Whirlight – No Time to Trip is an upcoming time-traveling, point-and-click adventure that will immerse players in the unique, colorful and humorous atmosphere. Meet eccentric inventor Hector and eclectic artist Margaret as they go through a series of bizarre situations and save the world from an imminent threat.
The game is set to launch on PC via Steam in 2025, with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms to follow. However, you can get your first taste already with the Steam demo, available now for free.
After checking out the demo for ourselves, we had a chance to sit down with the developers from Imaginarylab and pick their brains on all Whirlight matters.
Gamespace: Hello! It’s great to have this chat with you. Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about the studio.
Imaginarylab: Hello everyone, thank you for the invitation. Imaginarylab is a small indie studio from Italy, composed of three people. I am Ciro Camèra, a 3D artist responsible for most of the game’s graphics and development. Then there’s Massimo Origano, a programmer who works on development and collaborates with me on the story and dialogues. And finally, Davide Pippa, who is our all-rounder.
Additionally, we collaborate with external contributors for aspects we cannot manage ourselves: Emiliano Salardi, animator, Francesco Zarbà for character creation, Benedetto Bottalico as our social media manager, 93 Steps for music and sound effects, and Daring Touch for voice acting and translations. We grew up with graphic adventures, and at a certain point, we decided it was time to tell our own stories. That’s how Willy Morgan was born, and now Whirlight.
Gamespace: How did Whirlight start? Do you remember that one thought or feature that later spiraled into the creation of the game?
Imaginarylab: Three years ago, we were having a call among the founding members of the team (Massimo, Davide, and me) and, during our chat, Massimo suggested the idea of telling the story of an inventor with great ingenuity but who can’t seem to get anything right, and his adventures in trying to achieve his dreams. I was inclined to do something involving time travel, while Davide kept proposing unconventional ideas. Essentially, from that call emerged the basic elements of Whirlight, which we then developed, blended, and refined.
Gamespace: What was the most memorable and magical moment of the Whirlight development? On the other hand, what was the biggest challenge?
Imaginarylab: I believe one of the most magical moments was when we managed to finalize the last pieces of the plot and saw that everything fit together as we had hoped. Defining the plot was an essential and crucial step: taking into account the feedback we received on Willy, and here I connect to our biggest challenge, we wanted to develop a game that would immediately address the shortcomings pointed out to us, namely a too-linear storyline and the game’s duration. So, we literally spent months crafting a story that we all liked, and that had the appeal and plot twists we were looking for.
Gamespace: The game possesses a unique mix of quirky humor, magical atmosphere and colorful characters. Can you tell us a bit about your inspirations?
Imaginarylab: We were certainly influenced by the adventures of the ’90s: “The Day of The Tentacle” and “Sam & Max Hit the Road” were sources of inspiration for their humor, quirky characters, and surreal situations. However, we wanted to blend everything with a touch of Italian flair, so the two main characters are loosely inspired by Ettore Majorana and Margherita Hack, while the main city in the game, Verice Bay, is a mix of Venice and Verona.
The graphic design was also inspired by the classics, with a touch of Pixar and Disney: cartoon-like geometries, with deformed perspectives and colors tending towards a cartoonish style.
Gamespace: Why did your choice fall on the Point-and-Click genre?
Imaginarylab: We grew up with the wonderful graphic adventures of the ’90s, and even 30 years later, they are the games we still remember most fondly.
Gamespace: Tell us a bit about Hector and Margaret, how did you come up with the concept of dual protagonists and their contrasting personalities?
Imaginarylab: As mentioned, Hector and Margaret are loosely inspired by Ettore Majorana and Margherita Hack, famous Italian scientists. We liked the contrast between a brilliant but clumsy scientist, Hector, and Margaret, a free-spirited artist who turns out to be much more pragmatic and precise than Hector.
We wanted there to be a kind of balance between genius and recklessness, represented by Hector, and pragmatism and practicality, represented by Margaret. When one of them encounters difficulties, the other steps in with new ideas and solutions, each in line with their character and way of thinking.
Gamespace: Now that the game’s demo is out, what are your plans for the future?
Imaginarylab: There is still a lot of work to do to complete the game, so we are currently focused and busy with development.
Gamespace: Thank you, we appreciate the opportunity for this interview. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Imaginarylab: Thank you very much, and we hope you enjoyed the demo. If so, please continue to follow and support us with a wishlist.