This is the last look behind the scenes of our N++ Enemy Spotlight series, because as you know, the 6th and final video debuted earlier this week.

https://vimeo.com/metanetsoftware/togglemine



As soon as we saw it, this became our favourite of the 6 vignettes – and as you know, they’re all fantastic! But this one is a little more abstract, a little more demanding and a little more stylish, if that were possible. It’s a showstopper, a suitable culmination to an exploratory series, and as promised, it ends the series with a bang (you’d better believe that pun was intended!).

WIthout further ado, here’s Richard with one more detailed look at the making-of!

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Hey Everyone,

For the final Enemy Spotlight we saved what has turned out to be my favorite for last. The Toggle Mine vignette is one of the most technically simple of the bunch, with minimal motion graphics and relatively uncomplicated editing, but it just feels so right. A lot of this has to to do with the killer track by Tom Adams which really matches the hard hitting devastation of these little guys. It was also the video that came together the quickest, with only minor edits after the first major cut.



For each Enemy Spotlight I work to isolate a section of a particular track in order to find the most appropriate bits to use. Sometimes I end up remixing or editing the clips a substantial amount, changing dynamics, EQ, or even adding reinforcing sound design and percussion. OP1 Mix Tape by Tom Adams probably received the least work of just about any track as it stood so strongly on its own. Add to the fact that original track itself was actually quite short and it fits incredible well for this vignette.



The progression of the track lends itself to a fairly binary crescendo that goes from “everything is OK” to “all out death orgy" in the blink of an eye, all punctuated by a simple but super effective slow motion break and subsequent drop. This particular analog tape style effect is born of the synthesizer used to create the track, the Teenage Engineering OP-1. In fact a lot of the tracks used in the trailers are from a community built around this powerful and well designed little synth, so big thanks to them!



This and all of the Enemy Spotlights were an absolute joy to make. With any luck they shed a little light onto the delightful horrors you’ll be facing in N++. Working with Mare and Raigan was a blast too - not only are they great at communicating their vision, they also have killer taste and an eye for detail and it shows in the game. N++ is truly excellent, and I’m super excited for you guys to get your hands on it!



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Thanks so much Richard! Do follow him, his work is amazing: http://richardeflanagan.tumblr.com/ And he’s amazing to work with as well! As we mentioned in an earlier post on this blog, when a collaboration really works, everything is so smooth and exciting. Richard immediately got what we wanted to do and was super easy to communicate with, and then he ran with the concept, imagining and executing awesome motion graphics, contributing great ideas and his exceptional style to the project. Good collaborations produce great work, work that can be even more than the sum of its parts, and we think these vignettes prove that hands down.

The music for this video is by Tom Adams: https://soundcloud.com/aswefallintostatic/beat-tape-002 When we found that track we instantly knew we needed to feature it. It’s dramatic, driving and unusual, and it DEMANDS that you pay attention. And Richard’s editing plays with it perfectly – each part of this vignette works together so well!

Anyway that’s it for this series – we hope you enjoyed the videos, and learning more about how they came together. Thanks for reading and sticking with us these last 6 weeks!

So now you’ve seen a lot of what N++ has to offer in terms of gameplay and style, and hopefully you’re getting pretty excited. Good news, N++ is almost ready, so you won’t have too much longer to wait. Keep an eye on our blog ( http://www.metanetsoftware.com/blog/ ) and on twitter (@metanetsoftware), we should have more info for you soon!