parts, which is achieved by optimizing the number of frustrating models to clean up in each level. Finding a balance between challenge and fun is always a topic of discussion because ultimately our goal is to provide a relaxing experience.
Alex: We also improved the comparison between dirty and clean models. Making dirt look even better, the final clean model looks super pristine – we find that high contrast makes for an ultimately satisfying presentation.
face: Is there any extra behind-the-scenes work that went into this DLC compared to the previous DLC?
gap: While our previous special packs focused on faithful recreations of iconic and established worlds, our approach to the Alice Adventures special pack is to create our own interpretation of the world in the books.
Ant: Nick created concepts for each location, single asset and world we wanted to create. This gave the 3D art team a good basis for how each level would look. Of course, we are creative people, so a personal touch is always encouraged!
face: What-if: If there were no financial or licensing constraints, what game IP and movie IP would you like to bring into the world of PowerWash Simulator?
FuturLab: Great question! Yes, let’s get started!
- Nick – Movie: Ghostbusters, Game: Rayman Origins.
- Dennis – The Movie: The Lego Play Movie, The Game: Warhammer Fantasy.
- Lara Croft – Movie: Silent Hill, Game: Dofus.
- Alex – Movie: Jurassic Park, Game: Resident Evil.
- Ant – Movie: The Fifth Element, Game: Control
face: Has the team done any additional optimization work on the game on Switch and Steam Deck over the past few months?
Alex: Optimization is always something we work on. Since different platforms have different specifications, there is never a “one size fits all” solution. As the game evolves, so do our tools and artists.
face: What games have you been playing lately and what is your favorite game so far in 2024?
Future laboratory: Oh, this is fun!
- Nick – 2024 Hades 2 game (so far), currently playing Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart.
- Dennis – 2024 Elden Ring DLC game, I’m currently playing Dread Delusion
- Laura – I haven’t played too many 2024 games, but I’m currently playing Once Human!
- Alex – The game for 2024 is Crow Country and currently playing Stray.
- Ant – My game of 2024 (so far) is Pacific Drive, and I’m currently playing Parasite Eve 1.
face: I’m excited to see PowerWash Simulator release a Monster Hunter DLC pack that lets players clean up the game’s giant, life-size monster statues. Not really a question, just an expression of interest in seeing a Monster Hunter themed DLC pack.
Dennis: We can tell you that the folks at the studio strongly agree with you!
face: Do you like your coffee?
Ant: Black coffee from the cafe first thing in the morning.
I’d like to thank Alex Dawson, Dennis Morgovan, Antony (Ant) Lingard, Laura Fontaine and Nick Peacock from the PowerWash Simulator team, as well as Maddie Chase from fortyseven communications for their time and help.
You can follow all of our interviews here, including our recent interview with Capcom’s Shuhei Matsumoto on Marvel Vs Capcom, here, Santa Ragione, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman on PH3 and Falcom, here, M2 discussing shmups and more Wait, here we are, Digital Extremes for Warframe Mobile, Team Ninja, sonic dream team, Hi-Fi Audio Sprint, remorse, and more. As always, thank you for reading.
