11-11: Aardman on creating a different kind of war game

With its narrative-driven format, painterly animation style and an absence of shoot-em-ups, 11-11: Memories Retold is not your average war game. We talk to Aardman Animation’s Bram Ttwheam about how it was created and the changing language of gaming

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Aardman Animation is best known for creating charming stop-motion feature films and the loveable TV duo Wallace & Gromit. Which makes its latest project – a console game set in World War One – something of a surprise.

11-11: Memories Retold combines painterly visuals with a moving score and voice acting from Elijah Wood and Sebastian Koch (who you might recognise from Bridge of Spies, Homeland and grisly murder mystery The Tunnel).

Developed by Aardman and French games studio Digixart for Bandai Namco Entertainment, it tells the story of two soldiers who enlist to fight for their country during World War One. There’s Harry – a naive young Canadian-American photographer who joins the army in order to better himself (and impress the girl he likes) – and Kurt, a German engineer and pacifist who enrols after finding out that his son has gone missing on the front line.

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