Inteview with Karl Janisse writer of Passage of the Unknown 9 universe

Unknown 9: Awakening is a brand new sport from Montreal-based Reflector Leisure that just lately launched on console and PC. The title stars Haroona, a Quaestor born capable of enterprise into different folks’s our bodies. Nonetheless, Unknown 9 is a universe consisting of assorted interconnected media and content material, combining a number of characters and storylines all through completely different durations for the previous 150 years.

With all this stated, the Unknown 9 universe can also be getting a brand new restricted TV sequence referred to as Passage. I obtained the chance to speak to author and director Karl Janisse.

He’s a Canadian cinematographer, photographer and visible storyteller and can also be engaged on one other Unknown 9 universe title referred to as The Taylor Recordsdata. 

How does Passage relate to the Unknown 9 universe?

Unknown 9 is the title of this big story world that Reflector Leisure has created. Unknown 9 spans 150 years of story, at the least that’s what they advised me after I joined. And so they’re [Reflector Entertainment] like, right here’s all of the world we constructed. It’s a ebook sequence, and earlier than it was a ebook sequence, it was a comic book ebook sequence, it’s a podcast, all of this stuff are already on the market.

Now, Passage is exclusive in that the online game runs all the way in which up till two years earlier than Passage.  So the 2 are fairly shut collectively and within the story world we sort of reference issues that occur in Awakening. In Passage, we’ve one character from Awakening. One major character is called Amina Lee, who’s performed by Christina Lyle.

After which, on high of that, there have been like notes and data and references to different characters. And we do even have the principle protagonist from the sport current in our present. However I received’t say how as a result of it could sort of spoil some stuff in regards to the sport if I went into element. 

As soon as folks have performed by way of the complete sport, right here’s the place the story continues.

Do I’ve to play by way of the entire sport to actually perceive what’s occurring for Passage?

I can positively say that taking part in the sport will provide you with extra context. The time interval we exist in, 1914, is probably the most explored a part of the world, so I assume to that realm, there are designs, diagrams, references to secret societies and all that type of stuff that can make much more sense should you play the sport or get entangled on this planet as a result of we don’t exit of our approach within the present to elucidate issues just like the Leap 12 months Society, the ascendents, Emilia Matos, secret applied sciences that exist. All of them are simply current.

Is there something that you just tied explicitly to Canada within the sport?

It’s humorous as a result of it’s a Canadian sport studio. I don’t know if we… My preliminary reply will likely be, I truly don’t really feel certified to reply this. I’d have handy this to Tomas Road. If he wasn’t busy launching a sport right now, he’d need to be on this interview. He’s a co-writer on the sequence and narrative designer at Reflector Leisure. If there may be any Canadian lore in there, he would know. He was a script supervisor, and he’s obtained the mind for that.

However I’ll provide you with this little tidbit. There are issues of a Canadian aspect that made it into the present as a result of we truly shot on an outdated Canadian Coast Guard Vessel. It’d shatter disbelief across the present, and I apologize to the viewers if it does as a result of we didn’t shoot on a ship from 1914. We shot on a privately owned retired Canadian Coast Guard vessel referred to as the Provo Wallace.

[Janisse also had more Canadian influence he mentioned elsewhere in the interview. At this point in the interview I asked if it felt constricted writing a series that relates to a video game. He says that he knew he had to move the story from point A to point B but after that it was sort of open exploration.]

I really like writing in that universe. I really like having the type of partitions and tips to work with. However then having the liberty. They [Reflector Entertainment] stated take certainly one of our characters after which every little thing else is yours. You possibly can deliver characters in from different IPs, if it is smart or you possibly can create your individual. And myself, and the opposite writers had such a good time attending to create in that world. And use reference factors.

I reside on the coast and there are like marine museums right here. So, I actually went and took out outdated journals of like sailors and skim by way of them. And I used to be like, oh what is that this world? It was plenty of enjoyable to create in that world.”

Does it really feel off that there’s nothing uniquely Canadian? Because you’re Canadian and the developer is Canadian. As an illustration, The Final of Us is just not a Canadian sport, however the present was filmed in Alberta and other people in Alberta have watched and might be like “Hey, I do know that place.” However in Passage there’s nothing that ties to Canada.

I imply, we did have one or two scenes that happen on land and I assume somebody might discover the place, the discover the barn or no matter. However on the base of this query is what’s a Canadian story? I’m very blessed and privileged to develop up on this nation. Canadians are type of discovering our identification or it was type of discovered much more than after I was rising up. However an enormous a part of being a Canadian storyteller is, like, all the tales are about descendants of settlers — like myself carrying items from all all over the world. Whether or not you’re a first-generation Canadian or your loved ones’s been right here for a very long time. So except it’s Indigenous First Nations storytelling, what’s a Canadian story, if not the journey of coming of coming right here and attempting to create a house and coexist and create a household right here?

And on the root of what I’ve tried to do with having a manufacturing firm for years is we give attention to co-productions and we all the time ask, “What different a part of the world can we deliver into this?” As a result of everybody I knew rising up had some story of their grandparents, their great-grandparents. “Who got here right here? What did they carry? What did they depart behind? Why are they right here?”

I believe we’re all the time advocating for Canadian tales to actually signify that journey of coming from away.

Passage is obtainable on YouTube. And if you need the complete image, try Unknown 9: Awakening on PS4, PS5, Xbox Sequence X, Xbox Sequence S, Xbox One and PC.

This interview was edited for language and readability. 

Picture credit score: Bandai Namco