Sudbury man to release his second video game
Being a videogame creator is something Sudbury's Chris LaRue loves doing, even if it means long hours and multiple job titles.
“Generally what it takes is you have to wear all the hats,” said LaRue, founder and CEO of Attainable Entertainment.
“You have to be the producer, the programming, animator, artist, 3D modeller, rigging, too. There’s just a whole plethora of jobs that you have to do.”
LaRue’s first game was called Tall Poppy, described as a horror adventure that sees a man searching for his wife’s purse.
“Tall Poppy was a game created back … between 2018 and 2019 with myself and another developer called Mike,” he said. “We created the game to be a short little three-month project and the game ended up being six to eight months, then I released it on Itch in June 2019.”
Tall Poppy II is the next chapter.
“The husband comes home from the church and he’s trying to deliver the purse to his wife," LaRue said.
"Well, he finds out that his wife’s not there and the mischievous Tall Poppy has kidnapped her. So it’s our duty to chase her down and rescue her and stop Tall Poppy’s terrible behaviour.”
Although horror based, it's not a game intended to frighten users.
“It’s not actually scary but startles you and then you realize afterwards it wasn’t actually gory or anything, it’s just a fun ghost,” said Ed Bull, who played Tall Poppy.
“I think (LaRue) voiced the ghost himself. So it just pops up from behind something and goes ‘woooo’ and scares you, and then afterwards you laugh at how silly it was."
LaRue has some extra help in preparing to release Tall Poppy II.
“It’s different than what is on the market currently,” said co-developer Ryan Bendall, who lives in Texas.
“I think where Tall Poppy and Tall Poppy II get their uniqueness is we’re trying to incorporate a lot more to keep the player involved.”
Although an exciting job, LaRue and Bendall said a lot of work goes on behind the scenes when it comes to creating video games.
“It's not one of those things like a 9-5 job," said Bendall. "I’ve been working on it for quite a few months and I would probably say I’ve worked more on this than any full-time job at the current moment. But it’s worth it.”
Tall Poppy II should be released sometime this year.
“This game is going to have a lot more functionality,” said LaRue.
“The scares are going to be funnier, the game's going to be a lot longer to play, too, so there’s a lot more juice to it.”
For Bull, he’s excited for his friend's success and the chance to play the next chapter.
“It’s always great seeing someone who does something creative and finishes it and gets it out there and then other people get to enjoy it,” he said.
Although Tall Poppy II isn’t yet released, LaRue said there will be more to come in the future, including multi-player games.
“The reaction has been astronomical,” he said. “I can’t even believe it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.