What do elves do after Christmas?
Last week, a new game appeared on Roblox. It was called Elf (North Pole Workshop). Besides rewarding random acts of kindness and giving families the chance to work together to create holiday magic, this game gives players the chance to live (and work) at the North Pole all year round.
To create the incredibly immersive and authentic experience, Fairview Portals (founded by filmmaker and actor Jon Favreau) teamed up with Supersocial to develop the winter world in partnership with the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group. The game features music, artwork, characters, and interactive elements that truly make it a one-of-a-kind world. Whether you are a new fan of the now-classic holiday film or you’ve cherished it for the past two decades, there is something special about Elf (North Pole Workshop) that will get you singing loud for all to hear.
To go a little deeper and truly understand all the love that went into making this game, Yonatan Raz-Fridman, Founder and CEO at Supersocial, and Chris Campbell, Principal Designer at Supersocial, graciously offered Entertaining Options a walkthrough. Here is some of the magic nestled in this secret world of elves.
The wonderful world of Elf
Elf has been a beloved holiday film for two decades. The original audience has grown up while more new fans discover the movie each year. To create a game that the whole family could enjoy, Fairview Portals and Supersocial embraced the ideas and hired individuals from a broad range of talent.
“There were three generations working on this game,” Chris explained. “I represent the oldest person in the group. We also have millennials and we have GenZ.”
The art style and movement mechanics
The first thing that hits you when you jump into the perpetually snow-covered world of Elf (North Pole Workshop) is that it looks a little different from other Roblox games. According to Chris, the art and animation style for this world is based on Rankin/Bass creations. Everything has its own texture. It looks like the characters and objects are constructed out of craft materials, such as felt, just like you remember from watching holiday favorites, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman. New Line Cinema’s Elf also borrowed heavily from this art style in its animated scenes.
Moving beyond the look, players who pay careful attention might notice a slight jittery nature to this game. This was done to mimic the stop-motion animation from Rankin/Bass productions. To achieve the effect, the creative team animated on the 2s and 3s, meaning the images didn’t change with every frame, so there was a slight stutter to the animation. The result is modern animation with a nostalgic flair.
The music and sounds
One of the most powerful elements of movies and gameplay is the audio. Music not only sets the mood and tells you which emotion to feel, but it is a trigger that engages involuntary memory. When you hear music that has a strong association to a moment, such as the soundtrack to a film, vivid memories return spontaneously. To get the music just right for Elf (North Pole Workshop), the team stayed as authentic as possible.
“One thing I want to point out is the music that you hear in the background,” Chris said while playing. “That was done by John Debney. It’s really cool that he did that.”
Additionally, the action in the game is brought to life by a wonderful assortment of spirited sound effects. Everything is joyous and fun, whether you are bonking someone on the head with a squeaky mallet or opening a gift. There is incredible care that has gone into audio production to evoke a sense of giddy wonder as you play.
Special characters
When Buddy was at the North Pole in Elf, there were a few important characters who offered him advice and helped him out. When you explore the vast landscape of this game, you might stumble upon some of these characters. Mr. Narwhal is the one who explains the game to you when you first appear next to the ice flow. On the way to Santa’s Workshop, you might find a baby walrus, a snowman named Leon, or an arctic puffin. You can just have fun finding these characters. But some might also hold gameplay secrets and hidden rewards, so it’s important to introduce yourself to these familiar faces from the movie.
The landscape
Before moving on to the actual game and learning about some of the things you can do at the North Pole, we have to talk about the landscape. There’s no continent called the North Pole. It’s mostly floating ice, Santa’s magic, and joy. Elf (North Pole Workshop) lets players explore this arctic wonderland. The terrain spans from the Arctic Ocean to Santa’s Workshop and beyond. There are cabins, a gift shop, a gift exchange area, a giant Christmas tree, a secret cave, a Candy Cane Forest, and more. But this is just for now. Chris and Yonatan promised the world will keep expanding and new secrets and experiences will be unlocked throughout the upcoming months.
When playing this afternoon, we noticed the North Pole has already received significant enhancements over the past week. Now players can spread even more Christmas cheer with the new musical caroling pads that are located around the Christmas tree in the center of town.
Oh, the things you can do at the North Pole
Now that we’ve given you a quick overview of all that went into making the world of Elf (North Pole Workshop) so special, here’s a look at some of the things you can do while you are there.
Get a job at Santa’s Workshop
Santa’s workshop is where things get done. There are jobs that everyone, from young kids to adults, can take. Whether you want to make wishes come true, wrap presents, deliver them to Santa’s sleigh or just manage the workshop, there’s something for you. And if you get a little bored with all the hard work you’re doing when making, wrapping and delivering toys, you can always take a time out and have a snowball fight or bop someone on the head with a squeaky toy.
The beauty of Santa’s Workshop is everyone works together to fill the Clausometer. Once the meter reaches 100%, a bit of magic happens in the Candy Cane Forest. And trust us, it’s something you won’t want to miss.
The other clever thing the makers of this game have done is to consider the disruptive players. The folks who run around causing problems in the metaverse. In Elf (North Pole Workshop), there are a lot of ways those people can cause mischief. They can drink potions and change their size, bop people on the head, start a snowball fight, and more. However, nothing they do will negatively affect another player. So, these individuals can act out as much as they want, without ruining the game for anyone else.
Buy and exchange gifts
If you want to get things done at the North Pole, you need candy canes. You earn candy canes by working in Santa’s Workshop. You can use the candy canes to buy gifts, which you can either open yourself or exchange with another player to enchant your gift and turn it gold for better prizes — remember this game rewards random acts of kindness. The gift boxes contain surprise items, such as snowballs, a potion, or user generated content tickets that you can use to customize gameplay. You might also be able to give one of the non-player characters a gift to create an enchanted golden prize that gives you bonus items, as well.
Explore, discover, role-play, and socialize
As fun as it is to earn candy canes in Santa’s Workshop, a big part of Supersocial is branded social play. Once players get their bearings and understand how things at the North Pole work, there are areas to explore, secrets to discover, friendships to make, and socializing to do. In other words, the players make the experience the best it can be.
Is Elf (North Pole Workshop) only a Christmas game?
Elf (North Pole Workshop) didn’t officially launch until about a week before Christmas. We couldn’t help but wonder if that meant the gaming experience would be short-lived. According to Yonatan and Chris, the launch is only the beginning. Working and playing at the North Pole is a year-round experience.
“In every movie that we see, the North Pole is a moment in time,” Chris pointed out. “It’s always around Christmas time. But we know there’s a lot going on all year long because we hear that in all the movies. So what do they do the other 11 months of the year?”
If you want to see for yourself what happens at the North Pole after Christmas, you can start playing Elf (North Pole Workshop) right now.
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