Meet Cico!
Welcome back to our "Meet the Builders" series, where we delve into the creative minds behind some of the most remarkable room designers in Escape Simulator. Last time we talked with Zesty and now it's Cico's turn!
Today we are putting the spotlight on Cico, who's known for some of the spookiest rooms ever to be created in our in-game Room Editor. Cico is one of the veteran builders from our community, who made the Little Emily series, The Motel II, Grandma's Kitty and many other excellent rooms! Now without further ado, it's time to meet the builder!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into playing Escape Simulator?
Hi, my virtual name is Cico, my real name is Anton, I'm French and I've been playing Escape Simulator since October 2021. Escape rooms have become a passion of mine since my first one in 2015. I've been working in a French escape game for two years now.
For some time I've been looking for a game that would allow me to create my own rooms and share them with other players. Escape Simulator became an obvious choice when I saw all the possibilities it could offer. And it has to be said that in a video game, there's no need to reset the room and tidy up after the players have gone through ahah. ????
What inspired you to start designing rooms in the game?
After creating games and scenarios in real life, I needed a place where I could realise my greatest follies in a simple and inexpensive way, to take my ideas and scenarios from paper to virtual in a simple and intuitive way. When I discovered all the possibilities offered by the game and the constant support of the developers, I was immediately won over. I think it's the steam purchase I've hesitated least to make in the last five years.
You are known to make some very spooky rooms and the name ‘Emily’ even sends shivers down the spines of many Escape Simulator players. How do you manage to effectively scare people every time? ????
First of all, I'd like to apologise to all the Emily's who must hate me by now. ????
I think the most important thing is to focus on the story and the atmosphere. The fear doesn't just come when you're walking down a corridor and something pops up in front of you, but also when you have to open a heavy wooden door, it opens slowly and you have no idea what might be waiting behind it, hiding in the shadows and seemingly watching you for a long time. Playing on phobias, giving "the fear of being afraid" are important elements that give the player a feeling of never really being safe.
That name still sends shivers down our spines...
Out of all the people you managed to scare with your rooms, which one are you most proud of and why? ????
I've been lucky enough to see several steamer or youtube videos on my rooms, and the DisguisedToast and Valkyrae videos are still hilarious moments for me. But I think the people I'm most proud of having scared or impressed are my close friends who test my rooms first and I love seeing their reactions. They know me and they're hard to surprise, so it's always a source of pride for me to impress them.
Can you walk us through your process of creating a room? (you sketch on paper, what tools, how you start)
I usually start by putting my first ideas down on paper. First I think about the theme, the setting and above all the story. Once my ideas are clear, I think about the puzzles that might fit the story and the complexity I want the play to have. It's after these steps that I finally launch the game for some long and exciting hours of construction. I often change everything in the middle of construction, give up and start again from scratch, but I always get the same joy out of writing and designing a room. There's also a whole creation process that takes place on the side, with the images, clues and textures being put in place using photoshop and other software for the sound.
You'll just need to take care of grandma's kitty. What could possibly go wrong?
Even though you are known for your spooky rooms, you also created a bunch of rooms that were more light-hearted in tone like Grandma’s Kitty. In which ways does your process for these rooms differ from your scary rooms?
In reality, it's not so different from the horror rooms. The difference is mainly in the design of the atmosphere. Of course, seeing blood running down the walls of a little grandmother who just wants to feed her cat would be strange…
I like to put little references to my past and future rooms in each adventure.
For me, rooms that don't have a horror theme are always more complicated to design. It's harder to convey emotions, but I like to put a little moment of suspense in all my rooms. Players who have played Grandma's Kitty may remember a little mouse that startled them.
What are some of your favorite rooms you've created so far, and what makes them unique?
It's hard for me to choose but I'd have to say Grandma's Kitty and The Motel II are my favourites. I loved working on Grandma's Kitty with a colleague and friend to design the story and puzzles, it was rewarding to share ideas and design a fun room. For The Motel II it was a pleasure to rework an old room that had appeared in 2021, to revise the atmosphere, improve the puzzles and add the game's new technology. This room also allowed me to try out a new way of telling a story and to work more on the narration.
The Motel II turns a spooky classic into an even spookier place than before!
How do you come up with the themes and puzzles for your rooms?
I find them in my dreams in the morning, by watching films, reading commentaries or talking to players at work. I'm also lucky enough to have a colleague at work who's full of crazy ideas.
What do you think are the key elements to creating a challenging yet enjoyable escape room?
The most important thing is the story, the puzzles and the atmosphere. You have to be able to bring these three elements together for the whole thing to work. You don't want it to be too complicated, but you want to keep it fun and find ways to surprise players. It's also very important to follow players' opinions when publishing the room. Fix bugs (because there are always bugs that you wouldn't have thought of).
What are some tips and tricks you can share with players who want to try their hand at designing rooms in Escape Simulator?
I'd say the most important thing is to take your time and make sure everything is as elaborate as you imagine it to be. Don't rush to get a piece out quickly, but apply yourself, as mentioned above, to the story, the puzzle and setting the atmosphere.
What are some lessons you’ve learned the hard way as a creator for Escape Simulator?
I've learned that most players don't like rooms that are too complicated or too long. In my "Alton Manor" room, I wanted to create a multi-story adventure, but I realized that it was too easy to lose players in the space. I wanted a "difficult" room, and I think I've made the puzzles a little harder than I'd intended. It's a room that will appeal to players who like challenges and long rooms, but will confound players who want a fast-paced adventure.
Can you share any memorable experiences or funny stories that have happened while you were designing or playing your escape rooms?
I'll call this story "the sprinkler sprinkled". After a month-long break from designing a horror room, I'd totally forgotten where I'd put half the screamers in the game. Thinking I'd deactivated them, I launched the simulation on the editor and screamed every time a little girl called Emily appeared. I ended up removing the sound and elements from the game for the day, so that I could continue working on the room.
What are some of the nicest reactions or interactions you’ve had with people who played one of your rooms?
I love watching streams of the game and I'd say that any time I can interact live with players in the room is a fun interaction. I also love to see my friends testing my rooms live on discord, it gives me immense joy and pride to listen to their reactions. Their laughter, their comments or their shrill cries (I'm sure they'll recognize themselves reading this)
What do you feel has been your greatest ‘Escape Simulator accomplishment’ so far?
I don't know... maybe I'll say this interview and all the comments I can read on steam and discord. It's always a pleasure to know that we've been able to bring emotion to players, that we've made them laugh, that we've scared them, that we've made them think for a long time about an enigma or that we've allowed them to have a good time with friends.
Are there any features you would like to see added to the room editor in future updates?
There are three features that interest me more than anything else. The first, for me, a fan of horrific rooms, would be a controllable flashlight that would make it possible to create truly dark rooms where only the player could light up, and give us, the sadistic room designers, the possibility of turning it off or making it blink in the worst (or best) moments of the adventure. The second, more open, would be the possibility of adding short videos, and the last, which is close to my heart, would be to add a translation tool that, depending on the version the player has chosen in the settings, would display a different, translated texture or sound, as with the clues, for example (as I am currently trying to do in my rooms but in a way that is more accessible to everyone).
Are there any other room designers in the game whose work you admire or draw inspiration from?
I confess that I don't play much in the workshop room, but rather enjoy designing them. In the few rooms I've been able to play alone or with friends, I've enjoyed Robin's Immortal Canvas, Zesty's The Devilish Diorama and namo_krub's Karakuri Castle. This game is full of talent and people with overflowing imagination to create more and more surprising rooms.
What are your future plans for designing rooms in Escape Simulator? Do you have any big projects in the works? ;)
I've got a LOT of projects on the go, room redesigns, rooms already teased on the network (Pirate, Magic...) and I'm gradually making progress on the rooms I'm happy with. But I'm happy to announce that I'm working on an even crazier Grandma's Kitty sequel, and an even more disturbing The Motel room continuity. I'm also working on a "tutorial" room with assets for new players wishing to start creating rooms.
Among all these rooms, I'm planning to release a big project that's particularly close to my heart, a room that's got nothing to do with what I'm used to releasing until now. It will be not only a room, but also an immersive experience that will play on a range of emotions such as fear, joy and sadness, and where narrative will be the main focus. It's still too early to say more about this adventure, but I can't wait to tell you all about it.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer these questions in your "Meet the Builders". I look forward to seeing the evolution of this game and all its talented creators. I also thank you for giving us a game and a space for unlimited imagination, and for giving us the opportunity to share that imagination with player.
Thank you for taking the time to tell us all about your process, Cico. We are looking forward to all of the exciting new projects you've got in store for us!
Want to talk to some of the room builders from our community yourself? Or maybe you've been thinking about becoming a room builder yourself, but you don't know where to start? Well, if that's the case, be sure to join our official Discord server or come talk to us on our subreddit. We hope to see you there!
