Book Of Hours

A mysterious manor house. A confused protagonist. A world to be discovered behind every written word. The team behind Cultist Simulator came to us for a trailer highlighting the best of dark academia in their brand-new game Book of Hours. 

Part novel, part point-and-click adventure game, Book of Hours weaves a world out of the clues the player finds throughout the stunningly designed landscape and the intricate rooms of Hush House. Simplistic in gameplay and visually stunning; Weather Factory came to TrailerFarm to see how we could create a dynamic and beautiful gameplay trailer and make the most of their budget. 

Knowing how important the idea of books and storytelling was (both to the client and in the context of the game) the TrailerFarm team got to work; exploring how best to make the game’s wonderful prose into a dynamic and visually interesting trailer. 

Starting with asset appraisal and exploratory gameplay, what stuck out to our team was Weather Factory’s incredible original design; both throughout Hush House’s hidden rooms and in the incredibly atmospheric and beckoning environment of the mysterious isle. 

Upon discovering that we had each of the 2D art files available to us, we sprung into action and quickly pivoted direction toward a more motion graphics-heavy gameplay trailer: separating the layers of the photoshop files to create 2.5D scenes that beautifully and uniquely introduced passages of in-game text in variously dynamic ways. 

Coupling that with increasingly distressed and worn text slates – inspired by classic book bindings – we began to create an almost dolls house effect; moving from room to room as the tone becomes darker and more foreboding. 

Wanting to ensure the audience has the full experience, we also utilised expertly captured gameplay that showed off the unique mechanics of card-matching gameplay and an intricate wisdom wheel to create a seamless edit that is hauntingly beautiful. 

Finally, team TrailerFarm knew that final audio design would be everything so – taking the client-chosen music track – we came up with a bespoke soundscape that highlighted every raindrop, every creaking floorboard, and every moment of increasing dread as the enigma of Hush House unfolds. 

The result is this absolutely gorgeous trailer which relies on its poetic simplicity, tonal shifting, and technical mechanics done really, really well. 

TrailerFarm could not have been prouder to work with Weather Factory on this breathtaking piece and we would love to invite you into the world of Hush House…