Design Philosophy
Ancel aims for a high degree of freedom in his games. He is critical of games that claim to offer freedom, but present limits or invisible boundaries where players do not expect them.
In designing Peter Jackson's King Kong, Ancel chose not to show any overlay information to increase the player's immersion in the game world, a design choice also seen in games such as Ico or Another World. For instance, low health is conveyed not with a meter but through blurred vision and the sound of heavy breathing.
Ancel rejects the often held belief that video games of French origin are more original, claiming the problem lies not in the development process, but in risk-averseness at US publishers.
Read more about this topic: Michel Ancel
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