Jurassic World Evolution 2 recently released a free update celebrating 30 years of Jurassic Park. It featured a ton of throwbacks to some of the most memorable moments from the original film that started it all, and we were fortunate enough to interview Orcun Adsoy, Senior Producer on Jurassic World Evolution 2 on a whole host of topics, including what were the most fun features to include, what an honour it was to work on the game, and what the franchise means to him.

What were the first nods or ideas that came to mind first that you wanted to include in the 30th anniversary update?

As a team of Jurassic Park fans, we immediately had a number of decorations we knew we had to make a reality. A statue of Mr.DNA, the Les Gigantes mural, the towering Jurassic Park gate and the wonderous scene of skeletal dinosaurs and banners within the visitor centre.

Then we naturally had a wealth of requests from our community, in particular their desire for the log decoration, the Jurassic Park fence and the pile of… well. Anyway, we had plenty of ideas come from the players’ side too, which was great!

Which features were the most fun to design when working on the update?

Getting Mr.DNA right was a rather iterative process. Looking back at the few scenes of him in the original film, then trying to understand exactly what made his distinctive look, then trying to communicate that to a 3D model. Not only that, but presenting him as a ‘real’ sculpture you might see in a real theme park, connected with bits of metal, rather than his various components miraculously floating in thin air. While it took time to get him just right, the end result looks great!

Are there any references you wanted to include but didn’t have the chance to?

Certainly with such elaborate, finely detailed sets, Jurassic Park had so many references we could include, but we wanted to focus on the most iconic moments and make sure they were well presented in Jurassic World Evolution 2.

What are some of your favourite moments from the original film?

Dark, storming and with mysterious vibrations in my cup of water. The reveal of the T. rex, and subsequent carnage has to be one of the most iconic scenes in cinema to date, and my favourite moment across all the Jurassic films.

That, or every time Dennis Nedry appears on a computer screen saying, “ah ah ah, you didn’t say the magic word”. Both were pretty good.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 Interview: What does the Jurassic Park franchise mean to you?

As with JWE2, it’s a mix of adventure, discovery and dread. The idea that these wonderous creatures filled with beauty and intelligence might also be the very thing which ends up hunting us – or an unfortunate park guest.

Do you have any specific memories of watching the film for the first time?

I believe I was about five years old when it came out (sorry to any readers I just made feel very old!). Having watched it so many times over the years, I’m afraid I can’t even recall when I first saw it.

What’s your favourite dinosaur from the movies?

Strangely, I’ve always loved the giant ill triceratops. The amount of detail they got into the animatronic, the gentle breathing and small flickers of realistic life were really beautiful. 

I also just appreciate examples of a craft being performed to an exceptional level, which I saw all the work surrounding that animatronic to be.

It helps that from my youngest years, Ceratopsids were always my favourite family of dinosaurs.

How much of an honour is it to work on the update/Jurassic World Evolution franchise?

Game development is the process of working closely with some incredibly intelligent and creative people, to build something that countless people play and experience. So as always, it’s an absolute honour to spend my time with these people, creating such an awesome game.

That joy is then always heightened when you have an active and excited audience as JWE2 has. Afterall, we make games for people to enjoy and experience.

When did the decision to work on an anniversary update come about?

From the very beginning of development, authenticity to Jurassic World and the wider franchise has been a central pillar of JWE2’s design and culture. Combined with Frontier Developments’ heavy emphasis on nurturing our games post-release and free content delivery, we always knew we’d want to celebrate this important anniversary with our players.

Do you have any special memories of working on the update?

Any update in which you deliver a literal pile of dung is going to result in a lot of in-jokes, sighs and eye rolls in responses to puns. Glorious.

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It isn’t every day you get a chance to speak to someone with a CV like David Adams of Gunfire Games, the Austin, TX based veteran designer of the classic Darksiders series, not to mention ace action RPG shooter Remnant: From the Ashes, which scooped a handsome 9/10 review score on this very site. And that brings me to the reason I ended up in the swanky Gearbox offices in Amsterdam, where not only did I get a hands-on with the hugely enjoyable Remnant 2, but a chat with the affable Texan.

The first thing I wanted to find out, perhaps a tad selfishly, was how Adams would sell this one to someone not particularly au-fait with the kind of Souls-like, procedurally generated action it contains.

“I think that what I like about the game, is it kind of combines two things. If you like really good action games, with cool, fantastic enemies, then it definitely delivers on that front. There is a lot of really tight action, and it is a lot of fun in co-op. It is also a really good exploration game. There are a lot of secrets hidden in the world, and the world is randomised – you may have noticed that some people (gestures towards the room of media playing the game) have different worlds that they are playing in, even from the get go!”

Fresh from playing the game for a solid hour, one of the things I noticed were the epic and at times quite disturbing boss fights. I told our Dave that I was a big fan of confronting any kind of vile, Lovecraftian beasts. “So are we!” was his immediate retort. Which led me to ask just what kind of stuff had influenced the production of the game.

“Well, one of the cool things is the game structure. We can explore different worlds. One of the worlds is inspired by Pan’s Labyrinth”- I immediately had to stop him there, as Del Toro’s horror fantasy masterpiece is among my favourite movies of all time, and I had clocked a decidedly fawn-like character early doors. “It was definitely an influence. There is another world inspired by Victorian England, and Fey mythology. One of the NPCs is Nimue, who is better known as the Lady of the Lake. In the first game we had a stage that was a mixture of Dune and Mad Max.”

In terms of what games the Remnant 2 team themselves like to play, it seems we have a bit in common not just movies-wise but in video games too. “I like adventure games. I like Zelda. As you can see from Darksiders which is basically a Zelda game. I love Elden Ring, the Souls games, any game with any sense of exploration. I love Fallout, again because it is a world I can explore and find cool stuff in.”

Going back to the matter at hand, Remnant II is procedurally generated, which means that no two playthroughs will be the same, and ostensibly you could play for weeks before there is any real noticeable repetition. “I like to call it random reshuffle”, Adams reveals. “Even though it is randomised, every act in the game is handcrafted. I think sometimes that procedurally generated games can sometimes start to get really repetitive, because it really is very algorithmic. But in this case all of the little chunks have been handcrafted. NPCs, bosses and major points of interest you encounter – what the system does is sort of rearranges it all. Even the storylines, and the route through the storyline is changed! Even if two people both went to the same world, for example you both went to the jungle world, you may encounter two entirely different storylines just within that world.”

Like most people of my age, I dabbled with online gaming, but have FPS-fan kids, and the excellent co-op capabilities of Remnant 2 offers me the chance to dip my toe back in, as my kids and friends would love this one. “It’s definitely cool in co-op” David enthused. “All the items in the game are randomised, there are a ton of secrets, and although it comes across as a straightforward action game on the surface, there are plenty of opportunities to go off the beaten path. So if you are playing with someone else – such as one of your kids, you have an incentive to enter their world, as there may be loads of items and secrets in there that you may not be able to get in your game. It is a really fun multiplayer experience, as you can jump into someone else’s game and you get a completely different set of things!”

Adams explained that “We are right at the end now, I mean, Summer is the plan and I think we are going to announce the release date soon”, and he seemed genuinely pleased that I went away looking forward to play more.

Remnant 2 is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X on July 25th. Impressions and interview based on hands-on time in Amsterdam, flights and accommodation were paid for by Gearbox.

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The Disgaea series has been knocking around for twenty years now, and no other game has managed to combine hardcore stat maximisation and goofy anime nonsense quite like it. I’ve been beating up Prinnies and taking over Netherworlds since the very beginning, and I can’t imagine that’ll ever change.

The last game in the series (Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny) unfortunately didn’t quite hit all the right buttons for me though, thanks to a fairly small selection of classes and some terrible technical limitations on Switch.

Hopefully this October will be different, as Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is releasing on Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC. I was lucky enough to interview Disgaea 7 producer Shunsuke Minowa to find out more about the upcoming game, and his answers got me very excited for some more Netherworld nonsense.

This new entry in the Disgaea series has a theme based on Japanese history, what made you decide on this slightly more grounded setting?

From the beginning of development, we wanted a “back to basics” approach for Disgaea 7 and have the story be set mainly on one Netherworld. The word “Bushido” actually came up during our initial planning, and we thought about what that meant and how it could be the base for an interesting setting.This gave way to the idea a storyline of “reclaiming Bushido” that would eventually become a “historical Japanese-inspired Netherworld without Bushido.”

For the first time ever, Disgaea 7 features two main characters. What makes Fuji and Pirilika different from past characters in the series?

In the beginning of Disgaea 7, for the first time in the series, the female character Prilika takes the lead in the story while the male character Fuji serves as a support role. However, Fuji also has his own purpose, and the story gradually unfolds with two main axes. Therefore, we created the scenario with the awareness that Fuji and Prilika are not the hero and heroine, but rather “partners” who support each other.

There are plenty of new mechanics coming to Disgaea 7, but the one that I’m most excited about is Jumbify. How does this massive transformation ability work in the game?

Jumbification causes a character to grow to gigantic proportions under certain conditions and places them outside the battlefield. This allows that character to attack anywhere on the field, and each character has a specific “Jumbility” that affects the entire field. Aside from increasing your combat power, Jumbification can also let you bypass clear conditions or challenges for certain stages. Keep in mind that enemies can also use Jumbification, so make sure you have your own Jumbification ready to fight back!

I’m also very interested in Item Reincarnation. Items have always been a huge part of Disgaea thanks to the Item Worlds, how does Reincarnation fit into this?

Item Reincarnation builds upon the staple Item World feature and lets players enhance items even further. With Item Reincarnation, players can reincarnate an item that has been strengthened to its limit in the Item World. You can also take an item’s unique characteristics, such as increasing the counterattack rate or increasing movement distance, and combine these characteristics and enhance items even further by inheriting rare and random traits.

I was really glad to see the Demonic Intelligence is returning again. Has it been changed at all for this installment?

In Disgaea 7, we added a cost to using auto-battle and gave players the option to skip auto-battle at any time. This allows players to enjoy the process of leveling and strengthening their characters while giving them the option of choosing auto-battle thoughtfully, rather than making auto-battle an unlimited use feature that diminished the gameplay experience.

Using the AI to battle people online is an interesting way to add online play to the series. What made you go in this direction?

The Demonic Intelligence feature received a lot of criticism for negatively impacting the fun of the original Disgaea gameplay. However, the idea of using AI to control character movements was seen as a potentially interesting element that could be made fun in some way. AI Ranked Battles are one such implementation of this concept, where characters, magic abilities, weapons, and armour are augmented with AI elements to create strategic and entertaining gameplay.

I was delighted to hear that Disgaea 7 will have the most character classes of any game in the series. What are some of your favourite new additions?

The Big Eye is my favourite among the new characters. They are a type of character that has never been seen before in the Disgaea series, and their design as an advanced monster-type character fits in seamlessly. As for existing characters, I like the Magic Swordsman (female). She is a beautiful woman with rune eyes who can wield both a sword and magic at the same time.

Perhaps the biggest change that Disgaea 6 made to the series were the 3d character models. What has it been like working with this new art style?

One of the challenges we faced when transitioning to 3D was that it became more difficult to hide imperfections. In the 2D era, even if a character was in a slightly strange pose or position, it wasn’t a big deal because it was 2D and didn’t look out of place. However, in 3D, even small imperfections can lead to big discrepancies and require a lot of fine-tuning, which can be costly.

On the other hand, the advantages of 3D are many. For example, we found that we could make characters larger without losing detail, and the freedom to move the camera opened up new possibilities for how we presented the game. Overall, I think the benefits of 3D outweigh the challenges, and it has allowed us to create a more immersive and visually stunning game.

I’ve heard that when you were younger you got really into Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days. What was it about Rozalin’s adventure you enjoyed so much?

I liked the battle system, especially the lifting and throwing mechanics and the area-of-effect skills. I’m the type who generally gets bored with slow-paced SRPG battles, but the Disgaea series has a satisfyingly simplistic approach that allows you to power up your main character and use them to charge into battle with lifting and throwing tactics and devastating AOE attacks. It was really enjoyable!

After being a fan of the series for so long, how does it feel having such a prominent role in creating a new instalment?

It’s an unbelievable experience for the version of me who was just a player, and the version of me from the day before I received an offer from the development team would probably not believe it. However, I’m truly grateful that they trusted me based on my love for the Disgaea series, and with the help of the staff who supported me, I’m happy to have been able to create the best Disgaea game possible according to my vision.

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If farming and spellcasting gets you excited, then you could do a lot worse than Homestead Arcana. This magical adventure is set in a world overrun by Miasma, and features a custom hero trying to push back the purple fumes with the power of gardening. Farming games don’t always click with me, so the idea of saving the day with spells and exploring a dark and desolate world definitely appealed to me.

Although it turned out that Homestead Arcana wasn’t entirely my jam, plenty of others have played the game at this point thanks to it being on Game Pass. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to talk to Zhenghua Yang (the founder and executive director of Serenity Forge) about working with Microsoft, getting voice actor Yuri Lowenthal to voice a character and a whole lot more recently, so take a look at his wonderful answers below in our exclusive interview.

There are a lot of farming games on the market currently. How did you aim to make Homestead Arcana different from the rest?

Homestead Arcana sets itself apart from other farming games by introducing a post-apocalyptic world filled with magic and mystery. The game combines the familiar elements of farming and survival with a unique narrative-driven experience. Players take on the role of a Witch who must restore the corrupted land by using spellcraft, tending to plants and homestead, and uncovering the secrets behind the Miasma. By blending farming mechanics with an atmospheric and emotionally impactful narrative, Homestead Arcana offers a distinct and captivating gameplay experience.

Were there any other farming Sims that inspired you to make Homestead Arcana?

We drew inspiration from a variety of games while creating Homestead Arcana. Games like My Time at Portia and Stardew Valley inspired us to create an immersive home-building experience. Shadow of the Colossus influenced the mysterious and isolated atmosphere of our game, while Don’t Starve helped us strike a balance between gameplay mechanics and a sense of danger and exploration. By taking cues from these games, we aimed to create a unique and engaging farming adventure in Homestead Arcana.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when developing the game?

Throughout the development of Homestead Arcana, we faced various challenges that pushed us to innovate and overcome obstacles. One of the biggest challenges was striking the right balance between the farming and survival mechanics, while also weaving a compelling narrative into the gameplay. We wanted to create an immersive world filled with emotional depth, and achieving that required meticulous attention to detail and careful design decisions. Additionally, crafting an atmospheric experience that truly captured the post-apocalyptic setting and integrating it seamlessly with the gameplay was a significant undertaking. Despite these challenges, we remained committed to creating a meaningful and emotionally impactful game, and we’re proud of the final result we’ve achieved in Homestead Arcana.

The visuals of Homestead Arcana are wonderful. What made the team decide on the colourful aesthetic for the game?

The decision to infuse Homestead Arcana with a colorful aesthetic stemmed from our vision of creating a visually captivating and immersive world. We drew inspiration from a diverse range of sources, including WPA posters, woodblock prints, and films such as Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. We aimed to capture the grandeur of landscapes in the classic imagination of Americana while also drawing inspiration from the contrast between lush, beautiful nature and the overgrown, enigmatic aspects found in works like Made in Abyss and Annihilation. By embracing a vibrant and colorful aesthetic, we sought to heighten the atmospheric experience, enveloping players in a visually stunning journey through the enchanting world of Homestead Arcana.

Huckleberry the Cat is a great character who’s always by your side in Homestead Arcana. When did you make the decision to have the main character’s familiar play such a big part in the game?

We made the decision early on in the development of Homestead Arcana to have the main character’s familiar, Huckleberry, play a significant role in the game. Huckleberry, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, serves as a constant companion, always by the player’s side throughout their journey. We wanted to create a deep connection between the player and their familiar, allowing them to form a bond and experience the adventure together. Huck’s presence not only adds a sense of companionship but also contributes to the game’s narrative and gameplay mechanics. As players delve deeper into the story, they discover that Huck holds secrets and that their bond goes beyond what initially meets the eye. This decision to incorporate a prominent familiar character was driven by our desire to enhance the emotional depth and create a unique dynamic within Homestead Arcana.

The voice acting of Huck by Yuri Lowenthal is fantastic too. What was it like working with such a high profile voice actor?

Working with Yuri Lowenthal was an absolute honour and a dream come true. Yuri’s exceptional voice acting brought the whole character to life, infusing Huckleberry with personality, charm, and depth. It was truly a remarkable experience to collaborate with someone who has such incredible talent and versatility.

Additionally, Yuri Lowenthal holds a special place in my heart, as his portrayal of Simon in the anime Gurren Lagann played a major role in my life. During my teenage years, I faced a near-fatal illness, and Gurren Lagann became a source of inspiration and strength for me during that challenging time. Having the opportunity to work with my hero was a tremendous honour, and Yuri’s presence became a huge inspiration for the entire team.

Yuri’s dedication and ability to breathe life into characters have been invaluable to the development of Homestead Arcana. Through his voice acting, he brought Huckleberry to life, capturing the essence of the character and enriching the emotional depth of the game. We are grateful for Yuri’s immense talent and the positive impact he has had on our project.

Homestead Arcana launched day one on Xbox Game Pass. What was your experience like working with Microsoft to make this happen?

We greatly appreciate the support from the Xbox Game Pass team in launching Homestead Arcana on day one. Microsoft has been an invaluable partner throughout the years to Serenity Forge, consistently demonstrating their commitment to promoting indie games and fostering a diverse gaming community. The collaboration with Xbox Game Pass has allowed us to reach a wider audience and share the unique world of Homestead Arcana. Their unwavering support and belief in our project throughout development have been instrumental, and we are honoured to continue working alongside Microsoft on future endeavours.

Finally, do you have any plans for the future of Homestead Arcana?

Homestead Arcana is a large game made by a small team, meaning that there still will need to be some patches to fix up some issues we didn’t find until the game launched. Looking ahead, we are dedicated to addressing any bugs, releasing updates, and enhancing the gaming experience based on player suggestions. Our goal is to create an even more enchanting and enjoyable world in Homestead Arcana, and we are thrilled to embark on this journey together with our dedicated community.

Homestead Arcana is available now for PC and Xbox consoles (via Game Pass).

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The Division 2 has been going for five years now. Let that sink in for a moment… five years. As this article goes live, the team at Massive Entertainment will have just released a boat-load of new information for the game, all in aid of celebrating the fifth year of the game. Ahead of “The Division Day” we got a chance to sit down with Massive’s Yannick Banchereau to talk about potential features, the future for the game, and how he feels about it all these days, overall.

Five years in, how does he feel about The Division 2, overall?

I’m really excited for our players and fans to learn more about what’s happening in The Division story. Getting ready to introduce new Year 5 content, we are fully committed to not only maintaining a live game, we’re also expanding on the game and trying to make it an even better experience. We love our Division Agents and we welcome new players. Going from Year 3 to year 4 to Year 5 content has been an ambitious task. But we haven’t shown any signs of slowing down. We’re actually picking up steam going into Year 5. We continue to be ambitious and we’re excited about Year 5. I always like to tell people that live games don’t get old if they are maintained properly. That’s the mindset we have when it comes to The Division 2.

Would there be any chance of cross-play and cross-save coming to more platforms?

The reality is when The Division 2 was release, crossplay wasn’t as big as it is now. At the time, the online infrastructure for The Division 2 wasn’t built to support crossplay. If we were to explore crossplay for the game at this time, it would require a massive overhaul of the infrastructure. So the overall scope would be quite a bit to take on at this time.

Are there any features of the newer consoles you’d still love to take advantage of?

I actually play on PC so I can’t give much inside on the newer consoles. From what I hear, the feedback on the PS5 has been pretty amazing, so I would be curious to see how we could take advantage of those features in terms of graphics. But again, my knowledge of the new consoles is limited since I specifically play on PC.

Are there any plans to revamp the PvP element?

We intend to make improvements to PvP. That said, we don’t have plans for a major overhaul or a big PvP update at this time. But we are looking to make slight improvements moving forward. We recently restarted our Elite Task Force program where we have players come to the studio and talk about features of the game. We’d like to have a PvP-specific Elite Task Force to help us improve the PvP experience, with the emphasis on quality of life, fixes and feature improvements.

Is the new roguelike DLC the shape of things to come in The Division 2?

After Descent, there are no plans to develop additional game modes in the near future. Once Year 5 is released, our plans will shift to maintaining the game and helping with improvements along the way. Those will be the priorities once Year 5 is out.

What’s your favourite thing about the year 5 content that you can tell us about?

I’m really excited about the DLC that’s coming later in Year 5. Not because of the content … although it’s going to be great. But moreso because of what it means for the game. Making a DLC at the end of Year 5 is a very bold statement of how much we’re investing in this game. That’s what I love about it. We’re allowed to make a DLC and we’re trusted to make a DLC. It shows that everyone is fully committed to The Division 2.

Will you be expanding on the lore and story of the universe in-game going forward?

When it comes to The Division 2, storytelling has been one of the biggest successes in this game. When we introduced seasons as part of the Warlords of New York expansion, it was light on story and more based on gameplay. When we came back with Year 3 content and new seasons, we did so with the intent to have more meaningful stories. We did this because we wanted to give another reason for players to come back other than just wanting more loot. And seeing how many players came back after Year 3 and how they are now more engaged today with the storytelling compared to years ago, that’s one of the successes that’s led to us telling even more stories in the game.

The Division 2 has struggled now and then with the gear system, will you be making any significant changes to gear level and loot economy?

With Seasons 2.0, we plan to add a new item type. In other words, we’ll be reshuffling the gear by creating new items that you’ll be chasing. And these new items will have different offerings compared to the gear that you already have.

Is The Division a series you see having a long tail, and would you like to make more games, updates, DLC for the future?

You’re now seeing that with The Division Heartland and The Division Resurgence. This has now become a franchise and when we’re telling stories, it’s within the overall Division Universe. Having a dedicated Division Day to celebrate these games shows the commitment that we have here at Ubisoft for this franchise.

How does the political landscape shape The Division 2’s narrative, being that it’s generally pretty grounded?

When you look at our story today and what the world looks like in The Division 2, it’s actually a very different world in terms of the political landscape. Because they two different worlds, there is very little parallel between The Division 2 world and in real life. When the Division story began in 2016, it was developed based on fiction. And the work we continue to do for The Division 2 is also a work of fiction. Despite the coincidences between the two worlds, they are just that … coincidence.

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Road 96: Mile 0, the prequel to the much-loved narrative adventure Road 96, is out now. It’s a fantastic follow-up that not only helps to flesh out the world and give us a background to Zoe and other key characters, it tells an equally compelling story about fascism and the lengths people will go to to fight for change. To celebrate the release, we were fortunate enough to interview Yoan Fanise, the creative director of Road 96: Mile 0. We asked about the reasons for focusing on a prequel, the brand new musical rhythm minigames, its incredible soundtrack, and more.

Was it an easy choice to return to the character of Zoe for the prequel?

We discovered that many fans really resonated with Zoe in Road 96. Her charisma and personality seems to have struck a chord with players and we knew she had become a fan favorite. It made sense for us to explore in more detail the reasons Zoe left her luxurious life. It was one of the big mysteries of Road 96 and we wanted to give players more background on her life. 

Why did you choose to focus on the events before rather than after?

In Road 96 we put our characters on the road, and many players asked us where they come and what their life was like in the past. We realised there was an appetite for how our characters got to where they were, rather than where they were heading. Sometimes the past intrigues us more than the future.

What was the thought process in adding the musical/rhythm sections to Road 96: Mile 0?

Although we included minigames, we wanted to include a novel way of depicting the strong emotions and dilemmas of Zoe and Kaito. Each ride is unique and the design team did a wonderful job in bringing out the interiority of Zoe and Kaito in these quirky and fun musical moments in the game. We also wanted to add a layer of replayability for players who like a challenge, hence the scoring aspects we implemented.

How did you go about compiling the soundtrack to the game?

Similar to Road 96, we wanted to find music which complemented the characters, moments and settings of the game. We tried many placeholder tracks, but The Offspring and The Midnight, for example, were a perfect match for us because their sound taps into that 90s nostalgic mood the game invokes. It also mesmerizing for me because I grew up with this music, and we’ve seen many curious comments asking us about the musical choices we implemented. It’s great that music from my time is resonating with younger players!

Do you have any particular favourite moments from the game at all?

There is one ending in a particular (the saddest one) that always gets me emotional. Even if I replay it, it always touches something deep in my memories.

Did you find any inspirations from other titles when making Road 96: Mile 0?

In terms of thematic inspiration, I’d say the Korean movie “Parasite” from Bong Joon Ha. I love how it starts as a delightful and very funny story that transitions into something extremely serious towards the end. In terms of gameplay, I’d say “Sayonara” was a major reference due to its masterclass in animation and musical symbiosis!

Would you consider making any more games in the series? I would love to see more from John!

We’re always considering these sorts of things, but the team at the studio are foremostly focused on innovation first. There are always stories to tell in the Road 96 universe, but the way those stories are presented to our audience is crucial. This is the reason we added new gameplay elements in Mile 0.

The balance between humour and emotional moments is carefully balanced. Was this something important to you and the team?

This was a crucial element for us at DigixArt. We love diving into serious subjects, but it’s equally as important for us to add elements of humor and fun. There is no culture in the world that is unfamiliar with humor and it helps us to communicate many things (including serious topics) in an informal and human way that is relatable to all. This is what we aimed to achieve and we hope players find this balance enjoyable.

If you enjoyed our interview, you can play Road 96: Mile 0 right now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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For years fans of the world’s greatest detective have been enjoying the adventures of Holmes and Watson in Frogwares’ games, with recent entries like Sherlock Holmes Chapter One surprising and delighting me. With the latest instalment Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (a remake of one of the earlier Frogwares titles) just around the corner, I had the opportunity to talk to Frogwares about the upcoming title, Sherlock as a character, and how the war in Ukraine is affecting game development.

You’ve been very open with how the war is complicating game development at Frogwares on social media, how is the situation for your team currently?

We’re pushing on as best as we can. We’re around 80+ people working on the game. The bulk of us are of course in Ukraine and a handful are spread around countries in the EU.

We have been working remotely for most of this. In a way this is the one maybe the silver lining of COVID. We’d already been working remotely for 2+ years so a lot of our work process was at least in place when we needed to get the studio up and running again while the war raged on. We’d started working on the game by the end of March 2022, so about a month after the invasion. I honestly cannot fathom how long it would have taken or even if we’d have managed at all had we not had this work-from-home experience and setup already in place.

We are now finishing up the work on Sherlock Holmes The Awakened and slowly trying to organize the team for the next project. Prior to the war we were working on an open-world horror game that we had to put on pause. The situation was too chaotic and difficult to make any progress on such a large game. But we’ve learnt what we can and can’t do working on The Awakened and so we’re going to apply those lessons to see how to best restart work on our unannounced horror game.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a ground up remake of one of your older titles. What made you decide to revisit this game?

We never planned to do this remake at this point to be honest and there was never a sequel planned for Chapter One. The idea of a remake using young Sherlock was there in the background as a maybe. But at the time the war broke out we all were working on the pre-production of a bigger, open world horror game. But that proved impossible to work on at the time, so we put it on pause and pivot the whole team onto an idea that was smaller and had some groundwork already in place so we wouldn’t be starting from scratch.

So we picked to remake The Awakened for a few reasons. First we knew it was one of our most adored titles from our earlier Sherlocks. So if we were being made to work on something where we at least had some groundwork laid, best do it with an idea where we knew the foundation was solid.

The original story of The Awakened worked extremely well as a story that could help us easily continue our young Sherlock arc that held true what we established in Sherlock Holmes Chapter One.

The focus of our young overall Sherlock idea is about creating stories that could explain why Holmes turns out the way he does in the books. So what could he have experienced in those early years starting out as a detective that would make the broken genius we all know he becomes. Chapter One didn’t touch on the relationship of Watson and Holmes, so now we almost felt obligated to do so and The Awakened made that really easy. The overall story here is one that is centered around severe trauma and a loss of sanity, which we thought would be a very good way to portray why Holmes and Watson are so bonded. They experienced something unspeakable and so they alone can understand one another.

How much does the remake deviate from the original? Did you make many changes to the narrative side of the game?

The overall plot of the game is pretty much the only thing that stayed from the original. So Sherlock confronts a Cthulhu worshiping cult that takes him through London, the Swiss Alps and New Orleans. So the most memorable key cases + characters are still there. But that’s about it. Everything else has been remade from scratch. Visuals, gameplay mechanics, soundtrack, VO etc.

The easiest way to look at it is we took the story from the original and started recreating it using the tools, designs and character we’d come up with for Chapter One. Then along the way made any and all changes needed so this felt like a genuine follow up in terms of story and character arc.

When it comes to narrative changes, the biggest was adding a genuine focus on how this case is forming and impacting Holmes and Watson’s relationship. So all the dialogue from start to finish was vetted and rewritten to make sure this was present. We also had to make sure a lot of the interactions came across as this being their first case together. And then of course most of Sherlock’s dialogue was rewritten entirely so it’s him as a younger, more arrogant and slightly naive Sherlock like we created for Chapter One.

The insanity sequences were added to create some totally new gameplay mechanics but also to really drive home the idea that this case of unfathomable supernatural origins was really shaping and breaking Sherlock’s mind which wasn’t that present in the original. And with that the burden that Watson must endure to see this happening. We’ve also made some tweaks to certain characters or added entirely new ones in some places. Added side quests with all new plots. And of course a few references here and there to what Sherlock experienced in Chapter One. You don’t need to have played Chapter One to enjoy The Awakened but we also didn’t want to leave fans feeling like there was zero continuation in young Sherlock’s story.

I was really happy to see the Sherlock Holmes Chapter One version of Holmes return in The Awakened. Are you planning on sticking with this design long term?

The absolute honest answer is we don’t know. We never even had concrete plans to do a sequel to Chapter One, let alone one right after release. The young Sherlock now has a much firmer place in the stories we’ve created, so we may use him again. But at the same time a major force of what drives our young Sherlock is the vision of creating stories that could explain what events could have transpired that lead Holmes to become the broken genius we all know. I feel at a certain point we can’t keep doing this and not run out of smart and well connected ideas that tie together the two versions of Holmes we are juggling here.

The combination of Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraftian horror feels like a match made in heaven. How did this outside of the box idea come to fruition?

In a way you’re asking what was the inspiration for a game that first came about 17 or so years ago so it’s hard for me to say XD But the existing team knew this combination works because we’d all at least played the original and felt it was a solid story. If I recall correctly, the original game still today even gets listed in pieces talking about the best Lovecraft inspired stories in games.
And so when we knew we were going to continue down the road of stories that explain why Sherlock turns out they way he does, we needed a setting or idea that would work. Sherlock encountering something that puts into question the very idea of his existence and through entities that make common mortal people lose all grip on reality worked really well. In Chapter One we didn’t have any real mention of Watson so now we also had that to deal with. What could possibly have happened between the two at the start that bonds them so much in the future. A shared trauma so deep that only they can understand each other.

Throwing Sherlock into new and unique situations is nothing new for Frogwares. How do you decide on the direction of the series for each new game? Could we get any hints on what’s next for the world’s greatest detective?

The inspiration of the situations in a way ties back to what I said earlier about us always wanting to connect our Sherlock to the one that exists in the books. Our games have never been about making a carbon copy of any stories in the books. But they have also never been about putting Sherlock in situations or worlds that are so out of character. Rather it’s the balance of creating original plot lines with Sherlock at the heart that make sense for him to be there in the first place.

As for the future of our Sherlock, I feel I may have torpedoed your question a bit with my earlier answer about us not having actual plans for the next installment. Sorry! So I guess at this point all we can really say is, we highly doubt Frogwares are done with the Sherlock character. He is the reason we are a studio today so at some point we’ll probably come back to him and Watson. But in what shape or form there is no answer right now.

This question is a little silly but I have to ask it because I loved dressing up John as an Ice Cream Man in Chapter One. Will there be more wacky outfits in Sherlock Holmes The Awakened?

Haha. That’s really nice of you to say. Thank you so much. Yes, The Awakened will also have a few outfits to unlock and pick from, some being a little more on the flamboyant side even though the game is meant to be all doom and gloom.

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With the release of Dead by Daylight: Tools of Torment, DbD has reached an impressive twenty seven chapter updates since it launched in 2016. It’s been a big part of my life for most of that time, and I always look forward each new killer I can add to my murderous collection. Tools of Torment didn’t disappoint in that regard, and I was lucky enough to ask Creative Director Dave Richard some questions about the new content and some of the other big moments from the last year of Dead by Daylight‘s life.

In Chapter 27 you’ve introduced a new killer, The Skull Merchant. With drones as part of her power and a very striking appearance, she feels like a very modern slasher killer. What made the team decide to go in this direction with the character?

I describe the process of designing a character as finding and stacking building blocks. It starts with an idea and then we build from there. We had this idea to use technology as a fear-inducing aid – we wanted our Killer to use technology in a very macabre way. Once this became clear in our minds we imagined what we wanted this Killer to look like and what could her backstory be. The Skull Merchant is scary because she is cold, brutal and calculated. She is the ultimate apex Killer.

It seems like drones would almost be too powerful a tool for a Dead by Daylight killer, how did you make that work in the game?

There’s always a fine balance in our game – we want Killers to be powerful but not too powerful. So indeed we decided that the drones would help her surveil her victims, rather than say attacking the Survivors. That way it gives her an edge without making her overpowering, which I believe works well in game.

With over thirty killers in the game it must be difficult to come up with new mechanics and perk ideas. What’s this process like?

It’s… a process! We always try to push the envelope and attempt to create new mechanics that feel fresh and fun. We also have the added layer of complexity of needing to create perks that will work on many other characters and will be combined. Indeed it’s a lengthy process and we put of lot of time and effort into it.

As well as The Skull Merchant, this chapter update includes two new survivors. One of the focuses of their perks is that of teamwork. Was it important for you to try and encourage survivors to work together more?

Renato and Thalita are our first set of Siblings Survivors, and so we wanted to really drive the point of cooperation home. For these two, nothing is more important than each other and their community and we wanted their Perks to reflect that. We’re glad that this is opening up a broader conversation about cooperation in game. As for those who like to play using a more conservative approach to their survival, that is fine as well! But certainly with the Siblings, let’s celebrate working together!

With nine new perks entering the game from these three characters, character builds are likely to be shaken up. Are there any particular perks from the selection that you’re excited for the Dead by Daylight community to try out?

The Teamwork Perk is, for me, the one I am most excited for players to try. There are so many ways to play Dead by Daylight but in the game, as in life, I’d like people to work together for a better outcome.

Last year one of the biggest balance updates in Dead by Daylight history was released, changing a whole host of perks across killer and survivor. Are you happy with the changes made? Are there plans to do more massive shake ups in the future?

We are very happy with the changes that we’ve made in our biggest perk overhaul to date. While I cannot comment on what’s to come, I can tell you that having a balanced game is super important to us and something we’re going to continue to focus on.

Another highlight of Dead by Daylight in 2022 for me personally was the reveal that survivor David King is a member of the LGBTQ community. What made you decide to announce this, and are there plans for more LGBTQ characters in the future?

Diversity and inclusion is so important to us and this was a first step in this direction. David King is a beloved character who’s past had been pretty murky until then – it made sense for us, at this moment in his story, to unveil this part of his life. We are so thrilled by our community’s reaction and the LGBTQIA+ community’s reaction. I can only tell you that it’s the beginning.

It has just been announced that a Dead By Daylight movie is coming. What has it been like working with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster on this exciting new project?

It has been very exciting and a really fun ride so far – we can’t wait for what’s to come!

At this point we’ve had Dead by Daylight crossovers with huge properties like Stranger Things, Resident Evil and Halloween to name but a few. Are there any horror icons left you’d like to see in the game in the future?

There are many that have yet to make their way into the game… keep your eyes peeled!

The post Dead by Daylight Creative Director Dave Richard interview: “Finding and stacking building blocks” appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Superfuse is a comic-book-style dungeon-crawler from Stitch Heads Entertainment and Raw Fury. It’s set in a future universe where decadent multi-billionaires call themselves “gods” and use superhuman Enforcers to solve all their problems – including dealing with the Corruption, a mutating disease spreading through the star system.

We recently brought you our early access impressions of the sci-fi loot em up, and we recently got a chance to speak to the game’s Creative Art Lead, Bas de Smit, about some of the influences behind Superfuse’s unique look and interesting skill system.

Besides, say Diablo, what were some of the main influences behind Superfuse?

Torchlight and Path of Exile are both sharers of the genre that have been influential to us. When it comes down to non-gameplay related influences, series like the Boys and Invincible were major for the tone of the game, and Batman Beyond for visuals.

Superfuse has a unique skill and progression system – how did you come up with that?

We always loved the idea of a very flexible skill system, ideally one that is approachable. The system has gone through so many iterations, most of which would be unrecognisable compared to what we currently have.

Also, will the skills synergise well between characters during multiplayer?

Superfuse offers plenty of skills that are particularly useful when playing with others. The Berserker can bring powerful buffs, a massive Lightning Shield to block enemy projectiles, or the Provoke skill which grabs the attention of enemies, allowing your friends to focus on taking out the threats. The Elementalist’s ice tree offers chilling effects to slow enemies down, or massive Ice Walls to control the battlefield and keep your party safe. Finally, the Technomancer’s Tekhead Minion blesses your crew with massive damage buffs to both Skills and regular attacks. Players who often choose to play together may end up creating a build for that purpose, whereas a solo player may go a very different path.

Have you designed Superfuse with a specific endgame in mind or will that come later in development?

The launch of Early Access features the Solar Map, an endgame feature that is unlocked when completing the campaign. It allows players to take on contracts, which are procedurally generated locations for players to continue levelling up, finding rare loot, and taking on the strongest enemies in the game. Contracts vary in difficulty, making some challenging and others easier to complete – as well as a variety of other variables, such as increased Luck, Experience Gain, or enemies who boast one buff or another.

Are there plans to release Superfuse on console?

Right now, our focus is 100% on the Early Access launch and ensuring that Superfuse is the best game that it can be. Of course, our long-term aim is to bring the game to as many players as possible, but that is for the future.

We’ve seen games like Path of Exile work in the Games as a Service space? Was that ever considered for Superfuse?

We hope to continue providing updates to Superfuse for a long time. Early Access will be a critical period for us to gather feedback and suggestions from players and we hope to share more soon about our longer-term plans.

It has a great, comic-book-like art style. Was it always the plan, or a decision made to increase appeal?

We love comic books and always wanted to take a stab at including this style in the game. One of our artists has a background specifically working on comic books and was brought in to lend his expertise to the look of Superfuse. We’re thrilled with all the positive feedback on this approach.

The universe of Superfuse is very cool, with the God-like crime bosses ruling the galaxy with their Enforcers. Is there a lot of lore within the game?

We’re certainly just scratching the surface so far and spent a lot of time crafting a world rich with lore and interesting opportunities to explore in terms of narrative. Players who spend time exploring Eros may uncover old radio recordings or visions from the mysterious Portallers, which tell stories of past events in vivid, but often cryptic detail.

Superfuse is currently in Steam Early Access. Read our early impressions here.

The post “We’re just scratching the surface…” | Superfuse interview with Creative Art Lead, Bas de Smit appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The Walking Dead: Last Mile brought the world of Robert Kirkman’s successful zombie comics to life in a new way. Yes, there have been a wide range of TWD games, but Last Mile was able to do something fresh, allowing people all over the world to contribute to an ongoing story by participating on Facebook, with outcomes of certain story arcs contributing to the overall canon on the graphic novels. We were fortunate enough to interview Shawn Kittelsen, VP of Creative Development, Games at Skybound Entertainment, finding out some of his favourite memories, what the inspiration behind the game was, and what the future of The Walking Dead: Last Mile at Skybound might look like.

The Walking Dead Last Mile Interview: What were the challenges when trying to include real players in TWD’s canonical universe?

Giving the audience freedom to impact the world of TWD, without breaking the reality of that world, was our biggest challenge. That’s one reason why we featured the fictional location of Prosper Landing, Alaska, and centered the story on new characters. Setting our story there opened up so many possibilities – who lived and who died could truly be decided by the audience, without compromise, and without risking a rift in our continuity.

What were some of your favourite memories from TWD: Last Mile?

We had weekly live streams with Yvette Nicole Brown and Felicia Day, and I always looked forward to their reactions to the latest decisions made by the audience. Those streams really helped us drive the community discussions, and made it easy for folks to catch up with all the latest story developments. They were also super entertaining. I never thought I’d be laughing at a conversation about such grim subject matter, but guests like Ron Funches brought the fun.

My all-time favorite moment of the MILE was when the bidding concluded on the final decisions with life-or-death consequences at the end of Act 3. For weeks we had watched the audience lose one character after another, and a lot of us on the dev side were wondering if we were headed toward a worst-case scenario where every single one of our main characters would die. When those final decisions came through and the last few lives were saved, we had these moments of pure joy erupt in the TWDLM Slack – “Remi lives! Kate lives!” It was emotional for the whole team! We’d spent so much time with these characters, from early development all the way through the MILE, we wanted them to survive.

What was the inspiration in coming up with the MILE format?

I can’t speak for Genvid founder Jacob Navok and his brilliant team, but he’s shared with me how Twitch Plays Pokémon was a pivotal moment. Here you had a community of thousands of players actively participating to try and beat a game, while you also had thousands and thousands more watching that game be played. That’s the core of the MILE concept – to create these live events that are fun to both watch and participate in.

Where do you look for inspiration outside TWD when coming up with storylines?

Deep into the vast recesses of the human soul. I’m only half kidding. TWD takes a very grounded, character-first approach to storytelling, so the best place to look for inspiration is real life. We ask ourselves, what would it really take to survive? What resources would we have? We don’t have enough to take care of everyone, so how does that affect people? I broke the story for the initial pitch to set the stage for those core themes, then worked with a brilliant team of writers at Terrible Posture Games to generate the hundreds of thousands of words required for four months of live content. We had a pretty diverse group of writers on that team, so everyone brought their own influences and lived experiences to the story. Terrible Posture also did deep research into Alaskan culture, climate, industries, and so on, to create an authentic experience. In the end the MILE was a melting pot of everyone’s ideas.

The Walking Dead Last Mile Interview: What are some of the things you’d like to do for the future of the Last Mile, and are there plans for more?

Since this is one of the first MILEs ever, we learned so much about what worked and didn’t work for the audience along the way. We constantly tuned and updated things to respond to what we learned. It would be amazing to bring all that experience to a new story, and engineer something that’s even more thrilling and entertaining to follow daily. As far as plans for more, the door is open, and that’s all I can say for now.

What is the future of TWD at Skybound?

Oh, the secrets I wish I could spill! We’ve got multiple games in the works, all different genres and platforms, with some amazing talent behind them. We’re going to keep telling stories that build out the world of TWD with new characters, new perspectives, and new surprises. Our goal is to always give TWD fans something new. If you think you’ve seen it all before, think again.

If you could be any character from TWD comics, who would it be and why?

That’s a tough one because every character goes through so many hardships. They really suffer! My life has been too easy, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be tough enough to handle all the pain that comes their way. So I suppose if I could be anyone, I’d probably be Eugene. Someone who might not be the most athletic survivor, not always the best fighter, but who uses his intellect and studious nature to solve problems that no one else can. His work benefits the larger community. That’s the kind of role I’d hope to play in a post-apocalyptic scenario.

In your opinion, what is it about TWD that millions of people have connected with over the years?

Believable human characters, all the way. There’s so much suffering and tragedy and spectacle in TWD, but people connect with the characters because they feel like actual people. TWD creator Robert Kirkman has a brilliant talent for taking fantastic situations like a zombie apocalypse or growing up with a superhuman dad, and he grounds these stories in the reality of characters who feel just like us, just like people we’ve known. We root for them. We fall in love with them. We want to see them survive with their humanity and dignity intact. And just like them, we hold onto a sliver of hope that there’s a point to all this suffering. It’s not just misery for the sake of endless misery. It’s about persevering through the misery because we still believe there’s a tomorrow worth building, a next generation worth raising, values worth protecting. That’s why TWDLM was such a positive experience in the end. For all the characters we lost along the way, the audience came together and saved enough people to move forward, rebuild, and keep hope alive. That’s what it’s all about.

The post The Walking Dead: Last Mile | Interview with Shawn Kittelsen, VP of Creative Development, Games at Skybound appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

I was lucky enough to fly out to Serbia last week and spend some time in the company of Mad Head Games, who put on a fantastic showcase event for their upcoming third person sci-fi actioner Scars Above. Despite being in the somewhat unsettling environment of a cavernous former crypt (and, I am told, once a nightclub, hence the telltale chewing gum that mottles its stone floor), the afternoon was enjoyable in that the game itself was a blast to play, and the people who made it are a likeable, passionate bunch who were on hand and only too willing to answer some questions for me about its creation, influences, and the games industry in Eastern Europe in general.

I collared Scars Above Director and Mad Head Executive Producer Ivan Zorkić in an atmospherically lit, dry ice-filled corner of the cavern to pick his brains.

The burning question for me, given that I had my own theories on it, was to ask what the principal influences were when developing Scars Above? “That is a common, but great question! There were quite a few actually; in this business you play a lot of games, watch a lot of new movies and tv shows, and read a lot of books. All of us at the studio are fans of science fiction, really big fans. And fans of fantasy as well, but science fiction is always very close to our hearts.”

Left: Ivan Zorkić, Right: Sean Smith

Now at this point, or any point during my Serbian adventure, I wasn’t expecting the image of Lt Frank Drebin to enter my mind, but it is easy to forget how the late, great Naked Gun star was once a semi-serious movie star involved in some classic sci-fi and disaster movies. And lo and behold, Ivan triggered me.

“This was inspired in part by some of the classics, all the way from the very earliest movies that I remember – like Forbidden Planet with Leslie Nielsen, with its themes of astronauts stuck on a scary planet”.

With its sinister creatures popping out of icky cocoons, there was clearly another slightly more contemporary space-horror touchstone in Mad Head’s thoughts when constructing the hostile planet I had just been exploring: “The biggest influence would probably have to be Alien. Kate, I would say, she is similar to Ripley, and inspired by Ripley in that she is not a soldier – she is an officer on a ship – and not a combatant, right? So that was very inspirational. Also, perhaps not reflected in the game but something for me personally was reading Alice In Wonderland and thinking about the similarities and how Kate goes down “the rabbit hole” and ends up on this alien world which is strange, and weird, and beautiful, and terrifying!”

Other than films and literature, Ivan also gave some insight into the kinds of video games that had been influential on the development process. “You always look at other games. Resident Evil is always a big inspiration due to the survival elements. We took a lot of cues from Horizon Zero Dawn, which is one of my favourites. We also borrowed some mechanics from Souls games. It is not a Souls-like, but there are some elements in terms of challenge, learning about your enemies. We incorporated this because of the story which is about learning about your environment, teaching people to do things by trial and error, where people die in certain sections and then replay in order to learn from that. There are also some shortcuts you can open so you don’t have to play certain parts again. The story is not so open to interpretation, it is more of a contained story with clear explanations, a more linear story inspired by Sci-Fi classics.”

There were a few things that I noticed – firstly that some of the enemies gave off a certain Lovecraftian vibe. This was particularly relevant in my brain having just binge watched Guillermo Del Toro’s superb Cabinet of Curiosities anthology which blended Sci-Fi and horror with an overarching HP Lovecraft theme. “Yes – there is a reason in the story, which I wont spoil, but we approached the enemy design like they were part of a biome, an existing biological unit. We imagined how different environments – like marshland, ice, grassy fields – what kind of creature would live there? So, there are areas with tall grass, and we have a very fast creature who is a quadruped and relatively low, who hides in the grass and is hard to see and has evolved to be a predator in that kind of environment. There are fur covered creatures in the snowy part. We explain in the story the reason why they are all so monstrous and hostile. There is a specific reason for that. We were going for the idea of animals turning into monsters. There is a reason why some of the creatures are bipedal”.

At this point I noted how much the game recalled Alex Garland’s sensational film adaptation of Annihilation. It shares many themes and a female lead with Scars Above. “That was obviously something we looked at: a strong female, and one of the creepiest things I have seen on screen – the bear scene – and the mechanic it used to lure people in. So we designed these monsters to be a part of a specific environment and evolution, and how they can use their natural abilities in unique and interesting ways to make things difficult, and how you can counter these with different elements.”

The elemental weapons play a big part in proceedings and Ivan was keen to point out how they wanted to move away from the generic style of gunplay seen in other titles. “We didn’t want her going in shooting with an automatic rifle so we used the elemental weapons. We know people usually think of magic when you mention elemental weapons but this is more like forces of physics and based in reality.”

Finally I was keen to find out a bit more about games development as a whole in Serbia and indeed the Balkans in general as it is not really an area that we associate with the industry. “This whole region is relatively new to game development. We were one of the pioneers over fifteen years ago and when we started things were relatively new to everyone. It wasn’t new to us! But people were surprised that we made games out here. Now it is much more common and you have bigger players out here like Epic Games, or Ubisoft opening studios. We are still one of the first to have started making console-core games. I expect a lot more not just here in Serbia but in the region as well – because of one hand it is easy to develop here for financial reasons, the geographical location; but we are also close to the rest of the world in terms of pop culture and communications”.

“We have heard a lot from our friends and colleagues in the US and UK about how they may have difficulty communicating with companies from the far east for example, due to problems with language or even cultural differences. I know everyone says this about their part of the word but there is a tremendous amount of talented people from technical skills, to artists, and creative people here. I think that even if it may not sound relevant, we also have a great sense of humour which I think is very important no matter what kind of game you are developing. So I think this whole region – Serbian of course, but also Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary – is becoming top for game development and you will hear more and more about it.”

Amen to that. I was extremely impressed by everything I saw in Serbia and felt that the passion for videogames is as intense and abundant as anywhere you care to mention. The amount of graft and effort that has gone into showcasing Scars Above is nothing short of brilliant, and I look forward to playing it and seeing what Mad Head come up with next. And word to the wise – Serbian rakija is as potent an aperitif as I have ever encountered.

This Scars Above preview is based on hands-on impressions from a press trip to Serbia. Accommodation and travel was provided by the publisher. The game is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X in 2023.

The post Scars Above interview with Mad Head Executive Producer Ivan Zorkić appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

It can be hard to stand out in an ocean of farming games. Wylde Flowers has a whole host of things that set it apart from the pack though. The most obvious of these are the magic powers that protagonist Tara can use to help with the daily chores of farm life. There’s also the narrative focus that’s rather unique to the genre. My personal favourite aspect of Wylde Flowers though is the inclusivity.

Developers Studio Drydock wanted to make the world of Wylde Flowers a wonderful inclusive place for everybody, and they did a fantastic job. From the pride flag flying at town hall to vegan tags on food items, the team really did think of everything. I was fortunate enough to interview Amanda Schofield, Creative and Managing Director of Studio Drydock about the focus on inclusivity and other lovely elements of Wylde Flowers, and now I want them to take me in and look after me.

Lyle Carr: Firstly I just want to thank you so much for making such an inclusive game. From the opening shot of the town hall with the pride flag fluttering in the breeze, I just felt safe and happy to be in the world of Wylde Flowers. Was it a deliberate decision to start the game with that visual?

Amanda Schofield: Our absolute pleasure! It wasn’t initially intentional. We were adding the sweeping camera reveal and it naturally fell into the shot heading down the stairs. As soon as we saw people’s reactions and how quickly it established the tone of the game, we loved it.

LC: Inclusivity was obviously important to you in developing Wylde Flowers. How did the team decide on what inclusive elements they wanted to include in the game?

AS: There were lots of different goals we were trying to satisfy when building the cast. We needed interconnected relationships for the town so it felt lived in, we had a bunch of occupations that needed filling, we had people who needed to fulfil roles as part of the plot and we had to make sure we had a number of love interests to potentially choose from. When building characters it was more about finding matches between a bunch of our goals and then seeing what backgrounds and experiences that naturally suggested. There were so many more ideas we would have loved to try, but the ones we have were the strongest choices for what we needed to accomplish with each character.

LC: I thought it was an interesting decision to include the backstory of the main character Tara as previously engaged. How did the team decide on Tara’s character and backstory, and did it evolve much during development?

AS: Having a predefined protagonist was a big part of making Wylde Flowers unique. Conversations with townspeople feel more real because we can base them on Tara’s personality and history rather than needing to keep her neutral. The motivations for Tara coming to the island were a big part of that, but this created a thorny problem for us.

We wanted the player to be able to find love with the character that suits them, but Tara might have a backstory that conflicted with that. The writing team came up with a super clever solution in letting the player “remind” Hazel of who their previous love interest was to establish a past so that we could build off that but also be true to the players’ story too.

LC: I don’t think I’ve ever seen another game include vegan tags on food items before. Where did this idea come from?

AS: A lot of our decisions are derived from a central goal to represent as many different kinds of people as we possibly can. The vegan tags were driven by that as well, but also hit on another goal about us bringing the life simulation genre a little closer to feeling like the real world. We needed to do that to make our stories feel more relatable, so we were looking for ways to exhibit that in the world, too. Having a butcher where players can trade their animals for meat was part of that.

Meat comes from animals, so if you raise animals and also cook meals, it felt like a great opportunity for players to confront the decision they’re really making every time they eat meat. No judgement! It was just a novel idea that a game can make them confront for themselves with no wrong answer. To balance that, we needed to let them live a life where they choose not to eat meat and the vegan options are there to support that play style. It’s not entirely possible to play the game vegan as there are some required fishing quests, but we try to keep it out of the main story as much as we possibly can.

LC: The diversity of the cast is so heartwarming to see, and means there’s someone for everyone to connect with while playing. Do any members of the team have personal favourites?

AS: Yes! Everyone in the team has favourites, here are a few:

Alexandrá Lu, QA: Francis! He’s a standout for me in part because of much fun of a character he was to record. I remember his first VO session pretty vividly because of how much excitement there was over the number of latinos in that day–Desiree and I are both Puerto Rican, Krizia is Cuban, Alexis De La Rosa (Francis’ voice actor) is Dominican, so we were all bonding over a lot of the character/writing details. He also had free range to ad-lib some Spanish into his lines, which not only fit right in perfectly, but amped up the energy in the studio. It was a lot of fun’.

Ashley Courchen, Programmer: I’m going to say Thomas. He was the primary reason why I applied for the job at the studio. It was refreshing to see a native man that didn’t fall into any of the outdated tropes about Indigenous peoples — he is just a regular ole dude living his life. And without giving away any spoilers, the fact he has a love interest is incredible. Native men are rarely humanised to that extent in popular media.

Nyasha Bryant, Writer/Narrative Designer: Finn & Emmi. As a black woman and a writer, it is a joy to see a pair of brown-skinned children embrace their passions and be embraced back by not only their family, but surrounding community. They embody the kind of carefree sweetness and opportunity to enjoy their childhood that Black children in real life are not often afforded the same chances to experience. Though they often get into mischief, it isn’t truly demonised — their community and family instead choose to see the kids’ cleverness, burgeoning passions, and kind hearts. They’re children who get to be just that, but are still acknowledged as complete human beings with the ability to learn, change, and grow.

LC: Having such a narrative focus in a farming game really helped those characters shine through. Did you always plan on Wylde Flowers being more story driven than others in the genre?

AS: Yes, this was the main point of differentiation we wanted to focus on. That said, at the start we had no idea just how far we were going to take it! We initially hadn’t planned for voice over or cinematic cutscenes. Voice over was an option that only became possible when Apple became our publisher and after we heard the incredible story told by our equally incredible cast, nothing would do but that we built the cinematics to match.

LC: The voice acting is fantastic too. What was it like working with all the talented people, like Cissy Jones and Valerie Rose Lohman, who provided voices for the game?

AS: Truly an absolute joy. They are such a kind and talented group of people. Even outside of their voice acting work, they have been so generous with their enthusiasm and interest in helping support us spreading the word about Wylde Flowers!

The performances were so incredible that there were some sessions where the voice actor was crying, the crew was crying and the writers were crying, so if some of those performances sound real, I can promise you they were! Equally, there were so many sessions where I had to mute myself so that I wouldn’t drown out the actor with my belly laughing.

LC: I believe the team at Studio Drydock is a team made up of predominantly women. I’d love to know more about the studio in general, and if it was always planned to be a majority female team.

AS: Our intention as a studio from the beginning has been to create games for an audience of predominantly women and historically underrepresented groups. We believe to build a game targeting a diverse audience, that diversity needs to be reflected in your team. Helped by our asynchronous style studio, we’ve found ways to bring in people from all different cultures and backgrounds spread across the world. This helped us to bring nuance and representation to every aspect of development.

We designed all of our hiring practices and in-house processes around the goal of furthering representation of women and under-represented peeps. We worked really hard in the early days to make sure we held off interviews until we had a good balance of diversity in the candidates we were interviewing. It was hard going at first, but once word gets around about your studio culture and people see you’re really living the values you set down, it gets a lot easier to find people that bring their own uniqueness whatever that may be to the role as well as their skill!

Wylde Flowers is out now for PC, iOS, and Nintendo Switch.

The post Nuance and representation: an interview with Wylde Flowers developer, Studio Drydock appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

They say you’ll always remember your first, and I certainly remember mine. My first 10/10 score that is. CrossCode blew me away when I played it in 2020, with its exceptional premise and tricky dungeons I immediately fell in love with the pretend MMO. Deck13 are probably better known for games like Lords of the Fallen and The Surge than publishing phenomenal indie games, but it turns out they do both. And that looks to be continuing with Chained Echoes.

Developer Matthias Linda has clearly put a lot of love into this gorgeous 16-bit style JRPG over the last seven years. With incredible visuals and turn-based combat that looks anything but slow paced, it immediately grabbed my attention. Releasing next month, Chained Echoes is looking like the perfect way to round off a year of phenomenal games. I was lucky enough to interview Matthias in the run up to launch, and he his answers pretty much confirmed that this game is going to be a must play for fans of classic RPGs.

Lyle Carr: I adored the last game from your Publisher in these veins, CrossCode, but it was much more action oriented then Chained Echoes. What made you decide to create a turn-based game?

Matthias Linda: I know the devteam of CrossCode and in general we share a similar vision to be honest. We both picked certain games from the past and developed our own title in a way… hmm… how to explain that? So, what I did, I tried to create a game which looks and feels how I remember the games I grew up with. I did not try to recreate them but I tried to recreate them how I remembered them. And from what I know the CrossCode Team did the very same. Just that they grew up on more action oriented titles while I was always a fan of turn based RPGs.

LC: I was so glad to hear that random battles don’t exist in Chained Echoes. Was it always important to avoid this more dated design choice?

ML: There are games where random encounters do make sense. But – and that might sound a bit silly – there are story reasons why I didn’t go for them. Plus, back in the days, it was also most times a way to save resources. A technical reason why developers went for random encounters. Luckily times have changed.

LC: I’ve always been a huge fan of mechs, so I was delighted to see them in Chained Echoes. Did you take any inspiration from other mechs in video games or any other media?

ML: Oh I loved Xenogears. And I grew up in a time where kids played with robot action figures. And remember Power Rangers? Yes, they were bad but as a kid… Robots were always awesome and I wanted to have them in my game. Still. The main reason is Xenogears.

LC: Chained Echoes features combat on land and in these incredible hulking mechs, how does this combat differ?

ML: Oh snap. That’s the first time this question comes up. And I am sorry to let you down but I don’t want to spoil that. Of course, damage numbers are higher and some enemies can only be defeated in Sky Armors. But there is a twist with them I don’t want to spoil. What I can say is that players might be facing a new… variant of the combat system they’ve learned and mastered until then.

LC: You’ve discussed previously that Chained Echoes will have choices that impact the fate of the world. How much will these decisions affect different playthroughs?

ML: The choices are part of the story, so they will happen naturally. It is not a choice the player can actively take although it might feel like it. In the end, there is just one end for the game. When I started the development, I wanted to have choices with impacts on the story itself but decided against it at some point. I wanted to deliver a message. And that is pretty hard if not impossible if you have multiple endings.

LC: The world of Valandis seems very much rooted in a fantasy setting. What makes Valandis interesting?

ML: It is a mix of fantasy and steampunk. It is a world where lizardmen and goatlike characters are just a normal thing where they walk around. And no one cares. It is just a normal thing. A Utopia. But at the same time a Dystopia as war is always right around the corner.

LC: One of my favourite aspects of classic JRPGs are the optional mini games. You’ve mentioned there’s going to be some of these in Chained Echoes, could you give us a sneak peek of what to expect?

ML: I did not include too many mini games for the sake of having mini games. There is one specific part in the game where you have multiple ones. I can really recommend the turtle race. But besides that, the mini games usually became game mechanics to discover things in the world. Like digging for hidden loot.

LC: Chained Echoes very much looks to be a game for long time JRPG fans. Are there any systems in the game you think will particularly hook the genre veterans?

ML: I really hope they will enjoy the Overdrive system in the fights. It makes the fights fast paced and yet tactical. Besides that I really hope they will enjoy all the little details I’ve hidden everywhere and if they find specific references and played certain games, I hope they’ll sit there and just nod, happily.

LC: Finally, Chained Echoes is releasing next month. Is there anything else people should know about the game before it arrives very very soon?

ML: Yes. Besides some backgrounds I gave to outsourcers and the keyart for the game there is one thing I didn’t do on my own. The soundtrack. My composer, Eddie, he is a godlike master. So even if you hate JRPGs. Even if you hate pixelart. Even if you hate turn based combat. Even if you know Chained Echoes is not made for you. Check out the soundtrack. It is well worth it. I still can’t believe I was able to work with such an amazing talent. And after seven years I really hate playing through my own game by now. Don’t get me wrong. I love the game. But playtesting builds… I am happy that soon I don’t have to play through it anymore. But the soundtrack, I can still listen to it for hours.

The post “Choices with impacts”: an interview with Matthias Linda, developer of Chained Echoes appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

When ORX and its unique blend of tower defence and card gameplay hit early access a couple of months ago I was very impressed. Inspired by a love of board games, developer johnbell combined so many of my favourite gaming elements (cards, roguelike runs, strategic gameplay) and made an experience I just couldn’t put down.

With only two of the four classes available to play as in the current build, there’s still a lot more to come for fans of the early access game. I was lucky enough to get the chance to chat with game designer at johnbell Ivan Suhin recently about what inspired ORX and what’s coming next for the game, and now I’m even more excited for version 1.0.

Ivan Suhin, game designer at johnbell

The idea of blending tower defence and deck building is really unique. How did you come up with it?

The lead developer and I are very good friends, and we both love board games. We used to go to lunch together and play Carcassonne. It’s really fun to build huge castles in Carcassonne, and as we were playing, we got an idea: what if those enormous castles were being attacked by someone? We started expanding on this idea and it all came together to become ORX!

I’m a huge fan of Tower Defense as a genre – I often think “what if we added Tower Defense elements to this?” while playing different games. This passion certainly played its role in the creation of ORX.

How difficult was it to bring board game mechanics across to the world of video games while adding your own flavour?

This was a real challenge, to be honest with you! The vast majority of board games don’t transition well to the digital medium. That’s because the essence of board games lies in things that you just can’t replicate on a computer, such as tactile experiences with cards and tiles, and, most importantly, socialization.

If you just bring the same mechanics over to a digital medium – the game will lose a big part of its charm.

But I believe that you can keep the charm. We worked very hard on the UX – for example, we’ve spent two years iterating the tile placing mechanic, making sure it “feels good” to play – and we believe that we can make it feel even better. There are quite a lot of things to consider here, from animation to sound design.

Outside of board games, were there any particular video games that inspired the game?

At the time that we started the development of ORX, Slay the Spire was the new big thing in indie gaming. So we took inspiration from them in terms of rogue-lite elements. In the end, our system turned out to be very different: in Slay the Spire they have more complex card-to-card interactions and combos, and in ORX the complexity and the synergy between different cards comes into play only after you place a tile on a map.

During development, we came across the game called Ratropolis – it’s a card-based tower defense strategy. It was interesting to see how they solved the same problems we faced.

My favorite tower defense game of all time is Gemcraft. It’s a game of numbers in a sense, and some stats here may reach unbelievably high values, giving you a feeling that every unit has the potential to become insanely strong. That’s something we were trying to replicate in ORX.

We also took some inspiration from They Are Billions. At first, we thought about making a more traditional RTS, with workers and a slower building process, but They Are Billions gave us an idea to make things more dynamic. Less Age of Empires, more SimCity.

So, our main sources of inspiration were Gemcraft for tower defense elements, They Are Billions for RTS mechanics, and Slay the Spire for everything related to rogue-lite and deck-building.

In the early access build that’s currently available, you can play as two totally different factions with wildly different gameplay. What led to these drastically different play styles?

After creating the solid foundation we did when we created the first faction, we wanted to continue to build and implement various types of content for players to experience. Creating a new faction or a new set of cards isn’t too difficult once you’ve got the basic mechanics up and running.

The second faction, Dune Reavers, was created to be as fun as the first one while introducing a new gameplay style for players to try their hand at. We essentially wanted to ensure that players could experience the game and find their preferred play style, whether that’s going on the defensive, or heading in blazing and going on the offensive.

There’s going to be four factions available when the game hits full release. Could you give us any hints about how the other two factions will play?

Initially, we had this idea of basing factions on classic RPG archetypes – such as a Warrior, a Rogue, a Mage, etc.

Rune Wardens represent the Warrior archetype: there is not much flexibility, everything about them is fundamental. The Dune Reavers are closer to a Rogue, or an archer – an agility-based class, as they can move troops around and are more “flexible” in general.

One of the remaining two factions will represent the Mage – with gameplay based on summons, necromancy, golems, and alternative sources of energy, so to speak. The other one will revolve around ‘Heroes’ (which is a placeholder name) – powerful units, able to defeat tons of ORX by themselves, with the rest of the faction providing support.

We will obviously share more information when the time comes, but that’s all we can disclose for now!

You released in early access a couple of months ago now. How did you decide that early access was the right way to launch ORX?

It was a decision that came very naturally to us due to the way we work. We came to the point where we had essentially got the base mechanics down, and were continuing to add new features and mechanics to test them out in game. While feedback from our team of 10 incredibly passionate people was important to ensure we all liked the new features, the larger community could offer us a new perspective that we knew could only improve ORX and help us bring it to new heights. So we decided that we wanted to let our players into this process. It’s all been so helpful to us. Thank you to everyone who’s offered their insight and feedback!

We’ve recently launched an experimental branch to test out new mechanics and content, and the support from the ORX community on Discord has been nothing short of amazing, as well as extremely helpful.

When do you expect ORX to hit 1.0, and what features do you want to include before then?

Our final goal is simple: to make the game as fun to play as possible, and give the player an opportunity to constantly try new deck builds and strategies. In order to achieve this, we will be gradually adding more depth to the game: more tactical options, more types of enemies that will require different strategies, and more fun challenges for the player.

We will considerably improve the narrative side of things: the lore and the main story will be much more prevalent in the final game. Upon completing ORX, the players will get proper endings – instead of the simple victory screen that we have now. Everything will feel more meaningful, and we hope our fans are going to love what we have in store for them.

From the technical side of things – we’ll have to make ORX run smoothly even on the latest stages of the game. 5000 ORX warriors on the same map, with no issues – that’s our current goal.

I really enjoyed my time with ORX, but I found it very difficult to understand all the systems when I first started. Do you have any plans to add a dedicated tutorial or an intro level in future early access updates?

This is something we’re aiming to address moving forward and was part of why it was so important to get that player feedback. We are preparing a more in-depth tutorial and restructuring the intro missions – that way the players would learn mechanics gradually, as well as have some time to practice.

I spent all my time with ORX on Steam Deck, and it runs really well there. Did you make any design choices to support Valve’s handheld? You’re also planning to release ORX on console further down the line. What challenges does this present?

Actually, we’ve designed ORX with tablets in mind – and that goal also worked well for the Steam Deck. The very first builds were actually developed for tablets, but then we hit the wall in terms of performance and turned to PC.

But the DNA is still there, so we’re happy to hear that you enjoyed ORX on Steam Deck! We are definitely planning to improve this experience further in the near future.

Our goal is for ORX to be playable on many different platforms. The main challenge here is to ensure that the UI is clear so players can have a great experience, no matter what platform they play on.

ORX is available now in early access on Steam. 

The post Interview with ORX game designer Ivan Suhin appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Alongside playing a demo version of The Devil in Me, we also got a chance to interview Tom Heaton, the Creative Director of the game at Supermassive Games. Tom tells us what we can expect from the latest installment, and we discuss everything from the plot, to the new features, as well as the future of the series as a whole.

Read on below for the full The Devil in Me interview.

Interview with The Devil in Me Creative Director Tom Heaton

Plot and influence

Chris Hyde: Hi Tom, and thank you for taking the time to speak to me today. I guess the best place to start is if you could talk about what we can expect story-wise from The Devil in Me.

Tom Heaton: OK Sure. I’ll talk a bit about the inspiration for the story first. The Devil in Me is inspired by the American serial killer. H H Holmes, who was active in Chicago in the 1890s. It’s set in the present day, and it’s the story of a TV production company called Lonnit Entertainment, which is making a series about American serial killers. It’s called Architects of Murder, and they’ve got to the final episode of the series, which is about H H Holmes, and they need it to be really good because they need to secure a second series.

But unfortunately, a) they’ve run out of money because they are a really small outfit and b) they’ve chosen poorly cause H H Holmes is a very cold case if you’re making a documentary. It all happened 140 years ago, no one is alive to interview and the famous building he built – this hotel he murdered people in was very full of very elaborate traps and weird corridors and things like that – has been knocked down. They haven’t got anything.

And out of the blue, they get a phone call from someone called Granthem Du’Met, who tells them he has a hotel that he’s inherited, which is partially based on HH Holmes’s hotel, including the interiors which are replicas of some of the rooms. So this is gold dust for this TV documentary crew and they immediately agree.

To go, they agree to lots of privacy conditions. They hand over their phones, and they’re driven in a limousine with smoked-out windows to a mysterious lakeside location and taken across the lake to an island where this hotel, is kind of falling down and rotting.

Yes, and the hotel’s perfect. It’s brilliant. It’s just what they want for the series. So they settle in but straight away things start to go wrong. They feel like they’re being watched – they are being watched – and they realised that the hotel is a very accurate replica of Homes’ hotel indeed.

CH: You talked about obvious influences, like the murder Castle, but you also get a very “Saw” film vibe from this. Are there any other influences we can expect in the game?

TH: Yeah. So, Saw is a definite influence and we’ve steered away from the torture porn side of Saw, but what we have got are these really compelling, horrible dilemmas. The players are forced by someone that’s watching them and controlling them and is hidden. They’re forced to make these terrible decisions between people, so that is very, very Saw-influenced. The other big influences are The Shining because we got a hotel that’s malevolent, that’s creepy, that is, unstable in the way in the way it works. So that’s a huge influence and people will see little nods to The Shining, which is my favourite horror film by the way, if not one of my favorite films. They will see that all the way through the game and the other influence are kinds of fairly old-school slasher movies. I’m thinking especially about the Halloween series. That’s a big influence, the game goes to those sorts of places.

The Cast

CH: And in terms of the cast this time around, there always tends to be quite a diverse cast in The Dark Pictures games, you know, age, ethnicity, backgrounds etc. What considerations were made for the cast for The Devil in Me?

TH: So right from the start we wanted a story about working professionals, people that had jobs, people like you and me, and people like your audience, people trying to make ends meet, and do a good job. So they’re professional people, they’re working together.

And that you know they were small outfit in a small office. So there’s all the sort of normal internal rivalries. They’re living in each other’s pockets really. And so internal rivalries, friendships, and support groups are all there. And most of the cast is late 20s, or early 30s, no three of them are. And then we’ve got 2 slightly different characters. We got Charlie, the director, who’s British and he’s older and he’s the person that set up this company and we got Erin, who’s younger than the others. She’s the intern, new, she doesn’t really know anyone. She’s a little bit cowed by all these people who know a lot more than her, so yes, it is diverse, it’s diverse in lots of ways. And we get real texture from those differences between the characters, how they play off against each other, etc is really important.

New Gameplay

CH: There are a couple of what feel like big gameplay changes in The Devil in Me compared to previous games in the Anthology. One of them is the expanded movement actions that are in the game. How do you think they changed the way it feels to play this particular game versus the previous games in the series?

TH: So you are right there, they’re really big changes. But one thing that was important was we stayed true to the core of what a Dark Pictures game was, you know? It’s all about cinematic branching horror, and that is still very much the case. We’ve always had exploration, we’ve always allowed players to free roam across these scary and creepy environments that our art teams create and find things in the world and just try and help themselves survive the night.

But we decided to increase the player agency in those sections, so players have now got much more to do; they can jump, vault, climb, crouch, crawl, shimmy across ledges, balance across beams, squeeze through gaps, and it’s all about giving the player more control, more responsibility. It allows our level design teams to create interesting nonlinear levels and populate those levels with secret areas that the player has to work to find, where there are things that are useful to them. It allows us to set challenges about “How do you get across there?”, “How would you reach this bit of the level?” and you have to kind of engage with the level and work out how to do it. So yeah, we think it really works. It’s been fun developing those features and playing the new types of levels that we can create, but it fits really well into this into our existing structures as well.

CH: Yeah, 100%. I’ve played the preview slice of the game and you’re right. You’re still in keeping with the decision-making, but there is certainly in that kind of hour of gameplay a noticeable difference. My character is moving around and solving puzzles and that feels like a more prominent part of the gameplay as well as exploration, it’s part of the exploration.

TH: Yeah, so we got a couple of new features, and one of those is puzzles. Going back to the source material, HH Holmes loved to confuse and disorientate his victims with the walls that moved and the trap doors, and the rooms that were completely pitch black. So puzzles seemed like a very good fit and were a very early part of what we are putting together for The Devil in Me.

They’re not super, super difficult. It’s not a puzzle game. It’s a Dark Pictures game with some puzzles, so players will have to think a little bit. It’s things like looking for codes in the world, or there are some fuse boxes to fix. Sometimes it’s about pushing things around to find new paths through the world. Again, it’s about broadening the palette of what players will do in the game.

The other big new feature is tools and we’ve got a simple inventory that players can use. The tools they start with are tools that they would have naturally as part of their job. Or they can find tools in the world that are useful to them. And sometimes it’s about using them in explorations. Sometimes they are used in interactions, and sometimes they kind of tie into the branching of the game. Having a specific tool at a certain point can have a really big impact on the narrative.

The interface is very simple, it’s an inventory, but we don’t want players to do loads of inventory management, so it’s really stripped down and kept very simple. And again it’s just broadening the palette.

CH: Yeah. I was gonna ask about that. You did just touch on it, actually with the inventory. Is it going to be critical to have the right character having the right item at the right point? Does that get interwoven into the choices and narrative decisions?

TH: Yes, absolutely, as always in our games. If you don’t have that, or if you choose wrongly, the game will continue. Someone might get injured or worse, but the game will always continue. You will always get a really strong narrative, but absolutely the tools in places really tie strongly into the narrative and have a really big impact on the narrative, up to and including people dying.

Dying and game length

CH: Which is always what people focus on: the choices and how it can lead to how many characters survive the night and how many characters die. Is there anything you can kind of tell me about the number of permutations or choices or how many ways there are to die in this game?

TH: I can’t give exact numbers. There are lots of ways to die and we always have lots of ways to die. That’s one of the things that people are looking for in this sort of game. They’re playing a horror movie if you like. So they want to see some deaths and the deaths have to be over the top and usually pretty gory. And they have to mean something. They can’t just be people dying. You have to have got to know those people and feel for them and feel the loss. So there are a lot of deaths. I haven’t got a number, but there’s plenty and they are spectacular. I think it’s one of the great things about this setup, the serial killer and the hotel full of traps is there are some really, really horrible deaths and we’ve enjoyed making those.

CH: I think you have to enjoy that aspect of it, right? If you’re making a Dark Pictures game. Another thing I want to talk about was the runtime. I think it’s about 7, maybe 7 to 8 hours to play through, which is a little bit longer than some of the other games earlier in the series. Is it just that there is more story to tell here? Or is there something else at play that makes this a longer experience?

TH: I think there are a few things, we’re always learning on the Dark Pictures. We’re always looking at what we’ve made and looking at how people have responded to it, the press, but also the fans and how we feel about it ourselves. And one of the things we were looking at was a shift to a longer game time. It allows us to tell the story more fully. It allows us to spend more time with the characters and get to know them more and for them to undergo change and have those character arcs that people really value.

So yes, that was part of why the runtime will be over 7 hours. People play games in different ways. So some people, if they’re looking for every single secret read every single thing they find and they’ll spend a bit more than that. But it will be over 7 hours. And I think as well we’ve got all these new gameplay mechanics that need some space as well. Players need a bit of time to get to know that. So that’s another factor behind it.

Favourite Scene

CH: So with the bigger game, what’s your favourite scene or part of it that you’re happy to share?

TH: You know, I’ve been working on this so, long, for three years, so it’s very difficult. I have a lot of favourite bits and I must be careful not to spoil the game. But there’s a bit I think you would have played in the demo where they all kind of get together for dinner and they’re kind of working out that it’s a bit of a crisis. The guys, seem to be on their own, they don’t know where anyone is. Things haven’t really kicked off yet, but things are definitely going wrong and that’s a very central scene.

It can go in a number of very, very different directions, but also it’s really all about the relationships between these characters. That’s when they’re really tested. And one of the things we love to do in games is often about testing characters and the relationships between them under extreme pressure that can end horribly. So that is a fun scene because we really get a glimpse into all those working relationships. But there are loads of great scenes. I’m very pleased with how it turned out and I think people have their favorites when they play the whole thing, which then we could talk about without spoiling the game.

CH: Yeah, I will say the same for me. It is obviously difficult with the preview restrictions, you get the “Bearings” message come up and you think there’s definitely something in this that going to drive something else later. Definitely an interesting character scene there.

The future

CH: The Devil in Me is the Series 1 finale for the Dark Pictures Anthology. Is there anything special because it’s the finale? Is there anything we can expect because of that, ahead of Series 2?

TH: Well, there are a couple of things, but first of all, one of the reasons we’ve thrown all these new features at it is because it’s the finale. So we wanted to end with a bang. So there’s a whole bunch of new features that people will play and discover. And the other thing is we will see a bit of development of the Curator’s story as well. The Curator is on a long, slow arc that will continue well into Season 2, but they’ll be developments around that as well.

CH: I definitely got a vibe of frustration on his part, in the short part I played which I think was very interesting.

TH: Yeah, OK. Right, good. (Tom gives a knowing grin)

CH: It’s interesting how that’s developed over the games, I think I’d have to go back and play them in order to see it. But I definitely got that vibe.

CH: My last question actually is about the future. Those new mechanics that have been introduced, is it likely they could feature in future Dark Pictures games or are they just designed uniquely for The Devil in Me?

TH: No, they will use them going forward. It’s always the plan to keep building, keep adding, adding features to the formula really. So in general, yes there’ll be in future games as well. They might not all be. I think it’s about the needs of those particular stories. They might say, “Actually we don’t need this one for this story.” But yeah, you’ll see those features come back. I think they’re important to us. I think you’ll see other new features come in as well.

And it’s one of the great things about these games is it’s a very flexible formula. We’re always trying to do completely different subgenres of horror, which have their own requirements and their own beats. So there’s a little bit of pick and mix there in terms of features, but definitely, you can see those features in future games as well, yeah.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is out on November 18th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X.

The post Interview with The Devil in Me Creative Director Tom Heaton appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

It may have come to your attention that the scrolling beat ‘em up is very much back in the public consciousness, thanks to big hitters like Streets of Rage making a comeback. For some of us though, the belt scroller never went away. I reach for a classic Capcom coin op the same way others would do comfort food. Shit day at work? I can vicariously beat lots of enemies up as a genius baby riding on a mech of his own creation.

Mike Tucker of Southampton-based developer The Bitmap Bureau is another scroller fanboy. After helping put out the cracking sci-fi Smash Tv-esque top down blaster Xeno Crisis on a number of modern and retro consoles, Mike and the team decided to have a go at a side scrolling homage to the beat ‘em ups that made us the worryingly maladjusted adult nerds we are. The mighty fine Final Vendetta is the end product, and should be available by the time you read this.

I sat down for a couple of cold ones and a chicken picked up off the pavement with Mr Tucker to find out a bit about how something like this comes to fruition. The starter for ten came with a predictable but obvious response. What were the main influences going into development?

“Final Fight and Streets of Rage 1 and 2 were pretty much the benchmark, as we wanted to create a classic with that ‘90s look and feel, although with our own refinements and touches. We also felt that the Neo Geo needed a great beat ‘em-up as the likes of Mutation Nation, Burning Fight and Sengoku didn’t live up to Capcom or Sega’s offerings,” Mike explained. “You could certainly argue that Capcom created better titles after Final Fight such as Battle Circuit and Alien vs Predator, but the nostalgia value alone wins it for me – I still remember playing Final Fight for the first time as a 13-year-old! The atmosphere, character designs, responsive controls and blaring audio really left an impression on me.

“I also played a lot of Golden Axe, Knights of The Round, and of course Streets of Rage.” And yes, you heard that right: just like Xeno Crisis, Final Vendetta is coming to Neo Geo as a homecart. And now I come to think of it, as much of an SNK mark as I am, he has a point – the scrollers for the hardware lack that sparkle their one on one titles have.

Making a modern Neo title is no joke, as Mike learned from his experiences getting Xeno onto the oversized cart and into a clamshell. “So far we’ve only brought Xeno Crisis to the Neo Geo AES, which was a huge undertaking. Not only does your code need to be extremely well optimised, but you need to carefully consider how many tiles you’re pushing to the screen each update. Even though the Neo Geo is a 2D powerhouse there are still limitations that you need to adhere to, and it’s a very different prospect to making a game for a modern platform. Beyond the game’s development you also have to consider the PCB design and manufacturing too, as well as the production of plastics, testing, graphic design, and printing. The whole process is extremely costly and fraught with pitfalls, but with one successful AES / MVS release under our belts we just had to do another!”

Bitmap are situated in a small premise in Southampton, right by the river, above a beautiful old-fashioned chemist shop that now functions as a food bank. A close-knit team, visiting their office during development was an eye opener for me, as I got to experience the debugging, snagging process, whilst playing the game way before everyone else. They also have loads of cool nerdy stuff that I wanted to “borrow”.

Given that the developer’s other releases have been platformers and shooters of some description, I asked Mike how different it was working on a fighting game compared to their previous experiences. Intriguingly, it didn’t throw out too many curveballs. “Although this was our first beat ‘em-up there are many aspects which carry over from other titles such as hit boxes and state management, so it didn’t take long to get something up and running. In fact, I actually started out by replicating Final Fight to get the feel of the characters right, work out hit box sizes and timings, invincibility frames and so on. For a bit of fun I actually spoofed a Final Fight speed run as it would have been a shame to put that work to waste!”

What isn’t silly however is the quality of the soundtrack in Final Vendetta, which features a very well-known blast from my days of raving past. How the hell did you manage to get Utah Saints involved? “Fortunately, our musician (Lee James, aka “Featurecast”) is good friends with Tim and Jez of Utah Saints, and he had no trouble in convincing them to join the project. Lee is a top DJ and producer and also a massive Streets Of Rage fan, so this was the dream project for him, and the collaboration with Utah Saints was the icing on the cake. The soundtrack spans many electronic music genres that were so prominent in the UK in the ‘90s such as techno, house, drum n’ bass, garage, dance, hip-hop, gabber and more”.

So, as you can see, the team stretches beyond these physical environs, taking in a legendary dance act, as well as some very talented artists who are currently working remotely. “The game’s main artist is Jabir Grant, who we came across after seeing some of his sprite reinterpretations on Tumblr. His style was very reminiscent of the classic SNK games, so he was a perfect fit for the project. He lives up in Scotland and although we’ve been working with him for close to three years now we’ve still yet to meet him or even talk to him – we need to do something about that soon”.

Also part of the Final Vendetta team is Deryk Buckareff, who designed the lovely backgrounds, and was joined by a newcomer further down the road. “Konstantin Karpeniuk joined the project later and came up with more backgrounds and sprites. They both did an amazing job and really helped bring the stages to life. Right now Konstantin is living in Kyiv which is obviously not a good place to be – he frequently gives us updates on the situation over there and somehow manages to continue working despite everything that is happening around him. We’re actually trying to help him move to the UK with his wife and cat, so hopefully that will come to fruition later in the year”. There is a real sense of family and lack of any billy big biscuits hot air from the guys at Bitmap Bureau, and there is a real warmth in the way Mike talks about Karpeniuk’s precarious situation.

I finished the interview, and left Mike to fend for himself on the mean streets of Southtown. He should be fine – between you and me he also looks a bit like his favourite game character (“He’s probably the most generic character in Capcom’s roster but I still like Cody!”). Before we disappeared offscreen, there was one more question. Does Mike keep the tomato ketchup in the fridge, or in the cupboard?

“That’s a deeply personal question which I’m not prepared to discuss on the internet.”

Final Vendetta is out now for PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC.

The post “Final Fight and Streets of Rage 1 and 2 were pretty much the benchmark”: An interview with Mike Tucker of Bitmap Bureau on Final Vendetta appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

We recently previewed Gerda: A Flame in Winter, and although we only got a couple of hours with it, that time was more than enough to get us excited to play more. Set in Denmark towards the end of World War II, it follows a woman called Gerda who has to balance living with war on her doorstep and fighting to keep her husband safe at all costs. To celebrate our time with it, we were fortunate enough to interview some of the team at PortaPlay to find out more about its inspiration and conception, the striking yet simplistic score, and how important it was to approach such a poignant subject. A big thanks to Shalev Moran, Lead Designer, Hans Von Knut, Creative Director, and Jakob Støvring Hansen, Composer and Sound Designer who took time out of their busy schedule for this Gerda: A Flame in Winter interview.

Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind Gerda: A Flame in Winter?  

Gerda: A Flame in Winter was inspired by a personal story. Hans’s (our game director) grandmother, Kylle, lived near Tinglev during WW2 and was part of a resistance group. A German informer reported on some group members, a friend got shot, and her husband Knud was caught and sent to the Neuengamme concentration camp to die. As the war ended the informer was caught and shot by resistance members. Kylle told Hans she regretted this: she bore no hatred to individual Germans and while she believed the snitch deserved harsh punishment, his death did not change anything. The war was about to end – it was just yet another life lost. Discussing Kylle’s moral dilemmas, and the challenges of civilians on the homefront, was the foundation for our game.

Gerda: A Flame in Winter interview: “We made Gerda with awareness”

How did you go about researching that moment of World War II, and why did you specifically choose it? 

Apart from interviews and archival materials from Hans’s family, we also consulted with several historians and even had a historian work with us to build a database about the region and period. We traveled to the region to do some actual location scouting, take photos and talk to people. And there’s of course reading a lot of historical literature, and visiting historical museums.

We feel that taking a famous conflict like WW2 and exploring it from the eyes of the occupied civilians, instead of the common “heroic fighter” perspective, shines a light on many difficult dilemmas. Why do some people willingly risk so much, and why do others bow their heads? What is the line between standing up against oppression and becoming a part of the problem yourself? We made Gerda with awareness that in war, truthfully, no one comes out with their hands clean. We believe that allowing players to explore violent conflicts from the perspectives of normal civilians, experiencing some of these dilemmas, might foster a better understanding of different perspectives, and maybe make the world just a little bit more compassionate.

“We wanted to immerse players in the specific historical moment of wartime Denmark”

What was the decision to go with such a striking art style instead of a typical realistic approach?

We believe that immersion does not have to come from polygon counts, but also from specificity – a game world that feels specific and unique, will also immerse you in its fiction. In the case of Gerda, we wanted to immerse players in the specific historical moment of wartime Denmark and in the landscapes and culture of Jutland. And that also extends to the visuals. The artistic direction is inspired by a period in Nordic impressionism, and specifically the Skagen Painters.

The Danish countryside doesn’t have great mountains or grand architecture, but there is a special beauty to find in this flat, cold and sparse world. The loneliness and expansiveness, the colours and light of the north, the small cozy Danish villages, though under the pressure of the occupation, are one of a kind and full of atmosphere. The Skagen Painters really capture the beauty of the Danish countryside. The paint splatters, brush strokes and the color palette we used all try to bring a bit of that feeling into a three-dimensional game space.

Gerda: A Flame in Winter interview: “It is very complicated”

Is it a complicated process trying to make sure all the choices connect in some way, and how does the writing process unfold?  

It is very complicated indeed! More specifically, it was a tough job balancing two values that were important to us: on one hand, keeping the forward momentum of a modern adventure game like the ones made by our publisher DON’T NOD, and on the other hand, having some of the deep consequences and character development of an RPG.

One way of achieving this was using stats for Gerda’s social standing – her relationships with different people and factions. These can add up to affect how people react to Gerda, and has the added benefit of putting more pressure on the player, when a given decision can have both immediate and long-term consequences. Other than that, there are no shortcuts: we did a lot of plotting on whiteboards and in Miro, and many rounds rewriting for reactivity and continuity.

“We put a lot of ourselves in the game”

Did it get emotional at any point while writing or making the game, given it deals with the emotional stress and horrors that everyday people dealt with back then?  

We put a lot of ourselves in the game, and not just the historical perspective and Hans’s family history. We see a lot of universal themes in this game, and we seek to reflect on them through the challenges Gerda faces – questions that we struggle with in everyday social interactions, in our public sphere and in online discourse, in each of our personal journeys. For example, the political discourse we are all part of has become much more puritan recently, pushed by online filter bubbles. We all feel at least some temptation to forgo nuance in favor of moral supremacy. The compromised position that Gerda finds herself in challenges this notion and complicates it. It’s complicated for us too, since we all have our beliefs and sense of right and wrong, and we often find ourselves having philosophical and ethical discussions in the office. But, to quote a famous poem: “From the place where we are right, flowers will never grow”.

While the score is minimalistic, those piano melodies are very impactful. Who wrote the music, and how did you approach them for the score (answered by Jakob Støvring Hansen, PortaPlay’s composer and sound designer) ? 

The idea behind the soundtrack was to convey Gerda’s emotional state of mind, as well as accompany the tense moments in the story as much as possible. Every scene in the game should feel like a small theatre performance where the player experiences both high and low tension in the soundscape and music. The minimalist piano tunes try to give players room and calm to actually read and follow the story without feeling rushed.

It was also important for us to actually make the location of Denmark believable, which is why Danish tunes can be heard throughout the game.

Gerda: A Flame in Winter will release September 1, 2022 for PC and Nintendo Switch.

The post Gerda: A Flame in Winter interview: “We put a lot of ourselves in the game” appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Recently updated to the Godfall: Ultimate Edition, the game was first released as a ps5-launch title in November 2020. It’s an action looter developed by Counterplay Games and published by Gearbox Software. In it you play as Orin, last of the godlike Valorian Knight in the world of Aperion. Equipped with twelve Valorplates that alter his appearance, gender and fighting style, Orin embarks on a quest to save his kingdom from the hands of his mad brother, Macros.

In his original review, Adam said:

The combat is just so good, and the draw of smashing enemies with such thunderous force was always compelling. Yes, under it all it’s a grind-based loot game, but it’s a very good one and makes so few of the missteps its contemporaries make. Out of the box this game doesn’t need major loot overhauls, or huge redesigns: it’s not ashamed of what it is, and it does what it intends very well, and because of all of that, it’s one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Since release it has seen a number of updates, including the Fire & Darkness expansion and the Challenger Edition.

The Godfall: Ultimate Edition features all of the existing content as well as a plethora of new features and quality of life improvements. Not only can you instantly boost your character to max level and get stuck right into the endgame, you can also play through the entire campaign with new cutscenes, story beats, and dialogue that enhance the narrative.

The huge Exalted Update (launched for free alongside the Ultimate Edition) adds new features to combat, including a knockdown recovery move that keeps the pace high during fights. There’s also a host of new cosmetics for your weapons, armour and shield. New cosmetics for each of the twelve Valorplates allow you to customise your look to a greater degree.

Despite a mixed reception at launch, Godfall has gone onto great success, fuelled by consistent player engagement and regular updates and tweaks by the developer. Following the launch of Godfall: Ultimate Edition, GodisaGeek got the chance to speak to Game Director, Dan Nordlander of Counterplay Games, about Godfall’s post-launch success, as well as the future of the title.

GIAG: After a slightly rocky launch, Godfall has gone from strength to strength. What do you think has been the key factors in that success?

Dan: Godfall was a hugely ambitious game for us and it was a great honor to be a PlayStation 5 launch title, but we also heard the community when they offered us insight on how they would like to see the game improved. Listening to the fans, analyzing the data, and then of course going down our internal wish lists were the three factors that drove all of the changes and additions we’ve made since launch.

GIAG: Are there plans to extend the story campaign, in a similar fashion to say, Destiny 2?

Dan: Destiny is a live-service title, whereas Godfall is a more traditional, all-inclusive package. That said, we did broaden the campaign, world, and story with the Fire & Darkness DLC expansion released last year. Additionally, the free Exalted Update comes with a host of story enhancements like new cutscenes, more NPC interactions, contextual loading screens and new Macros dialog. At this time, we have no additional updates to share about potential further expansions to Godfall’s story.

GIAG: Where do you see Godfall in 3 years? Is it a universe you intend to expand on?

Dan: That’s something we’re talking about now so we don’t have news to share at the moment. All I can say is that our team loves this universe.

GIAG: How difficult is it to balance a game like Godfall and maintain a happy medium for both solo and co-op players?

Dan: We’re ultimately focused on letting players have fun and feel badass doing it, no matter how they choose to play the game. We think both the single-player and co-op experiences in Godfall succeed at exactly that.

For more experienced players we provide plenty of options to increase the challenge (and also the loot!), including harder difficulty settings, dynamic endgame modes, and the newly added Exalted Tower of Trials that has even our most hardcore testers sweating profusely [laughs]. For those looking for a more casual experience – Godfall’s missions do come with difficulty settings that decrease enemy health making the combat a bit more forgiving.

GIAG: Are there any plans to bring a PvP mode into Godfall?

Dan: No. Godfall was strictly envisioned as a story-driven single-player and co-op experience.

GIAG: Given the structure, people are surprised Godfall has no season pass? Is this something that’s likely to change or a deliberate stance?

Dan: This was a very, very deliberate stance. This is not a live service game. We have hundreds of cosmetics in Godfall: Ultimate Edition but they can all be unlocked by simply playing the game as you did in the good old days.

GIAG: Godfall looks incredible. What were the key inspirations for the aesthetic?

Dan: Godfall first and foremost built off the mixture of sci-fi and medieval that we really loved from our first game, Duelyst. So we took that and the vibrant colors to the next level to ensure they jumped off the screen on next-gen consoles and the latest range of PC graphics cards.

Beyond that, our team drew not only from our experience on titles like Destiny, Titanfall, God of War, and Halo, but also from beloved sci-fi and fantasy series such as Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive, Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law, and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation.

GIAG: Will you ever introduce new Valorplates to the line-up? Or perhaps skins that change the appearance beyond colour schemes?

Dan: We have 12 Valor Plates in the game already, and our goal is quality over quantity. That’s why we introduced Valorplate Shards in the Exalted Update, which gives each Valorplate four unique skills, three passive abilities and generally makes each of them much more distinctive and rewarding to play.

As for cosmetics, we have a ton of skins in the game that are far more than color swaps. Our art and lore teams have done a fantastic job of creating some truly awe-inspiring alternate Valorplates models, including the all-new Ascended and Exalted Valorplates, to the point that it’s hard for me to decide what I’m going to wear for a night out on the town in Aperion. [laughs]

Godfall: Ultimate Edition is available on PS5, Xbox Series S & X, and PC via Epic and Steam

The post “Godfall was a hugely ambitious game for us” – Godfall: Ultimate Edition interview with Dan Nordlander appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Today marks the release of Unbound: Worlds Apart, a new Metroidvania from Romanian developers Alien Pixel Studios. This Kickstarter backed game is by far the most ambitious title from the studio, with puzzling portal-based gameplay and an intriguing dark atmosphere.

We were lucky enough to be able to talk to Alien Pixel Studios about the game before release, and find out more about the development process and some of the inspirations for the new title.

How important was it for you to make the game eye-catching?

The art style is very important for each game, it gives the game more character and personality, and so it is very important. Especially to Unbound, we did want to create an atmospheric game, not just a puzzle-platformer, the art was one of our key interests for this game. We have a team of very dedicated artists that worked a lot and made the game as beautiful as it Is now and we are thankful to all of them.

Will there be elements of traditional folklore in the game, or is this a world of your own creation?

Although when setting the art direction, I drew some inspiration from the old fairytales as the atmosphere goes, the world is entirely our own creation, the monsters are unique and they act differently according to the portal the player uses. We also gave a little quirkiness to each monster we have, we did not want to have only scary monsters, they needed to be a little different from the “usual” monsters, so some of them might seem even funny at times, that is until they attack you…

I’ve seen comparisons to beloved games like the Ori series and Hollow Knight from fans. Are there any particular games that inspired you to create Unbound?

We did get compared a lot to Ori and Hollow Knight, which we want to take as a compliment and these two games were a part of our quality benchmark in terms of art, game flow, and the general feel and atmosphere of the game. We also looked up to games like Portal, Braid, Limbo, Rayman, and so on. All of these games are extraordinary and we did try to learn from them as much as possible but at the same time trying to stay true to our vision as well.

So far we’ve seen portals that change the environment, gravity and lighting. What other portals can we expect to see in the full game?

We do have 10 different portals, and I will not spoil all of them here :), we need to leave some to the players to discover. What I will say is that my favorite portal is the Time-Stop portal, just as a sneak peek and I will leave you to discover and choose your own favorite portal.

Unbound has had a very successful Kickstarter campaign with over a thousand backers. How has the process of using Kickstarter to fund development been?

The process of getting the campaign to life was a very difficult one. Especially for us, since we are from Romania, and Kickstarter does not cover our territory. We did have to find partners reliable enough to publish the campaign from one of the territories covered by Kickstarter. So it was an additional hustle besides building and running the campaign itself.

In the end, we were very happy with the results and it is worthwhile doing a Kickstarter campaign. Not only for the funding but for a number of different reasons as well. Some of those reasons are proof of concept, feedback, engaging with your audience, etc. If you are thinking of making a Kickstarter campaign, our advice will be to go for it. But do your homework before, research as many successful and unsuccessful campaigns, and learn from all of them.

One stretch goal I’m glad to see broken is for the Switch version of the game. How has the process of porting to Switch been? Did you have to make any significant changes?

The Switch version was quite a challenge for us. Nintendo made us “jump through a lot of hoops” but we managed to get the game to the Nintendo Store. There’s minimal differences between Switch and PC versions. But we worked a lot on improving the performance so we didn’t need to downgrade the visuals for Switch.

The game is out today! is there anything else you want to say about Unbound to get people excited to play it?

It has been an adventure and a labor of love for us. We poured a lot of effort and creativity into it. It is our biggest and most important project and we are proud of how it has become. We really hope to see the players enjoying the game and its mechanics. Our biggest joy is to see players get surprised by the different portals and then arguing which one is the best portal of the game.

Unbound: Worlds Apart releases on PC and Switch today. With all the love that Alien Pixel Studios have put into Unbound, I sincerely hope that the release goes well for them.

The post “The Switch version was quite a challenge for us”: Unbound: Worlds Apart interview appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

It’s a confusing thing to start a Knockout City interview with, but it’s “Vellan” or “Veylan”, not “Veeelan”, ok? I start there because Jeremy Russo and Karthik Bala of “Velan Studios” seem a relaxed pair. Friendly, happy to have a laugh, and part of a company that clearly loves the games they make.

“We started Vicarious Visions in 1991,” explains Bala, “when we were in high school, and we ran that for 25 years, and on the 25th anniversary we left. So we started Velan Studios at the end of 2016, and so we’re coming up on five years, which is amazing… time flies.”

“Our whole goal and mission was to create new kinds of experiences, or what we feel like could be breakthrough experiences that feel like magic,” Bala continues. “The play-feel, and how a game feels; that’s what the studio is about.”

Knockout City interview: Creative Risks

And this checks out, because before Knockout City, Velan made Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which is unique, but really not something you’d expect from the people who made Knockout City. Bala explains: “We wanted to take creative risks, and do things that other people are not doing… we want to build an awesome core team and let them go find the magic in something new that they’re really passionate about, so that’s a crazy business plan, and it’s very high trust. And then we figure out how we build it; how do we go to market; who are the right partners, and that sort of thing. Then once we’ve built it: evolve it with the player community.”

Russo, the game director, explains finding that magic: “There was a small group of people that was very passionate about multiplayer competitive games. We played tons of fighting games, shooters; and that nugget of an idea of ‘What if Dodgeball was a third-person shooter?’ was just so intriguing, we got to work on that game-feel of throwing and catching, and just getting that back and forth rally.”

Dodgeball and mechanics

“Once we iterated on that, and found the fun in that, we’re like: this is a whole game, this is great, and so we started to build up a team around this idea of like minded individuals who are all very passionate about it. We spent years building out a team and building out that game and it’s so great to see it go from that nugget of an idea, to something that felt magical and felt great, and then exploding it out to a full size game that’s now live.”

Dodgeball, or Dodgebrawl is a genre that’s not hugely well represented, and really aside the likes of Stikbold which is really just Dodgeball-adjacent, it’s hard to think of too many games that come to mind. The thing is, this was never really even about Dodgeball, Russo explains: “Actually, if someone had said, ‘Let’s make a Dodgeball game!’ it wouldn’t have happened. When you say that, the thing that immediately goes into your head is a court with two sides, and doing a sports-sim. The thing that got people excited was a third-person shooter but with Dodgeballs.”

Knockout City interview: prototyping the game

It really does seem as though mechanically, things just had to be right, and Bala jumps in to add some thoughts on prototyping Knockout City: “Trying to get the feel of just throwing and catching took forever. It seemed so simple: throwing and catching a ball, and getting that to feel really good, and having it work as a rally back and forth. But there was a lot of counter-intuitive answers to making that work. In a shooter you try and stay out of each other’s way and try and get the jump on the opponent. Here, the fun is actually in the face-off, in the rally; getting close up and going back and forth until somebody flinches and messes up. It has to be highly skill-based and not random.”

Something that fascinated me came from the lead up to our interview. I hadn’t played on PC, only on consoles, and I wondered about mouse & keyboard controls. Most people will say that shooters play better with mouse and keys, but after trying Knockout City on PC, it might be the outlier. “It’s not about aiming and position of the player, it’s about timing and position of the player”, explains Bala. “This allows us to keep the skill, but makes it more accessible for pick up and play. The game does what you intend it to do, and you get choices in terms of what type of throw you want to do, and so on, but that lowered the barrier to entry considerably.” Data wise, Russo explained that, even with cross-play, “you really can just choose your personal preference, but so far the data isn’t showing there’s any distinct advantage to any control scheme. There certainly advantages to both, but this allows cross-play to be really fun and you don’t feel cheated in any way.”

How to describe Knockout City?

Getting people to play a new game is always difficult, and especially with something so unique. “We had a really hard time, even in early testing, to try and describe the game. It’s all about the play-feel, and playing is believing,” Bala continues. And he’s right, because while people might see it in action, they may not fall in love with it, but when they play it, I’ve yet to find someone who didn’t think it was enjoyable. Bala agrees, “We knew that if they got their hands on it, they’d love it.” Again, that scary business model rears its head, Bala laughs, and just says, “Hey, being indie and trying to do something unique!”

Season two brings in a new ball in the form of the Soda Pop ball. An in-game brand name Boba Cola distilled into a ball that you can activate and slowly fizzes up until it explodes and covers the screen of the target. “I’ve loved seeing all the community members that are making their own Boba Cola,” says Russo, “and just our obsession with that, when we were talking about different ball types, we always had this idea that would maybe splat on you and cover your character, and other players would see that and have a reason to go after you.”

Painting the target with soda

So that’s where the idea comes from, and it adds a layer to the gameplay that makes individual players a major target. “When your screen is covered in sticky soda, you start to communicate with your team-mate,” says Russo. “And they get close and tell you to ball-up, and even if you’re not on voice chat, you see someone with soda all over of them, so hit that ‘ball up’ emote.”

Bala is equally excited, offering up some tips: “It adds this emergent play, where actually you want to go right into a ball and be the surprise ammo. Or, pick up your team-mate and throw them away so they can fast travel across the map, and it gives them the extra time for the soda to wipe off, and they can then come from behind.”

The soda ball also has a timer on it, which is different to the other balls. The bomb ball is an audio cue, but the soda ball you can see a small timer increasing as it fizzes up. Russo has the reason for this one. “The bomb ball is a risk the moment you pick it up, but the soda ball is a completely different thing, more like a grenade in away. You choose when to start shaking it up, which is when that timer starts to count. You can grab it and run across the level before you start the timer. And that explosion won’t harm you either. If you get hit with the ball you’ll take damage, but then you can pick it up and throw it back for a return throw, because that timer is still ticking down. You’ve started shaking it, you’ve dropped the mentos in there – it’s gonna explode. So the strategies are completely different.”

The new map: Holowood Drive-in

There’s also a new map, and the first thing I noticed about that was how there’s a large arena that’s very open compared to the previous maps. “There’s something intentional to that. A lot of our levels are meant to drive you to different points in the map”, Russo says, “but this one, it’s about making loops and coming back to the middle, because that’s where the stage is. So there is a bit more of an intensity to it, as you have people frequently converging on that spot.”

“Your strategy for entering that area changes completely based on which movie preview is being displayed. There’s the Siege of Balthazar, the one with the castle, and there’s only certain entry points there, and you can mask your approach because of the high walls. But that’s totally different than say The Pyramid movie, where it’s almost a little King of the Hill as you have someone standing at the top looking down at the entire arena. They’re entirely exposed but they have a great view of everything. Each time one of these movie previews comes up, the strategy of play inside it, and the strategy of how you want to approach is totally different.”

Bala agrees. “The whole mechanic around it (and each level in our game has its own mechanics), the Holowood Drive-in, the core idea is that we’re playing these three holographic movie previews, and the level geometry is changing on you every 60 seconds. So you’re changing up your tactics, and there’s a little bit of a tell when the next preview is about to start, but all of a sudden the world just collapses on you because the hologram goes away, and then a new one rises out of the ground. So you could be stood on the point where the elevation changes.”

Knockout City interview: the publisher / developer relationship

Something that has intrigued me is that, a while a go, we spoke to Josef Fares from Hazelight, about It Takes Two, and the reputation of EA came up, and he was massively positive about things. So as another studio in the EA Originals program, how has working with EA been for Velan Studios?

Bala is positive on the whole thing: “We’ve worked with big publishers in our lives, and the partnership with EA has been really great; it’s been delightful. Quite frankly, we spent the first 18 months prototyping Knockout City until we got the play-feel right, and we shopped it around to different publishers. We did a behind-closed-doors demo at E3 back in 2018, and we met with everybody, and we signed with EA. The thing that sounds small but was really impressive, was that every single executive and decision maker all played the game and really enjoyed it.”

“I was just personally impressed that all the executives would go so hands-on, and want to green light a game because it just really fun and they enjoyed it. That’s what impressed me the most. From day one, the team had 100% creative control, and we got feedback when we asked for it, and it was just a lot of collaboration, which is the vision of the EA Originals program: it’s about the partnership; it’s about new kinds of experiences that can be brought to a large audience. I gotta tell you, EA’s been true to the word on that, every step of the way. It’s allowed Jeremy and the team to make the game they want to make and realise the vision”.

It all makes sense

People want games to feel good, ultimately, and Velan got to make a game that almost requires you to play it to know you like it. Bala finishes up our chat: “When you can make some good business decisions but through the lens of the gamer (that’s who we are making this for), and it centers back to the play-feel and doing something unique, then it does make sense.”

“To be honest with you, the industry has gotten so big, it doesn’t happen that way. Products don’t get greenlit that way, especially in triple-A, but we’re able to do that and it’s great to have gotten so many players in, and now it’s our job to keep it fresh and unique each season, and surprise players. The team is working really hard to work on features that the community’s requesting, and respond to improvements, but also surprise with new maps, new ball types, new playlists, and that sort of thing, so hopefully we keep that going.”

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Scarlet Nexus is an ARPG from Bandai Namco. We previewed it recently, and instantly fell in love with the combat. Not only that, the world is incredible, and the characters are layered and interesting. We were lucky to interview the game’s director, Kenji Anabuki. He shared information on creating the world of Scarlet Nexus, the creative process behind the Others, what players can expect when it releases, and what he wants players to enjoy the most.

The setting and style of Scarlet Nexus is stunning. Why did you opt for the visuals you chose?

One of the goals is to convey a sense of nostalgia and to differentiate itself from other titles. With this in mind, we were inspired by the urban design of Japan in the 1990s and incorporated a lot of futuristic elements into it. We also tried to leave a long-lasting impression on the players by incorporating red neon lights, intricate buildings, and other elements that are bizarre and unrealistic in our real world.

There seems to be inspiration from movies like Akira and Blade Runner. Were there other forms of media you took inspiration from?

In fact, Scarlet Nexus was not specifically inspired by any existing content, but by the scenery of Tokyo in the 90’s. While keeping the 90’s scenery of Tokyo, we tried to add futuristic elements as well.

Will the environment be explorable, and are their additional quests that can be undertaken as well as the main story?

Each map contains location-specific items to discover, collect and exchange for equipment or items to customize your appearance. You can also accomplish quests from different characters in the city and earn rewards to your advantage. These sub-quests will add more depth while progressing with the main scenario in Scarlet Nexus.

Will you be able to unlock new abilities as you progress?

Scarlet Nexus has a skill tree called the “Brain Map”, where you can acquire skills to your liking and based on your battle styles, by spending the points you earn by levelling up. There are a large variation of skills, from those active types of skills that extend the number of possible actions, to those that passively assist you in battles, such as reducing the cooldown time of item usage.

You can also borrow power from your allies to fight against the Others. Also, when you construct bonds with party characters, you can strengthen the power and attack strengths of the said borrowed powers.

Would you mind sharing a bit more detail as to how the psycho-kinetic combat will work?

The “Psychokinesis” power allows you to manipulate any object in battle with simple button controls. Not only you can simply hit the enemy, but you can also swing and crush objects with additional inputs.

The combination of psychokinesis and weapon use is one of the main highlights of this game. Ramp up your combos and attacks by connecting weapon attacks and psychokinesis attacks. The more you connect them, the more powerful and flashy the action becomes. It makes for an exhilarating and uplifting battle experience.

Does combat reward players by performing big combos or varied methods of attack?

Depending on the enemy you are fighting, you can switch powers anytime to your advantage. Utilizing the SAS (and powers from your allies) that is effective against specific Others, or combining psychokinesis and weapon attacks, will strongly help you efficiently reduce the “Crush” gauge of the Other. This enables you to activate a “Brain Crush” attack which will defeat the enemy in one blow.

Defeating an enemy with Brain Crush will cause them to drop specific materials with a 100% drop rate. This is useful for material collection and item exchanges.

The mutants are horrifying. Was it fun coming up with different variations of the enemies?

The Others were designed by an artist named Masakazu Yamashiro. Kouta Ochiai, our art director, was very impressed with his sense of design and asked him to be involved in this project. Surprisingly, every time when he came up with a new design, it always surpassed our imagination, which was a lot of fun. The designs themselves are based on the concept of combining together inorganic and organic materials. Mr. Yamashiro has really fulfilled our wishes and requests, and also surprised us with his own unique art styles.

What elements of Scarlet Nexus do you think fans are going to love the most?

There are 3 particular areas that I would like players to look forward to.

The first one is the action surrounding the use of powers, with telekinesis as the main one. Players can enjoy the fluid combination of weapons and psychokinesis attacks, while also borrowing and using different powers from their allies.

The second one is the art style, which is designed to give a sense of “foreignness”. The world is based on Japan’s 90s, but the unusually huge towers and the red threads everywhere express a sense of “foreignness”. The Others are also a perfect example of that. By bringing together organic and inorganic materials and elements that would not usually fused naturally.

The third one is the story. The story is written by Takumi Miyajima, the story writer for “Tales Of Symphonia” and “Tales Of The Abyss,” and features well-developed settings and drama between the characters.

Scarlet Nexus releases on June 25, 2021 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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Released just shy of a year ago, Relicta is a first-person physics-based puzzle game, and a debut from the developer Mighty Polygon, so we sat down to discuss what it’s like to not only make your first game, but then bring it to Nintendo Switch. The thing is, even if you’re just looking at the screenshots from this very interview, you’ll notice how pretty Relicta is, right? And bringing that sort of visual style to Switch could be a challenge, right?

Well, yes, actually, but before we dig into the specifics of that, we wanted to know where the idea for this game came from, what were the inspirations? Santi Alex Mañas, Founder & Game Designer at Mighty Polygon starts to explain the backstory, “Puzzle fans are a thing, and we are ones of the sort”. Indeed they are, but how do you compete with the big hitters out there? “We wanted to do a game that we will enjoy, and we were long-time fans of games like Portal, The Witness and others, so we wanted to do something similar yet distinct”, Mañas divulges.

“Many games play with magnetism or gravity but we made an experiment mixing both of them and we discovered that it was fun while it was easy to grasp but it had a lot of hidden depth and things we could do with it. So we took that as the core of the game and we started adding more things on top of that. The rest of the mechanics came easily and naturally with the idea of strengthening the main one.” The thing is, though, puzzle games are very easy to bounce off, because if you hit a brick wall early on and can’t solve something, that might mean you stop playing and never come back.

“Our intention was to provide the player with mechanics that were easy to execute and understand and complement them with other elements that would be introduced little by little during the game, gradually increasing the complexity of the puzzles”, says Mañas, offering a solution to this conundrum. “The mechanics are gradually introduced throughout the various biomes to give players the opportunity to understand and combined with the core ones little by little. The players will be learning continuously through the game puzzle by puzzle while we increase the difficulty and keeping a smooth difficulty curve.”

Making Relicta work on Switch

“The game was initially developed for PC, so we had to make some adjustments to be able to have the game working on a portable console”, explains Mañas, Founder & Game Designer at Mighty Polygon. “We spent most of our time of the development of the Switch version on this to be sure that the game was working as smoothly as possible” he explains, “and we could keep a steady framerate on the dock and while it was in portable mode.”

Indeed, development is one of those things that many people think about, but never fully understand. What does it mean, and what is it like to bring a game like Relicta to Switch after the fact, for example? Mañas explains “It depends a lot on the game, in our case we knew from the beginning that the most challenging part would be to make a game that was initially developed for more powerful systems look as good as possible and feel like the game was developed directly for Nintendo Switch while keeping the original vision of the game.”

“The first step was to make a first version to test how the game was working on the new hardware. Then with that info we were able to know what we had to change and optimize to make it work properly. Once the game was fully working, the final step was to fix all the bugs while we were adjusting the gameplay to improving it for Switch.”

Excitement and fan reaction

At the time we spoke to Mighty Polygon, the game hadn’t been announced for Switch, so we wondered what it feels like knowing your game is about to be revealed for one of the most popular consoles of all time. “We are very excited”, starts Mañas, “this isn’t just the release of the same game on Switch; we’ve added a lot of new content to thank the fans for supporting the game on its original release, all of the content is included in the Switch version from day one as well. We can’t wait to see the reactions of people on Nintendo Switch, especially since it is great to be able to play it anywhere.”

For the Switch release, there’s no additional bonus support for the console-specific features like the Joy-Cons, and it’ll be similarly priced to the other platform versions, but is a complete version, including two additional pieces of downloadable content, as well. But the team confirms that they focused on getting the game stable and playable in both docked and handheld mode, so people could play it anywhere they fancy. Mañas is clearly aware that the game is a challenging one, puzzle-wise, but is pleased with how Relicta

has been received so far. “We understood that it is a complex game, it has been refreshing to see all those puzzle fans enjoying all the content”, he explains. “We’ve had all kinds of reactions, both from people who adore it and others who have been frustrated. But, in general, we are happy with the reception, and we appreciate very much all the messages of love and support that come to us through social media. We appreciate any single one of them.”

The post Bringing Relicta to Switch: An interview with Mighty Polygon appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

As you’ll be able to see from the two preview articles by Adam Cook and myself, It Takes Two is shaping up to be incredibly special. Developed by Hazelight, it follows the story of two parents on the brink of divorce, and how their daughter is struggling to cope with their impending break-up. Josef Fares is the creator of It Takes Two, as well as the founder of Hazelight. He’s a confident and refreshing figure within the gaming industry, and also a talented game designer. We were fortunate enough to talk to Josef ahead of the release of It Takes Two. We chatted about when development started and how the process was, the origins of Dr.Hakim, how important interactivity is to him, and much more.

Due to the scope seen in It Takes Two, it feels as though the development process must have been fairly substantial. I asked Josef how long Hazelight had been working on it. “It was actually right after the release. A Way Out came out March 2018, and production for this started in March or May. We’ve been working hard for almost three years, and finished the game right after Christmas. I’m very happy that we’ve gotten to a point where the game feels coherent and polished. We want it to feel crisp, and the controls to feel tight. But a lot of people also forget is that enemies or bosses you have for one level – you can’t reuse anything. You create something new, you know. You still want to make everything feel like the same game. It’s almost like the mechanic for a level – you can only use it for that level.”

It Takes Two is a huge step from the type of game A Way Out was, specifically the fact it’s a platformer. “Look, I’m a big Nintendo fan, and many of the team are action platformer fans. For us it felt natural to go this way. It was hard work, but from a design perspective it was a dream come true. One thing that is very important is not just the fact you keep the experience variated, but that it connects with the story. So the toolbox, the hammer, the key, like, there’s an idea that the mechanics are part of the storytelling, and that will continue on later in the game.” The story is also quite different in the sense it feels gentler and not quite as mature. With the themes of divorce and separation being at its core, was this always the focus?

“It’s a subject that’s not really talked about so much in gaming, and it’s actually a story that connected well with the playfulness of the game, with all that’s going on. Early from the beginning we felt this was the way to go. There was nothing that particularly inspired it, but rather, “a romantic comedy in games? Let’s do it.” Even if you make a movie it’s a tough one to do. Why not though, man. We’re Hazelight. Let’s go and fuck shit up and try something else. Why not, man? Let’s just do it. You should try everything.”

With many platformer games, collectibles play a big roll in the overall experience, but It Takes Two is much more of an interactive affair with a story that plays a huge part. Fares shared exactly why interactivity and story is so important to him. “I think in general, more stuff will happen in the story, obviously. Platforming, they’re not the type of games that have a story, in general. It comes as a good surprise if you like stories. Getting back to the question about collectibles, it was very important not to have collectibles. I understand why people have collectibles to lead the player, but it was important for us to make the world interactive and interesting. We have a huge amount of interaction and a huge amount of minigames – 25 of them. Some of them are quite complex.”

“That’s way harder to do than just put out coins, but I’m happy because already in the early testing, we saw that players didn’t miss coins. So make the world interactive. If you just want to go somewhere and see what to do there, there’s a lot of stuff to find.” I pointed out one such instance where I climbed into a machine, and Adam was able to torture me. It had no purpose, but was a cool side thing to do whilst playing through the game. “Imagine all the work, even the camera. You can change scenes – so much animation and shit goes on there. Some people can just run by it, but that’s way better, I think, than collecting. Sometimes there’s too much collecting. You know, yellow, red, blue, whoa, there’s just too much, actually.”

In the trailers released so far, and certainly in the preview I played, Dr. Hakim is possibly the greatest character I saw. With someone so bizarre, I was interested where Josef found the idea to come up with him. “Actually, let me bring you something (disappears to grab something). I found something in my post (he shows me a small white card with some text on it). Can you see this? It says, in Swedish, “I can help you with all of your problems. Whatever you have, guaranteed results. I can fix your business, your transactions.” I just thought, who is this crazy person? This was actually the inspiration for Dr. Hakim, a crazy book that is full of clichés. However, I sometimes call him a psychopath with a good heart. He has a point in the game, he has promised Rose to help fix their [her parents] relationship, and he’s also the guy that’s going to take them through this journey. I mean I do all the mo-cap for him, so he’s a nutcase.”

I love A Way Out. I must have played it three times now, using it as a way to help friends enter the world of online multiplayer. After Hazelight’s big debut, there must have been some elements of its development Josef and his colleagues learned from. “I think we learned more and more about how to craft a co-op game, for sure. You have to understand that the team on A Way Out were mostly interns, and those were kick ass developers. You learn a lot about how to work in a split screen. You work on how to balance mechanics. Even in A Way Out you had separate mechanics at some point, so we learned a lot about technical aspects and storytelling. We are the only one’s in the world that are writing and crafting co-op games from the beginning. There’s nobody doing this like we are doing, and I wish there were more because I’d like to play more games like this.” I mean, he has a point. It’s as if nobody wants to test the waters with building a co-op only video game.

“After we finished A Way Out I felt like I understood why other publishers and studios didn’t do this, but now seeing how the market has been for A Way Out – it’s been a huge success. There’s definitely a huge market for it. You have games that you only can play in multiplayer, you have your four-player shooter, or you have your single player that has a co-op campaign. You have a single player with a co-op campaign, but you’re going to be limited design-wise. Here, you don’t have a drop-in, drop-out – you have to play with someone. It’s designed and written like that from the beginning. Maybe people fear they will lose some audience. It might be that some feel there’s not enough of an audience, but at the end of the day, after the numbers of A Way Out it’s easier to say that, “I wish there were more games like this.” It’s like a genre we’ve created.”

Fares knows what games he wants to make, and he’s very proud of the work Hazelight does, however, he also knows the opportunities studios could have if they took a leap of faith. “Now you have your looter shooter, you have your four-player co-op, you have your survivor games. All those are there, but not so many like this. There’s none. We don’t have any competition. Imagine A Way Out done by a studio like Naughty Dog, with the graphic fidelity. We are getting better and better, but imagine a high quality game. I’m not saying A Way Out isn’t. It’s not Uncharted 4, but you can see with It Takes Two, we are becoming better at everything. The cutscenes, the animation, the controls. Hopefully we can become even better the next game.”

The EA Originals program is responsible for helping indie developers reach wider audiences, especially with games like Sea of Solitude, Unravel, and A Way Out, but I was curious to know when they got in contact with Fares. “It was after Brothers. They contacted me. I was this close to writing for Microsoft, but I had a connection with a guy who worked at EA called Patrick. We connected well and they gave me a good deal, so I was like, “let’s do it.” We’ve had a lot of support from EA. It’s been a really good relationship. Nobody believes it because people like to talk shit about publishers, especially EA. For me, it’s not been a problem. They don’t interfere with what we do. We decide what we do, when we do it. It’s not a problem at all. They have never said, “don’t do this, don’t do that,” never, never, never. Nobody ever believes me when I say this, but it’s an actual fact. They can’t go in and change a colour in the game, they know I wouldn’t allow it. Trust me, what you see at Hazelight, from the decisions about trailers and how it’s marketed, we are part of everything.”

For those that might not know, Josef Fares directed movies before working in the video game industry, and my final question was about the transition between the two mediums, and how different it was for him. “You know, sometimes I say this. If I want to go have a vacation again, I’ll go and make a movie. I’ve done six features, and movies are a passive medium. Games are interactivity. You get a lot of stuff for free when you shoot actors; you get their personality, their voice, their background. In games you have to create everything. The interactivity aspect makes it so much more complicated. In a passive medium you can control everything more. In a game, you don’t know what the audience will do. They can stop and play minigames for five hours that destroys the whole pacing, but it is what it is, you know?”

The post “In games you have to create everything”: Interview with Josef Fares, Founder of Hazelight Studios appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

I’m going to ask for your patience for a moment, here. I’ve worked in the industry for over a decade now, and I’ve interviewed and interacted with countless people who make games, and I’ve learned a lot in that time. When you’re starting out and given a fifteen minute slot, you panic and think that’s not enough time to ask all the burning questions you desperately want answers to. Ten years in, you realise fifteen minutes is too long.

It’s not that the people aren’t interesting, but they can’t answer most of the actually interesting things you have to ask. Either they’re not allowed, or are wary of things being taken out of context and used against them, and I understand that: a game is their baby, and marketing it is the equivalent of a social media post: best foot forward, hide the moments when things aren’t quite going their way. And I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve been in the presence of a member of a dev-team that haven’t felt like that.

Josef Fares is certainly on that list. He’s effusive about his games, and he’s either a marketing genius, or refreshingly candid. Or perhaps both? He says things I can imagine make his publisher’s collective asses clench. As he tells a digital room full of media and influencers about his studio’s (Hazelight) past and present, he explains how “then we started working with the publisher (EA), and it was cool… I know people like to talk shit, but it’s been cool”, and even that allusion to what other people have said about the enormous publisher suggests he’s willing to talk fairly openly, or at least more openly than others. He reminds me of Peter Molyneux, in that he sometimes writes cheques he can’t cash, but at the time he means it: this is his truth.

He’s relaxed and a bit thrown by the digital nature of the event: we can see him but he can’t see us. He jokes about how lucky his studio has been with It Takes Two, given that they had performance actors in right before the pandemic hit, and then they managed to finish work in the window when we weren’t all shut in, saying “Coronavirus ain’t got shit on Hazelight”. If anyone else said that, it’d be a headline on some website, and it probably still will, but I get the feeling he isn’t that fussed.

But if A Way Out was all about Fares, with his voice acting and motion capture, It Takes Two should be all about the team at Hazelight. A visually striking affair with some unique and phenomenal sound design, if A Way Out felt like a b-movie, It Takes Two is the big-budget game by way of Pixar visuals. It looks and sounds terrific, but crucially there’s more to it. A game can look great but be dull to play, and this is anything but that. The feel of the platforming and movement is tight as it comes, and Fares himself admits that he doesn’t know anything about coding, so while he’s an ideas man — an auteur if you will — the resulting game is down to the faceless talent behind the scenes making it look great, sound right, and feel incredible.

And Josef Fares is in his trademark buoyant mood. The only time he bristles slightly is when questioned about replayability, and it was here that I realised I’d probably get on with this man if we sat in the pub together. “Do you know many people don’t even finish games?”, he says, “Let’s just focus on making a game people actually get through!”. And this is clearly part of the marketing, with a trailer that explains how there’s no “shiny shit” to collect in It Takes Two (and there isn’t, that’s true). Ironically, it does have replayability. Playing as Cody or May, they end up with different abilities and ways to get through each section, and I’d love to play again to see some of the stuff my co-op partner, Chris, got up to as May.

He goes on to explain that the game is mechanically diverse, with new ideas thrown in at every turn. After playing through around two and a half hours with Chris White, I can attest to this being true. A throwaway comment during the presentation from Fares explained that his team could spend a year making a section and, whoosh, it’s gone in minutes, never to be seen again. The closest thing I can come up with as a comparison is how in Super Mario Odyssey you’ll inhabit an enemy in one kingdom only to never use it again, and having played It Takes Two, this is definitely true.

During the close of the slice we got to play, there’s a section where you have to work as a team to pilot a hang-glider. It’s a section that lasts perhaps 90 seconds, maybe less, and I get the feeling it’ll never reappear again. There are ideas here so creative and unique that myself and Chris would both explain “wow”. The combat is tight, the solutions to the light puzzles are clever and intuitive, and it’s funny, too. It’s also remarkably dark with some of its humour, and has some bizarre characters that feel alive in the world.

In truth I lost count of how many moments we experienced that could appear on our “best moment” list come the end of 2021. And yet, I can see some people having a bad time with It Takes Two. Fares was asked about the story, given that it’s about a divorcing couple being forced to reconnect, how it would work if people played with their non-gaming friends or if people didn’t have pals to play with given that it’s exclusively co-op, and he was honest here, too. He explained that you can play online with random people, but I won’t put words in his mouth here, instead I’ll say it for him: you absolutely shouldn’t. This is a true co-op experience, one that’s rewarding but that requires you to work together.

It Takes Two is a story about recapturing the love, and on the basis of what I played, the story has some way to go, but crucially, it feels like (whether by accident or on purpose) Hazelight has managed to tell a different story: about recapturing the love of why we play. Fun, excitement, adventure, tight controls and hook after hook; it’s a game that just feels brilliant. It’s the most Nintendo-like game I’ve played that isn’t by Nintendo, and I absolutely cannot wait to get back to playing the rest of this wonderful game.

Josef Fares once said that if people didn’t enjoy It Takes Two he’d give them a thousand dollars. Most developers would want to forget that comment, yet he brings it up himself, smiling as he does so. And you know what, I suspect come March 26th, his bank account is going to be just fine, because if the time I spent with it bears fruit for the rest of the experience (which he tells us is 12-14 hours in total), this will be one of the best games of 2021.

The post “No Shiny Shit!”: It Takes Two could be Hazelight and Josef Fares’ breakout moment appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Following the recent announcement that Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition is coming to Switch at last week’s Nintendo Direct presentation, we were fortunate enough to chat with Melvin Teo, Producer at PopCap Vancouver about the game’s arrival on the console. Melvin is an industry veteran, having been part of it for over 15 years. He’s worked on a wide range of AAA franchises such as Need for Speed, Battlefield, Star Wars Battlefront, and UFC. Now, as lead producer for Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville on Nintendo Switch, we were lucky enough to chat with Melvin about the upcoming release. We talked about incorporating motion controls into the game, the most rewarding thing about developing the release, and some of his favourite memories whilst working on the series.

It was a surprise to see the announcement that Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition was coming to Switch, and I can’t wait to start playing PvZ in handheld with my two daughters. Ever since the game released back in 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, a Switch release was always something that was on the cards. “I think right from the very beginning when we first started working on Battle for Neighborville it was always something on the radar. We’re super happy we’re finally putting it onto the Switch platform. Everybody is excited.” With it providing new opportunities on a fresh console, Melvin filled us in on how the implementation of motion controls went during its development.

“The motion controls were interesting because it was suddenly a new area for many of us. Suddenly we’re the first Frostbite title on the Switch. That’s also new for us as a company in terms of understanding the pros and cons of the platform, and how unique it is. I think that’s what we did with the motion controls. We wanted to add as many settings as possible so users could tweak it to their liking. You could tweak exactly how sensitive you wanted it to be. We put some defaults on what we thought would be a good baseline, but obviously, players have their own play-styles and we wanted to support that. It went pretty good, and I think we translated it pretty well.”

Bringing any game to a new console is filled with challenges, but in most cases the rewards of doing so far outweigh the developmental headaches encountered during the process. Melvin was more than happy with how rewarding it was to see Battle for Neighborville running on the Switch. “We were really surprised how fresh the game felt when you played it in handheld mode. We’ve played it for years now, but the first time we had it up and running, and it was playable with a good framerate, we were really happy with how it felt. We haven’t had a PvZ game on a Nintendo console in a long time. We had PvZ on the DS, and that was about it. So to see a PvZ first-person shooter on the Switch was a real kick for us.”

Seeing how well it performs on Switch was also a great feeling for Melvin. “I think we were also surprised at how well performing the game turned out. Again, with the first Frostbite title, there were a lot of unknowns, like how much performance we could eek out the console. There were a lot of questions along the way like if we could get the 30 frames per second and a steady rate which we were shooting for without making the game look terrible. I’m quite happy with what we got to in the end. The game looks good and it runs really great. We wanted to make sure we retained the charm of PvZ – that’s a big thing for the franchise. I think we achieved that overall.”

There will be many people who will have never played Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville before, and with the impending release, it’ll mean a lot of new players will be introduced to the vibrant and quirky shooter. “Many players have never played a PvZ shooter because they are primarily Switch gamers, or only have a Switch. We’re excited to see new gamers play and have loads of fun. It’s a great family friendly game and great for kids. My kids love to watch me play whenever I’m working on it.” Melvin’s right. PvZ has a certain charm to it that brings families together, including my own. There are some beautiful maps, and the characters are pretty cool as well.

“I like all the nimble characters, so Night Cap is probably my top character. Running, create some chaos, a bit of stealth, then run away. On the zombie side, probably Imp, too. I gravitate a lot to what characters I like, even if they’re not the best characters. You do what you like, right?” I had to point out that my favourite character was probably Kernel Corn, not just because he’s a badass, but also because he’s got a fantastic name. When you spend a lot of time working on a game, there are always memories you cherish, or moments during the developmental process that stick out. For Melvin, it was seeing the fans reacting positively to the hard work PopCap Vancouver has put into Battle for Neighborville.

“I was involved on Battle for Neighborville on other consoles for about a year or two. I joined somewhat midway through the project, and I led the Switch team. I think it’s every time I look at a Reddit post, forum post, or article from real players, and I see a genuine reaction to how much they love the franchise – also YouTube videos as well. I think it is a special franchise because of how fun and quirky and approachable it is, and how it brings a smile to my kid’s faces. Every time when you go to the character selection screen and they show off their idle animation. My kids could watch that for hours. They love to watch the engineer shake his behind and do funny stuff. I think that’s the magic of the franchise, right? That’s what reminds me how games have such a profound effect, especially on the young and people who just want good entertainment. PvZ is just one of those games you can have a lot of fun with – it has universal appeal. It gives me inspiration every day. It’s very inspiring.”

Plants Vz Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition comes out for Nintendo Switch on March 19, 2021.

The post “The first Frostbite title on Switch”: Interview with Producer on Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition, Melvin Teo appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

To celebrate the release of Jurassic World Evolution on Xbox Game Pass, we had the pleasure of interviewing Producer Brendon Morgan. We asked him about his thoughts on bringing it to Xbox Game Pass, the idea behind making the game in the first place, Brendon’s favourite aspects of the game, and loads more.

What are your wider thoughts on Game Pass as a service?

We are really excited to bring Jurassic World Evolution to a whole new set of players and we’re grateful that the Xbox team have allowed us to bring Jurassic to all of the Game Pass subscribers! Hopefully lots of players who’ve not yet had the chance to create their own parks or incubate their own dinosaurs can finally find out what it’s all about!

What sort of a bump did you see in player count when the game went free on Epic Games Store?

Being added to Epic Games free game promotion was really wonderful for the team here at Frontier. It’s brought Jurassic World Evolution to so many more players and it’s been great to see so many comments from new players who are enjoying the game for the first time now! Hopefully we can keep adding new players to the game so that as many people get to enjoy the feeling of being part of the Jurassic universe.

What was the catalyst for deciding to make a park builder set in the world of Jurassic Park?

Frontier has a great history with park management games with Planet Coaster and Jurassic Park is obviously one of the best known parks of all time, so it seemed like a perfect match! Universal have been really helpful though the development and it was clearly going to be a great partnership. They were very happy for us to make the game that we wanted to and supportive when it came to getting the actors on board and writing the script. It’s a relationship that we are very grateful for.

You can tell there is a lot of love for the film franchise when playing Jurassic World Evolution. Was it fun helping to create additional narrative content and choosing what dinosaurs were to be featured over the various DLC packs and original game?

Choosing the right dinosaurs was definitely tough as there are so many great dinosaurs to choose from and there were lots of opinions in the studio as everyone has their own favourites! We also took inspiration from our community and they gave a lot of input, as soon as the game was available we had fans asking for their favourites to be included and the list of potential dinosaurs was incredible.

With an IP as iconic as Jurassic World, there’s such a rich universe of content to choose from. We wanted to ensure we created a game that was always evolving and offering players new ways to play and new things to explore. There is always so much that you wish you could add into the initial release that doesn’t make the cut for one reason or another, so with each update we also had the opportunity to add some quality of life features to the base game so that the game is constantly developing.

What have been your favourite inclusions to the game since it was released, whether in the base game or various DLC packs?

I think one of my favourite things that we added after release was the day and night cycle option, this was included as a free update alongside the release of Jurassic World Evolution: Secrets of Dr. Wu and this took a lot of work to get right as we wanted it to be as realistic as possible. But seeing how it added to the game and some of the screenshots that it has allowed our community to create has really made it a worthwhile addition in retrospect.

Another feature that I really enjoy is Ranger Danger that we added as a free update alongside Jurassic World Evolution: Return to Jurassic Park. This was something that added a lot of gameplay to existing parks, as the dinosaurs were now threatened by your Ranger Teams and would attack and even incapacitate them. It means you really have to be aware of where you are sending your Ranger Teams and ensuring you are not sending them into enclosures with lots of angry dinosaurs without backup!

Was it always the plan to feature the original park in Jurassic World Evolution?

Returning to the original Jurassic Park was something we wanted to do but wasn’t in the scope of the original release, so we knew that giving this the proper time and thought it needed was going to be the best approach. When we released Jurassic World Evolution: Return to Jurassic Park with members of the original cast reprising their roles, it went down really well with our community, as did the addition of flying reptiles. Also being in the recording studio with Sam Neil who played Dr. Alan Grant has been a personal highlight of the project for me!

Bringing the game to Xbox Game Pass means plenty more people will get to play it. Why did you decide to offer it to the service?

It’s been a collaboration between the teams at Xbox and Frontier to bring Jurassic World Evolution to Xbox Game Pass and we are very happy that we’ve finally been able to make it happen. Xbox Game Pass is a fantastic way to let gamers who haven’t had the opportunity to play the game before experience this iconic franchise, and see the work we’ve put into the game to bring the Jurassic World experience to life.

For players coming to Jurassic World Evolution for the first time thanks to Xbox Game Pass, what is the one tip you’d give them to make sure dinosaurs don’t break out and terrorise their parks?

I can pretty much guarantee that you will experience a dinosaur breaking out one way or another, so my tip is to be ready for it! Have those Asset Containment Teams on standby and be ready to send your guests into cover when the inevitable happens. Also, make sure you take heed of Dr. Ian Malcolm’s advice, he’s knowns what’ll happen all too well!

Are there any future plans for Jurassic World Evolution at all?

Our main focus at this time is on delivering a great gameplay experience with Jurassic World Evolution on the Xbox Game pass, we have nothing further to announce right now.

Finally, if you had to pick, who is your favourite character from Jurassic Park Evolution, AND, what is your favourite dinosaur?

I think I’ve touched on this already but Dr. Alan Grant was always my favourite, I’ve always wanted to look that good in a fedora and his attitude to the whole endeavour is spot on! Favourite dinosaur has to be the velociraptor, they always seem to have such character, intelligence and you can almost see what they are thinking… and it’s almost always about food!

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As Season 8 of Apex Legends  goes live tomorrow, we had the chance to talk to the creative team at Respawn about Mayhem, and find out about about what fans can expect from the upcoming season. We chatted about new character Fuse and how he’ll impact the game, what the inspiration was behind the new season, the lore behind Apex Legends and how it came to be, Apex Legends’ connection to the Titanfall universe, and more.

If you’ve seen the trailers for Season 8, you’ll have heard quite a bit about new Legend Fuse. He plays a huge role in Mayhem, and was also a big inspiration for the season itself. “One of the biggest inspirations was the character Fuse. He’s the demolition expert with an explosive personality, There’s a chaos, but there’s a fun-loving chaos, and that was a big inspiration for the whole season,” said Josh Mohan, Senior Narrative Designer. “Coming off of season 7 we wanted to do a shift in tone. We had Olympus and Horizon which were very clean and aspirational, but we wanted to get down and dirty in season 8 and switch it up. That kind of permeated the whole season, not just in the launch and what you’ve seen so far, but in the things to come. Really embrace that and that feeling of mayhem and that 80’s action.”

Fuse is a larger than life character, and he was also a lot of fun to write. “The thing about Fuse is that he’s the very definition of larger than life, and I think what’s what he brings to the table. He would look at a typical Apex match – which is pretty explosive by and large anyway – and say, “hmm, not big enough.” He adds that grandiose 1980s flavour to things,” said Sam Gill, Principal Writer on Apex Legends. “To be honest, if you’re writing a character that requires fourteen hundred or fifteen hundred lines for pings etc, you want someone who’ll make the writing really fun. So, living with Fuse while writing in the two or so months it takes to do it is a good time. Except for my girlfriend. I’m from New Zealand, but I spent most of the time talking in Australianisms. It was kind of confusing for her with my split personality.”

Fuse makes quite the impact in the trailer that showed off his arrival in King’s Canyon, crashing into the map in his airship and setting the explosive tone for things to come. Amanda Doiron, Lead Writer said, “I think what we wanted to do was have a Legend that came from somewhere outside of the Syndicate in order to expand that universe out. He’s definitely coming in as an outsider and a little bit behind the 8-ball after his best friend blew up the games [laughs]. I don’t think everyone will be on his side, but it is hard to stay mad at Fuse. He has an awful lot of charisma.”  The new season looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun to be a part of, with a new character that offers a different feel to many that have come before in previous seasons. The team at Respawn has always made a big point of introducing new lore to Apex Legends, and it’s fascinating to find out more about where the idea to create the game’s story began.

“When we first decided to make Apex Legends, I was the only one there making the lore from Titanfall and Titanfall 2. When we moved on to a battle royale, I was like, “what am I going to do all day?” That was pretty much the situation. When we started talking about what the game was it was really fun, but we didn’t quite know exactly what it was,” said Manny Hagopian, Lead Writer. “Everyone at Respawn is a story teller and they all care about these characters, so when we started talking we realised we were making a character-based game here. This isn’t just classes. At first I remember we were just calling them classes. We ended up changing that and calling them characters and not classes.”

Manny continued to talk about what drove the team to keep building on the lore of Apex Legends. “From there we started building and understanding who they were by giving them personalities. I ended up finding myself creating and working on more lore for a battle royale game that doesn’t have a story. I think we just fell into a groove about what makes Apex Legends. It’s about their characters, it’s about their personalities, it’s about their attitudes for each other. It’s about the community because it’s a community-based game itself, and it’s about family because these characters are a bunch of misfits who come from so many different areas. Once they interact and come together, that’s what makes it Apex Legends and I think that’s something we’ll never lose.”

Of course, the subject of Titanfall came up. “Oh, here we go,” joked Manny. We were tempted to ask about Titanfall content, but instead wanted to know whether that universe was always going to be the setting for Apex Legends. “Absolutely, yes. We had already started working on some characters and locations, and stuff like that. I think the question would be whether we were planning on it being a prequel that took place before Titanfall 2, or how much further in the future does it take place. When we started working around having the character Blisk be in the opening cinematic, that kind of helped set the groundwork to invite players from Titanfall into Apex to see this new world and explore this lore that we had been building. So, yes, it’s always kind of felt that it would be a part of it.”

A lot of new characters and lore has been introduced into Apex Legends. On a personal level, we were keen to know what elements had been some of the team’s favourites. “I think the thing I’m most proud of is developing the mother side to Horizon and developing that story. I’m a mother myself, and you don’t see many mother characters, or that their plot devices by killing them off a lot of the time [laughs]. It really meant a lot to me to work on that part of her,” said Amanda. “Also, the trope in video games is the sad dad, but we have the optimistic mom with Horizon. It’s been such a negative year, so it was nice to spend some time in her head. I really did enjoy working on her. Although she was created by Sam, I was working on the mother aspect of her.”

Manny added, “I think one thing I’m proud of is how everyone at Respawn cares about diversity and representation of the characters. When we first initially started we wanted to make Bloodhound non-binary, we knew we wanted to make Gibraltar gay. We wanted to cast actors who matched the ethnicity, rather than somebody just doing a voice. That is something very important to us and also very challenging, so we are always pushing ourselves to get better at that.”

Steve Ferreira, the Team Director on Apex Legends talked about the creation process for coming up with new characters, story, and content for the game. “The creation process can start from anywhere. The reality is any idea can trigger something that will go into the game. We emphasize that and make it part of our creative process at Respawn, that ideas can come from anybody. When we were back in the studios for example, we had 25-foot wall where anyone could stick an idea to it. That could be an image of what they thought a cool character could be. It could be a one-liner of what they think they could say, or it could be a gameplay ability.”

Steve continued. “It could be anything, and we use that as the catalyst for people to go there and farm those ideas to then start forming a character. When we actually get a character going and that becomes a thing, we start at the gameplay which is the core. We see what the game looks like right now and what’s a good game space we have to explore that would be a fun way to shake things up and give players a new way to play. We don’t want to keep treading on the same design spaces and end up with a Ryu, Ken scenario. We want to avoid that as long as we can. That’s kind of the foundation of it, but all those other ideas which have started in parallel will all start forming onto what that character is.”

Finally, the new design of King’s Canyon comes into play after Fuse crashes his airship into it. We wanted to understand how these changes to the map would impact players. “One of the goals isn’t just to shake up things, but also to expand it. One of the cool things about this map update is we’ve crashed this ship and created this cool vertical play space, but it also opened up this cool space at the north of the map that players can now use to rotate through or land there,” said Josh. “I think the really cool thing the map team did was create this fun element, but also expand the playable space and try and bring Kings Canyon more in line with World’s Edge and Olympus in terms of the density that those maps have.”

Apex Legends Season 8 – Mayhem drops tomorrow on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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It’s not often you get to talk to an icon, but speaking with David Bateson, the voice behind Agent 47 was nothing short of an honour. If you’ve ever played a Hitman game, you’ll have heard the soft, melancholy chill of his voice, but the man behind the silent assassin is a real gentleman, and had a lot of great stories to tell.

After talking about our kids (I thought I had my handful with two daughters, but three?!) for short while, I wanted to start at the beginning. Where did it all begin, and how do you get the chance to create such a legacy?

“When I was 19, I was at university studying drama and English literature, and all sorts of subjects. It was my mother’s suggestion, God bless her. She suggested I go down to South Africa’s answers to the BBC. Radio was very big at the time, and this was when TV was very new to South Africa – everyone listened to the radio. “Do I just go and knock on the door?” and she said, “yeah, sure”.

“Can I audition for one of your radio plays?” They said “sure, come on in,” and I recorded an audition for them. They gave me some samples, I read some passages, and that was it. That’s how I got into voice acting. It was great because it supplemented my university and paid the way”.

“Fast forward a couple of light years, and I’m in Denmark doing a voiceover in a studio. The technicians say, “Listen, we’re doing some graphics for a computer game that’s heavily in development. The developers of the game are asking us, the studio, if we know an actor that could voice Agent 47”.

“Just looking at the graphics they had – it was a scene from Hong Kong, very black and white, and moody and retro – very film noir. I was totally hooked”. After asking if he was a fan of that genre, it was great to find out that David’s favourite film is probably one of mine, and we talked about how it has been a massive inspiration of his.

“My favourite film of all time is Blade Runner. Seriously, I just want to live in that world. I know it looks like a depressing world, but that film has had the biggest impact on me ever, and I just completely lost the plot over that film”.

Of course, we at God is a Geek are huge advocates of the latest Hitman game, and I was keen to know what David thought about it.

“I went out and bought my own disc. I’m sure they would’ve given me my own copy. I’ve had a code to play each episode as they’ve come out, but I just wanted to hold a hard copy in my hands, put it in my brand new PlayStation 4 and go, “whoopee!” I’ve only just got it, and I haven’t even bloody opened it”.

“I have played some of it– the first two levels, Paris and Sapienza”. I shared my enthusiasm for Sapienza, as for me, it’s the most superior. “Yes, Sapienza is amazing. I mean, that’s a whole game right there. I’m really primitive of playing it, but I’ve watched some run-throughs – some playthroughs. I mean, Paris really blew my socks off. I thought, “Oh, come on!” Sapienza blew me even further away.

We also chatted about the decision to release it episodically. “There were a lot of people worried about the episodic release, but I think it’s proved itself. I think also, through this episodic release, IO has established an even better relationship with the fans in the sense that you keep communicating with them, giving them new elusive targets and taking them back to the same place. They’re in a better position to listen to critique and comment, and make suggestions, and within reason start to implement them. Honestly, I think it’s here to stay”.

I wondered how David went about recording for the episodic format. “I was going into IO interactive every six to eight weeks to get my fix – I only did one at a time. Even when I record whole games – Absolution was like a month or something: four sittings and one pick up session”.

“I enjoy going into record Agent 47, and I don’t have to wait one to three years – even six years. I get to go in every two months and it’s fun. You’ve got to bear in mind that I know the writers and the people at IO really well, so it’s like going into a room with your mates in a way, and talking about your hero”.

IO appear to be consummate professionals, and David had great things to say about them. “They’re very focused, and they’re much closer to the story than I am because they’ve written it. They really kind of know, and I can see it in their faces when I say a line how I think it should be said, and they say “no, no – it’s a quieter scene than this”. They truly know the storyboards and the written story so well, that they’re in an extremely good position to direct me on every single line”.

Agent 47 is a calm and calculated killer, so how do you even go about preparing for that kind of role? “I go and kill someone in the way in – it always helps (we laugh). I must admit, there’s something I have in common with this character. I wasn’t made out of a test tube and I’m not a killer, but it’s more from my upbringing, which has been very fragmentary – lots of love, but I moved around a hell of a lot. Nine schools in two countries, over twelve years, so I was always the new boy getting the shit kicked out of me”.

“My whole attitude was about survival. How do I make the big, hairy kid laugh? It was nothing personal; it was just how boys were. Then when no one’s looking I can go and play chess with the school nerd, because that’s the only guy who seems interesting. In that way – what I’m kind of saying – is that there’s a kind of an affinity with this emotionless killer. I identify with his aloneness, and when I’m conscious of it or not, there’s a kind of melancholy with it. Sometimes I look back on a session and go, “Shit where did that come from?” I know some of it is that he’s the silent assassin – not everything is Vin Diesel and big car chases, and big bazookas going off in the streets, but there is a kind of contemplativeness. It’s almost as if you’re looking at life from the outside looking in”.

“That’s how I felt growing up, and something about him haunts me like that. If you’re playing a game, like one of the games I used to play when I had more time – Call of Duty – there’s a lot of action and you’re with a group of people. He’s a lone wolf, and not really attached to anything that’s going on around him. That appeals to me”.

David has voiced Agent 47 from the beginning, and I was curious if one particular memory stood out. “Well if I told you, I’d have to kill you (we both laughed). Just as a broad answer to that, it’s every time I go in to record to be honest – the camaraderie, the humour, and the banter – just guys in a room having a good time. When you’re playing with lines and discussing how you’re going to kill somebody, you just want to break it and go, “tell me he stops for a beer on the way in,” or sometimes I’ll just start messing around. Generally it’s not just a specific moment, it’s the recording sessions. They’re quite unique because a lot of fun is had, even between the darkness and stillness. There’s a great amount of love in the room”.

Finally, I wanted to know what Agent 47’s legacy meant to David. “Woah, legacy? I’ve never had that. Normally, you only ever get attached to the role for a short period of time – something like three months for a feature film or a stage play, so you do get to know the character and get familiar with them. You don’t necessarily have to like them, but you get to know them”.

“I guess my legacy, or what I appreciate of it, is having played and knowing this person for seventeen years. I feel a great responsibility towards honouring his personality. I would feel really crap if someone said they had a great idea, like Disney want to create a hit theme park, or McDonalds want to pay us to strangle someone in a McDonald’s toilet – it would bother me. He’s got more class than that – he’s cool. I just want to continue to honour that and not take the piss out of it”.

David clearly loves the role, the character, and getting to be a part of the Hitman series for so long. “It’s like having a good friend that you’ve known for many years. You don’t have to see them a lot, but when you get together, it’s like you’ve picked up from the day before. That’s how I feel about him”.

Originally Published on Feb 20, 2017

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Altelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy isn’t out until the end of January 2021, but we were lucky enough to preview some of it. Whilst it still has the magic of what made the first one special, the alchemy sections are more robust, the environments are more interactive, and the characters that accompany Ryza are engaging and loveable. To get more insight into Gust‘s follow-up to Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, we had the pleasure of interviewing Junzo Hosoi, producer on Atelier Ryza 2. He talked about the story, how alchemy has improved, streamlining the active time battle system, and more.

Three years have passed since Ryza’s adventure in the first game, how does this affect the story in the sequel?

The biggest way this affects the story in the sequel is the way that Ryza has changed, as well as where she is in her life now. When we last met Ryza, she was a student living with her family on Kurken Island. Now she is out in the world and living in her own place. She has become an adult now. Ryza’s reunion with her friends is also the backbone of the story; they have all been separated emotionally and physical for three years. How their relationships have changed over the years is really important to the story.

The original Ryza really focused on the friendship and relationships between the characters. Does the sequel continue this, or is the focus more on a grander story?

There will still be a focus on the relationships between the characters, that will still be there, but the bigger over-arching theme here is Ryza becoming an adult, as well as her having parental feelings of wanting to protect Fi – and being willing to look out for them and do things to better their life. Her first adventure saw her doing what she wanted for herself, whilst in Atelier Ryza 2 she grows to be more selfless.

As the second title in the Ryza series, is there anything included in the game to help new players catch up with the story so far?

We are preparing a special video that will re-cap the story for new players, and we want everyone to look forward to it! The game itself doesn’t include a feature where you can recap the story, but as you play through the game you will learn about important story beats from the first title at different intervals. The team are making sure that new players can enjoy this game without needing to have experienced the first story.

Fi looks like an adorable new addition to the cast, do they play an important role in Ryza’s second adventure?

As Fi is included in the title – ‘the Secret Fairy’ – they will indeed be an important character! Look forward to seeing their role in the story when the game comes launches in January 2021.

The active time battle style of combat in the first game made fighting enemies much more fast paced than previous Atelier titles. Have there been any significant changes to the combat in Ryza 2?

We have continued to build upon the active battle system introduced in Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout! We received feedback from players mentioning the system itself was a little too busy for their liking, so we have now streamlined the system allowing you to use a single button to access many commands. There were also previously many different gauges and things to keep track of, so we have adjusted this to ensure it is easier to keep track of. We have also made sure that the flow of combat feels intuitive and more natural to players, making battles feel more dynamic.

There looks to be a lot of large open areas to explore. Was it important to make this entry in the series more open?

The field element is important for the overall gameplay loop! The field itself though hasn’t really gotten “bigger” in the new title, but instead there is more depth to it. You can climb up, over, swim down into deeper depths, etc. While the size hasn’t changed much, you can now explore more of the space that is given to you as a player. I feel this is very important for this game loop, as exploration and gathering items for synthesis is fun when there is more to discover.

One of the most satisfying systems in Ryza was the Alchemy, has anything been added to the Alchemy system for the sequel?

We have added in some new features to the synthesis system this time round, including “Evolve Link” and “Essence”. Using “Evolve Link”, you will be able to dive deeper into the system, allowing you to create additional types of items. The use of “Essence” gives you different options for more arrangements. Both of these features will offer a wider range of customizability for those comfortable with the system, but also be easy to get to grips with for newcomers.

2020 has been a difficult year for game development. What challenges has Covid 19 brought to the creation of Atelier Ryza 2?

2020 has definitely been a very different year! As a company, KOEI TECMO Games were able to quickly, and efficiently, adapt to working remotely which allowed us to release Atelier Ryza 2 in a timely manner. Of course, the GUST team and the titles we are working on were influenced by the pandemic. We had originally hoped to release Atelier Ryza 2 earlier, but we needed to push back the title a bit to allow some extra development time due to the effects of COVID-19.

The post “She is out in the world and living in her own place” : Interview with Junzo Hosoi, Producer on Atelier Ryza 2 appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Trollhunters Tales of Arcadia has been a huge success worldwide, and last month the first video game based on the franchise released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Trollhunters Defenders of Arcadia sees you play as Jim Lake Jr. and Claire in a couch co-op side-scroller to stop Porgon the Trickster Troll and plenty of unknown forces. We had the pleasure of interviewing Charlie Saxton who plays Toby in both the TV show and the video game. We found out what it was like working on the show and how the job came about, what it means to be a part of the franchise, and much more.

Q: How does voice acting for the show and the game differ?

I would say the difference between voice acting for a show and a game is that when you’re recording the show, there’s only one storyline or one narrative. But for a game, there are multiple paths, storylines and routes players of the game can choose. So when it comes to a game like Trollhunters Defenders of Arcadia, we have to record all of those different reactions and all of those different responses. It’s really cool, it’s like being part of a ‘choose your own adventure’ game in a way.

Are you a big gamer, and what would you say your favourite game of all time is?

I’ve always been a casual gamer but, over the last few months I’ve gotten more time to play a bit more seriously because of COVID. I’ve played through the South Park games which are great and I’m currently playing Red Dead Redemption and the Remastered version of Tony Hawk Pro Skater. My favourite game of all time is probably Tony Hawk’s Underground but honourable mentions must also go to Mario Kart 64 and WWF No Mercy.

In terms of consoles, I currently have an Xbox but all of my friends have PlayStation, so I’m waiting for cross-platform to happen on more games. Fingers crossed someone reading this will take that into consideration, but I may have to get the PS5 when it comes out, it looks pretty sick.

Have you always been Xbox, or have you been a PlayStation fan back in the day?

I was a PlayStation 2 fan back in the day but then I switched to Xbox about ten years ago. I remember exactly what made me switch too. I specifically remember choosing which console I wanted to get based on who had the better resolution of the Ghostbusters game when it came out in around 2009. I did a fair bit of research and people were saying the Xbox 360 had the better quality for the Ghostbusters game. So that’s what I went with, and I’ve stuck to it for about 10 years now so, maybe it’s time to change. Or maybe I could have both! There’s nothing wrong with having both.

How did the Trollhunters job come about?

Initially it was just an audition that I read for as an actor but as soon as I read the script I really connected with the Toby character. He’s kind of like a character arc type that I always admired in those classic 80’s adventure movies – The goonies being a classic example. I’ve always admired Chunk and he was my favourite character, and I feel like I was meant to play this guy and put my own spin on a character type that I’ve always admired. It’s pretty special.

What’s your favourite thing about playing Toby in Trollhunters?

He’s just got the best lines. He’s got the one-liners, whenever I have a recording session and I’m playing Toby we’re always just laughing, having a good time and trying to come up with as many jokes as we can so it’s definitely that… he’s got the best jokes.

What’s your favourite memory of working on Trollhunters, either on the show or the game?

My favourite memory from the show itself is when we introduced it at COMICON. We did this huge panel with everyone involved. Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, Stephen Young, Marc Guggenheim, and then somehow me sitting right in the middle of everybody. It was just so much fun because we’d already been working on it for a couple of years already but people hadn’t seen it before, and seeing the reaction live and hearing people was amazing. It was also Guillermo’s birthday so I was in the middle of answering a question and Ron Perlman just walked offstage and I was like, “what’s this guy’s problem?.” You know, I had just met him that day, and I
was like did I offend him? And then all of a sudden he comes walking on stage with a birthday cake and everybody starts singing happy birthday to Guillermo. It was just great. It was a really lovely way to kick off this fun family in the universe that Guillermo created. That definitely is my all-time favourite for sure.

My favourite moment from working on the game? Like I said before, we had to record different sounds and different efforts and I believe there was a coughing or a gagging effort that I had to do. Let’s say I got a little too committed to it and in the end there was almost a real-life recording of me spewing in the booth. That was definitely a memorable moment.

How has voice acting for games changed since your work as Melvin on Bully?

Well, most noticeably I would say my voice has changed since I’ve done Melvin from Bully. I think my voice might be two octaves deeper than when I did that game. Not to discredit myself but I feel like I definitely have a lot more acting experience under my belt since I’ve done Melvin too. But that was an amazing experience where I actually got to do the motion capture as well as the voice-over for the game. It was a lot of fun.

What is it like working with Guillermo del Toro?

Oh man, the first day it was, I was like… it’s Guillermo del Toro. I was definitely a little intimidated and I walked in the booth and he couldn’t have been more kind. He was so warm and welcoming, he’s just a big kid. It’s something I didn’t realise until the time thankfully, but Toby is basically Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo wrote the character based on him as a 12-year-old. There was a little bit of pressure once I found that out but he’s just the master, he’s the maestro, he’s just so good at creating amazing character builds, fantastical elements and ideas that really all boil down to heart. He just has heart and so much humanity in him that he’s just, he’s the best.

If you fancy a chance at winning a copy of the PS4 version of Trollhunters Defenders of Arcadia signed by Charlie Saxton, or the Nintendo Switch version signed by Emile Hirsch, you can enter our competition here.

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Little Hope is the second game in Supermassive Games’ The Dark Pictures Anthology. It’s shaping up to be a pretty enjoyable experience. Ahead of the release later this month we’ve caught up with Dan McDonald, the Series Director of The Dark Pictures Anthology at Supermassive Games to discuss what we can expect from their latest horror title.

The premise of The Dark Pictures Anthology is a little different from most horror game series. They’re a series of stories with unique branching narratives, but they’re also self-contained with no bearing on each other. Indeed the purpose of the Anthology is something different entirely. “We always wanted to explore the idea of a horror anthology that was playable in multiplayer.” McDonald explains “We initially started with a prototype to prove that a multiplayer experience in a narrative adventure could work well, once we had completed this we went into full development of the titles.” He emphasises the importance within his games of “making sure that both players have a great story and that it makes total sense to both people playing.”

Having different tales to tell throughout the anthology enables the titles to be worked on simultaneously, “We have several Dark Pictures titles at various stages of development.” explains McDonald, likely explaining the short time between the release of Little Hope and its predecessor, Man of Medan. But it’s still clear each title takes a decent amount of time to pull together, “Little Hope itself has been in development for over two years now.” It’s likely therefore that the next game in the Anthology is well in development, and maybe even the fourth too.

One of the key characteristics of The Dark Pictures Anthology games is their branching storylines. And it’s of the utmost importance that these pay off. McDonald admits the hardest part is “trying to ensure every player has a satisfying story.” And that’s an interesting point, given the focus of most games just focus on telling one fulfilling overarching story. But it does add complications “It’s worth remembering that all The Dark Pictures games are built with replayability in mind. We’re creating some very branching games and we want players to have a great experience whatever decision they make.” says McDonald.

Those complications must make it tricky to get a handle on the story and prevent it from unraveling or feeling disjointed. McDonald agrees and admits “We use a piece of software we developed internally to help us track all this.” He then teases “There are multiple paths in the game and multiple endings but the changes are not always apparent immediately. For instance, a choice early on in Little Hope only reveals its true impact much later on in the game and also that change can vary quite significantly depending on the choice you make early on. How they differ will only materialise if you play the game again and make a different choice.”

Regarding those decisions, Supermassive Games often don’t give you a lot of time to consider your options, either back in Until Dawn or in its The Dark Pictures Anthology. This works well to create tension, but it’s clear making the wrong quick decision can have pretty dire consequences. McDonald explains “We always want players to think deeply (although quickly!) about the decisions they make. There are certainly some critical – and indeed, life or death – decisions you need to make in Little Hope. There are definitely real moral dilemmas and often the choices are not black and white, good or bad.”

From my experience in previous titles, this certainly has felt true. Often the decision that feels “right”, the selfless or courteous one, doesn’t always lead to the desired outcome. Sometimes nice guys do indeed finish last, or dead. McDonald stresses “All our stories are generally about human emotions under unimaginable stress and terror and there are certainly some emotional and difficult choices to contend with in Little Hope.”

Having played a small part of Little Hope already, it’s clear that it feels a little different to Man of Medan. “Little Hope does have a more open setting.” McDonald points out, “However, we hope players enjoy the difference and get a real sense of the place by exploring the town of Little Hope.” This freedom of setting did provide more flexibility for the development team though, particularly when it came to the camera. In Little Hope, a player-controlled camera is used for most parts of the game. McDonald feels this “adds another dimension to the gameplay when exploring the environment and buildings. However, we do still use fixed cameras in some scenes. They allow us to really set up and control a very cinematic scene and this is certainly very important when delivering horror.”

Another way Little Hope feels like a step away from what has gone before is its cast. Gone are the youthful cast of the previous games and replaced with a more diverse lineup. McDonald explains that the focus isn’t simply changing the cast for the sake of it, but being more considered, “We always cast based on the story we want to tell and we’re really pleased with the cast on all of our games in the Anthology so far. The actors on Little Hope had an especially challenging task as they had to play different characters across different time periods.” This different time periods aspect was certainly hinted at during the demo we played, and clearly plays a central role in the story of Little Hope.

In terms of acting talent, McDonald was quick to praise the lead character, “we were delighted to get Will Poulter on board. In Little Hope he plays three different characters across different time periods and with completely different accents. He has the breadth and depth of talent to bring the American and rural (Northern) English accents needed for his role. Apparently, his father is from the north of England, which explains how good he is at that accent. His American accent is excellent too and really helps bring his characters to life.” Will Poulter is the big name of Little Hope following on from the likes of Shawn Ashmore in Man of Medan and Rami Malek in Until Dawn.

Bringing to life a story across different time periods also provided the team with other considerations too. “We always take a lot of care around authenticity, whether it’s recording footage on an old military ship to get that authentic creaking ship noise or hiring a costume designer from the film world to accurately portray clothing worn in the 1700’s.” McDonald commented, adding “we’ll always go that extra mile to make sure that whatever era we are depicting (In Little Hope there are elements of the 1970’s, 1700’s and present day) that is highly accurate to that period.”

The horror genre has a rich history, full of inspiration, and McDonald made no secret of some famous horror movies which have inspired them in Little Hope. “The Crucible is one. Then there are films like It Follows and The Witch. You could even see some elements of Hellraiser in Little Hope.” But it’s clear games have been an inspiration too, “ there are titles like Silent Hill. We love to subvert different horror genres and mix them together.” admitted McDonald, before adding “All of the games in The Dark Pictures Anthology have some basis of fact, fiction or legend within the real-world. Little Hope takes elements from the Andover Witch Trials of 1692. Andover actually had more accusations, confessions and ultimately executions than any other town in New Hampshire, including Salem.”

It’s clear a lot of effort has gone into Little Hope, so we end by discussing what McDonald hopes people take from their experience of Little Hope. “[I want them to feel] scared, satisfied and ready to play through again. If the player gets scared and then is satisfied with the story payoff we hope they will want to play again to make different choices and see different outcomes. There’s a social side too, which we hope people will feel when they play. It’s why people like to watch scary movies as a group, and why we developed both the Shared Story and Movie Night modes for all the games in the Dark Pictures Anthology.”

You can enjoy The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope either alone or with friends when it launches on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 30, 2020.

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PGA Tour 2K21 is the newest golf game from HB Studios, and we at God is a Geek loved it, claiming that “PGA Tour 2K21 has the best gameplay in any golf game yet.” Pretty high praise indeed, so when we were given the opportunity to ask Shaun West, Producer at HB Studios, some questions about the recently announced new modes and customisation, we jumped at the chance.

How have you found the reception to PGA Tour 2K21 since it released?

It’s been phenomenal to say the least. Over the past 2 years a lot went into designing, developing, and marketing the game, and to see it all come together working alongside 2K and PGA TOUR is incredible. The reception from players has been very positive and seeing that hard work pay off feels great, but we’re not taking our foot off the gas.

How did you choose what cosmetic items were going to be included in the new update?

We work with partners like Adidas and Polo Ralph Lauren to determine which designs will make it into the game and to accurately represent their real life golf clothing.

The CODECHAOS 2K Aeroready Polo Shirt being in the game before it is released in the real world is pretty awesome. How did the deal come about?

Adidas has been an awesome partner for the PGA TOUR 2K21, we built a great relationship in the build up to release with their inclusion and the pre-order exclusive around their CodeChaos line. We continue to stay in-touch and brainstorm ideas for future opportunities. The Areoready Polo is one thing that came out of that and we’re very excited to have an opportunity to get that exclusive content out there IRL and in-game.

Can you explain the new match types in a bit more detail please?

3-hole matchmaking brings in a new opportunity for players to experience a quick-playing format across our official courses and rapidly get into matches. Outside of matchmaking we put a lot of effort into allowing players to progress at their own pace with asynchronous play and always saving. We cannot do that online though and this felt like a great opportunity to add a bit of pace to the game, while also catering to those who only have 10-15m to play a few rounds. There are two 3-hole options at the moment with 2-4 player stroke play, and head-to-head high roller skins.

We’re these new game modes something you worked on after the game’s release, or have they been in the works for a while as a way to focus on the multiplayer elements of the game?

We started working on the 3-hole mode shortly before the release of the game. We always knew we wanted to continue to expand on the online options though. The PGA TOUR Career is the core focus for most of our community but there is a thriving online community as well, and we wanted to create more options for those wrapping up their career to branch into other areas of the game and join in on that online fun.

Will there be more match types coming out in the near future, and can you give us a hint at what they might involve?

We are continuing to build on post launch support for the game and bring additional features in. At this time we’re not ready to share any details on what that content is going to be. I’m very excited about what we have in the hopper though and I’m looking forward to when we can discuss what’s coming next.

PGA Tour 2K21 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.

The post “Seeing that hard work pay off feels great, but we’re not taking our foot off the gas”: Interview with Shaun West, Producer at HB Studios appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Back in 2009, FarmVille became one of the most played games of Facebook, and ever since the franchise has seen millions of people around the world log in to check on their farm. With its transition to mobile gaming, Zynga are one of the biggest and most popular companies out there, with games such as Merge Dragons!, Words With Friends 2, and the recently announced Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells being just a selection of them. We had the opportunity to find out more about their upcoming sequel, FarmVille 3, thanks to Sonja Ängeslevä, Product Lead at Zynga and the person for running development on the game.

Since opening in 2017, how did the decision come about to leave FarmVille 3 in Helsinki Studios’ hands?

“As Helsinki is one of the world’s major hubs for mobile developers and top talent, Zynga has a lot of confidence in us to bring FarmVille 3 to the fans. I am also very fortunate to be working with some of the key talent that Finland has to offer who have incredible collective experience in builder games, and have successfully brought classic IPs to modern mobile gaming. Additionally, most of the team are big fans of the franchise and we consider it a  great honour to be working on the game today.”

What were the first steps you took in making FarmVille appeal to its audience in 2020?

“As the FarmVille franchise has already seen over 700 million game installs over the years to date, we made sure to listen to our fans to hear what they felt worked, and didn’t, in the previous games when it came to their gameplay experience. Based on this information we quickly learned what players value, and how to add new and exciting features to the game. This allowed us to focus on developing the key features within the game that will offer a mix of the old favourites, as well as new and exciting features that will elevate the gameplay for everyone.”

From a developer point of view, what were some of the challenges Helsinki had when making FarmVille 3?

“FarmVille is loved by such a vast number of players! Because of that, one of the key challenges was to make sure that we’re not only creating a game for new players but also that we’re creating something that will honour and entertain our existing players. We focused on creating fun experiences for players that are easy to learn and that remain engaging over an extended period of time.”

What are some of your favourite features in FarmVille 3?

“We wanted to create a feeling of living and breathing farms. We’d like to think that the game looks and feels stunning with beautifully detailed 3D graphics and animations. A lot of the liveliness comes from the animals – which are a big focus in FarmVille 3. In the new game, players will be able to grow and nurture animals, and as their flock grows they will be able to unlock more breeds in their quest to improve their farms. It’s fun even just to watch how different animals roam around and how farmhands carry out their duties, or take a break in between tasks.”

Would you be able to explain to our readers a little about the game’s new features?

“Animals are the central focus of FarmVille 3. There are hundreds of different kinds of animals for players to collect. You can breed them to discover new and exciting species, and you have to nurture and care for baby animals through to adulthood. The game also has more exotic animals peacefully living side by side with more familiar farm animals. Exotic animals bring a new extension to the core gameplay.”

Would there be a chance to have FarmVille crossover events with games like Words With Friends 2?

“We listen to our players in order to provide engaging experiences for them. We are open to suggestions when it comes to connecting the world through games. However, there are currently no crossover plans in the near future with the Words With Friends franchise as our team is solely focused on making the FarmVille 3 experience the key focus for our players.”

Why do you think FarmVille has been so popular since releasing on Facebook all those years ago?

“FarmVille is one of our beloved franchises, not only because it’s synonymous with our company but also because of its cultural impact. We believe that the social aspect of the game was why it became such a big hit. Being able to participate in cooperative crafting jobs and trading goods in the farmer’s market were engaging and entertaining. Additionally, as our lives get busier, spending some time on a farm is a great way to relax. It’s at the forefront of our mission to bring the best parts of the original FarmVille, and more.”

The post “It’s at the forefront of our mission to bring the best parts of the original FarmVille, and more”: Interview with Sonja Ängeslevä, Project Lead on FarmVille 3 appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Photo credit: Adela Sznajder, ESL

Esports is a growing industry that is enjoying a bit of a boom at the moment. With the rise of Twitch, fans are able to connect with their favourite esports athletes and team more easily than ever before. But it wasn’t always this way. Esports certainly hasn’t had an easy time of it over the years, and has probably been around longer than you think too. That’s what Paul Chaloner, the famous esports commentator hopes to put right in his new book This is esports (and How to Spell it). We caught up with Paul ahead of the book’s launch to dig a little deeper into the extraordinary world of esports, and find out a bit more about how the book came together.

The hardest part of any book is striking the right chord with your audience. And with a topic as broad as esports, there will always be a diverse audience with varying knowledge of what it is, including all its nuances and terminology. “Tricky” was how Paul described striking the right balance, discussing how he worked with his agent and co-writer Ben Sillis to bounce perspectives off of each other. “We constantly talked about different parts of the book in this sense to make sure that we appealed to those who were new, as a kind of primer to esports if you like, but didn’t insult the existing fans.”

By writing a book almost anyone can enjoy, Paul hopes to entice people with no prior knowledge of esports. “You could read this as someone with no exposure to esports and come away with a reasonable understanding and a healthy respect for the industry.” But at the same time, there’s lots here for esports fans, who are looking to learn a little more, with plenty of “behind the scenes and historical stuff.” to enjoy.

Attendees sit in the stands during the League of Legends World Championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. A professional video-game tournament at a sold-out Staples Center could go down as an early classic in the young sport of League of Legends competitions. Photographer: David Williams/Bloomberg via Getty Images

One of the nice additions to this book is the genuine feeling that Paul is incredibly passionate about the esports industry, and he weaves in his personal anecdotes in between factual historical content. Often these parts were Paul’s favourite to write. “The arcades, for example, was fascinating for me: for a time in the 80s I thought I was the king of the arcades on Brighton pier but I had absolutely no idea other players were going a step beyond that, setting world high score records and trying to monetise their achievements with national teams and tournaments.” It’s endearing to hear someone not just list out what esports is all about but express themselves in such a passionate way. But Paul is also quick to point out in his book the industry shortcomings and missteps too, with a refreshing level of honesty and humility. Often this is through a hopeful lens of how esports can move forward and continue to grow in its popularity and reach.

This is esports (and How to Spell it) is full of recounted esports’ defining moments. Magical, memorable occasions that made fans’ jaws drop. Some, you may be familiar with, such as the infamous “Daigo Parry” from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike semifinal match held at Evolution Championship Series 2004. Paul however opts for another time, when recalling his favourite esports moment. “I’ll go with S1mple’s falling awp no-scope double kill – the equivalent of Gareth Bale’s overhead kick in a Champions League final.” But even Paul admits he “ends up choosing a different one every time.” Such is his passion for the industry he’s glad to be a part of.

You’ll notice the book title, not least the insistence on the correct spelling of esports. I know I’ve certainly been careful to get it right here. It’s something that Paul addresses directly in the book itself. He admits “I liked the cheeky subtitle so we stuck with it”, and that’s kind of the point. It’s in keeping with the easy-going tone of the book, as it seeks to inform, but in an informal way. There was plenty of second-guessing Paul explains, “We explored a lot of other options over the final few months before we eventually came all the way back to the original title.”

Benjamin ‘zyz’ Bohrmann, Sander ‘Vo0’ Kaasjager and Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel on the podium at Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) Sheffield, UK, 2005. Photo: Paul Chaloner

Despite being in the esports industry for many years, even Paul admits to having learned a lot from writing this book. And as comes through in the text, it’s the individuals and those special events which bring the excitement. “Speaking to people from back in the day and listening to their stories was amazing…learning about the early days of competitive arcade players was a thrill and listening to people like Fatal1ty still able to recount minute detail of games he played 15 years ago was a privilege.”

It has certainly been a labour of love, and one that Paul openly admits wouldn’t be possible without his co-writer Ben Sillis. “I had no idea how to do any of this when we started, no idea how the publishing world worked and I’ve learned an awful lot as we’ve gone through this process.” He goes on to say “In many ways, Ben is my perfect foil. He is calmer than me and helps ground me when I start going off on a creative journey. We argued a lot, but it was always very healthy and honestly, I am so glad to have met and worked with Ben; he’s much more a friend now than just someone I worked with on a book. There’s no way I could have gotten a book on esports written and published like this without Ben.”

Paul’s also keen to credit other people too, particularly those who’ve had an impact on esports in general. He concedes that so many people have supported the industry over the years and it’s “really tough to pick one person.” But when pushed, he said “I think its got to be someone who was there at the dawn of this new industry, worked to build it when few did and did so without any money and is still here NOW, so for me that would be Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham, now head of creator development at Twitch.”

With the book now available, Paul hopes it manages to resonate with those who take the time to read it, whatever their preconceptions. “For those who are critics, I hope they can read it and walk away having a healthy respect for esports anyway. That would be a huge win. For existing fans, if they can say they enjoyed it and learned something new, that would make me very happy.”

This is esports (and How to Spell it) is an interesting read, and explores lots of different aspects of the esports industry. It touches on what it’s like to be a pro gamer, the history of esports, how much you can earn, and even the role of female gamers in this growing sport. The varied content and personable style make it a very easy read for those interested in learning more about this booming industry.

This is esports (and How to Spell it): An Insider’s Guide to the World of Pro Gaming by Paul Chaloner is published by Bloomsbury Sport, £12.99. It is available to order in paperback, ebook and audiobook now.

The post “I thought I was the king of the arcades on Brighton pier”: Interview with Paul Chaloner, esports commentator and author of This is esports (and How to Spell it) appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The music in Ori and the Blind Forest, and its sequel Ori and the Will of the Wisps is truly mesmeric in place. From its rousing scores to softer tones, it conjures up plenty of emotion throughout both titles. We got a chance to interview the man behind this much-loved music, Gareth Coker, to find out a little more about him and his work. We also found out about his favourite composition in the latest Ori title as well as some games he’s personally looking forward to.

What is your musical background and how many other games have you worked on prior to Ori and the Will of the Wisps?

You know, I’ve not actually thought about how many I’ve worked on until this question, all I know is if you include expansion packs, it’s easily double figures at this point. Six albums for Minecraft, ARK Survival Evolved and it’s 4 (soon to be 5) expansions, Ori and the Blind Forest, The Unspoken. I consider myself very fortunate to be in a position where counting isn’t a thing anymore!

I didn’t pursue music as a career while in school, it was an activity I enjoyed, but I was never a hardcore practicer and didn’t actually write anything until I was 16. My music teacher suggested I apply to music school – I ended up choosing the Royal Academy of Music – and I got accepted. Figured that if I got accepted maybe there was something worth pursuing, and from then on I took it seriously.

I always knew I wanted to work in the industry. Even if I hadn’t been a composer, I feel like I probably would have found a way into the game industry some other way. Gaming is the medium I feel I understand the best because I’ve been gaming for as long as I can remember!

What were your main inspirations whilst working on the Ori and the Will of the Wisps?

With Moon Studios, I’m almost always informed and inspired by what is happening within the game’s own development. It all starts with the gameplay, how Ori moves, what’s the moveset, how does the combat feel and sound, how dense is the pacing. Getting a feel for this informs basic things like tempo and how I might want to structure the music due to the game’s layout. Then the visuals come in, and that informs palette and instrumentation choices. In conjunction with all of this, I’m thinking about the various character themes, the inspiration for which comes from their stories and motivations within the game.

For the Oriverse, in terms of musical inspirations I generally don’t look to other soundtracks. I try to think outside the box and look for things that I haven’t heard before. We’re very fortunate in 2020 to be able to have amazing and free research resources (Spotify, YouTube) and I often just keep clicking the ‘related videos / songs / albums’ and see how deep the rabbit hole goes. This is extremely useful when you consider how many diverse environments (and therefore palettes) there are for Ori.

Was there a conscious effort to keep the soundtrack similar or different from Ori and the Blind Forest?

Yes, but I think this is the nature of sequels isn’t it? You have to reference the original material in some way. Where we were able to expand on the musical identity was having all the additional areas and the new characters. It was particularly gratifying to be able to give Ku, Kwolok, Mora and Shriek identifiable themes that could be re-used across the game’s story. But in the end, it is a sequel, and so these new themes had to work in conjunction with the old themes, and also had to retain the DNA of the overall vibe and sound of the original. A couple of examples of this are in the track ‘Ash and Bone’. Here we combine Ori’s theme on piano, Ku’s theme on high strings, Shriek’s theme on low strings, and there are also echoes of the track ‘The Sacrifice’ from the first game, a kind of foreshadowing of what’s to come shortly after this music finishes playing. The other example is obviously the ending, where we bring everything together to round things off.

What were the biggest challenges you faced?

The sheer volume of music and having to deal with multiple schedule changes. Also we had two separate recording sessions which was a logistical challenge. However, the biggest is just dealing with the nature of how Ori is made and being able to respond to it in an agile way. Metroidvanias have so many moving parts that if you change one thing, it can affect every other department, changes don’t really happen in a vacuum. So as well as managing all the moving parts of music production, which are not just the composition, but orchestration, music preparation, recording, mixing, etc… one also has to be as responsive and as aware as possible to the constantly changing needs of the game.

Do you have a favourite piece of music from Ori and the Will of the Wisps?

“Ori, Embracing the Light” simply because of getting the opportunity to tie everything together in a neat way. Generally speaking I’m proud of the entire endgame, starting at the Spirit Willow cutscene, through the final boss fight with Shriek, and then the 7 minute epilogue. I’m quite proud that all of that is completely seamless, given that it’s about 15 minutes of continuous music made up of multiple cues.

Any other projects you can tell us about?

Nothing I can talk about other than that it’s a major existing IP!

Any games you’re keen to see launch this year?

Well, with the current world health situation release dates are a bit up in the air. Having lived in Japan for 3 years and taking a keen interest in the country’s history, I’m excited for Ghost of Tsushima. I’m also extremely intrigued to see what CD Projekt Red have in store for us with Cyberpunk 2077.

The post “Gaming is the medium I feel I understand the best”: Interview with Gareth Coker, Composer for Ori and the Will of the Wisps appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Ever since Star Trek debuted on our TV screens over 50 years ago, the science fiction drama has spawned countless television shows and films, as well as video games, audio dramas, and more. One of the franchise’s most popular characters is undoubtedly Seven of Nine, the former Borg drone who made her first appearance in Star Trek: Voyager. With the brand new Star Trek series Picard starting recently on Amazon, we got the chance to catch up with Jerri Ryan, the actor responsible for bringing Seven of Nine back to our TV screens as part of the show. Not only that, but Jeri Ryan has been working on Star Trek: Legacy, a brand new update coming to Star Trek Online to celebrate 10 years since the game launched.  We asked her about reprising her role once for Picard and Star Trek: Legacy, how she was approached to star in Star Trek: Nemesis, what it was like wearing the Borg costume, and much more.

Is it nice to be back?

Yes, it is nice. I loved how the character has developed, and it’s going to be fun.

Is it a surprise to be playing Seven again, not just on TV, but in Star Trek Online?

It is. I thought that, 20 years ago – 17 years ago – that that would be it. I said goodbye to her, I thought we’d told her story and we were done with that. But I love what they’ve created for her, who’s she’s become, and how resilient she is to everything that she’s been through, which I can’t tell you about [laughs]. Yeah, she’s really cool.

Last year, you contributed some extra bonuses, and voice overs for the game, like exploration narration. Are we going to see you popping up in the months to come?

I don’t know, I haven’t finished recording everything yet.

Obviously, without giving anything away, you said the character has changed. In what ways has she changed?

Seven’s very different. She’s been through a lot of bad, dark stuff in the last twenty years. She’s a lot more hardened, more cynical, I think. She’s been working independently with a law-keeping group because the galaxy’s a mess and she’s trying to find some order.

Last time we met her, she had been a member of Starfleet, so she hasn’t returned to Starfleet. Her relationship with Chakotay. What do you think happened there?

Well, technically she wasn’t. Technically she wasn’t in Starfleet the last time we saw her. I can’t tell you about it. You’ll have to wait and see. I’m not allowed to give a lot away. We’re holding our cards very closely.

How about the rest of the Voyager crew? We’ve seen cameos of Admiral Janeway on screen over the years. Will we see anymore without giving anything away?

I don’t know, you’ll have to wait and see.

Speaking cosmetically, you get to wear some proper boots this time. is there anything you miss about the catsuit?

That catsuit was an amazing costume – striking, visually – it was an amazing feat of engineering. It was very of its time. It was the 90s, and an entirely different time. This is more appropriate, and totally what this character should be wearing given what she’s doing with her life, where she’s been, what she’s been through, and who she is right now.

Was it tough getting the full Borg make up done?

Yes, I’m not going to lie, it was rough. And I never knew they would write a Borg flashback episode, so it was like, “oh, God. Not again!”

So who would win in a fight between Seven of nine and Chakotay?

I’d kick his ass. She was a Borg a lot longer than he was.

I’m sure the fans will be happy with that response. Speaking of the fans, have you noticed a difference between the UK audience and US audience and your fanbase across the channel?

Not really. They’re both incredibly passionate. Both incredibly loyal. They’re both incredibly enthusiastic, and God bless them. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the fans. That’s why this franchise has survived for over 50 years. That’s why, 20 years on, they’re revisiting these characters.

I know there were rumours about you joining the cast of the Next Generation at one point for the Nemesis movie. Was there anything behind those?

I think it was Nemesis – whatever they were shooting right when I finished Voyager, and they wanted to put me in the movie because she was a popular character. Someone called me and approaching me, but it was like, ‘why? There’s no reason from a story point for the character to be in it.’ Originally, they wanted her on the Bridge – in the crew – but it just didn’t make sense for the character, the story, or for anything. Bringing her back now makes sense for the show. Seven and Picard have a shared Borg history. It’s pretty interesting.

I think the game itself is great because it’s plugged a lot of gaps story wise, so people that don’t necessarily know, we get to see the Voyager crew – we get to see Seven of Nine quite a bit in the game – after what happened at the end of season seven. Have you had a chance to play the game yourself, or play through those moments and experience them? Are you much of a gamer yourself?

No, no. Not really. I’m too OCD. If I played a game, I’d get obsessed with it and do nothing else. I have to keep away from that.

As a creative individual, what has been the most fun to do in Star Trek? Whether that’s the TV shows, old or new, or working on the game?

Honestly, Picard has been super fun. Revisiting this character and the way she is now. Getting to reconnect with old friends. I mean, Jonathan Frakes is a dear friend, and he directed an episode. It’s been terrific. I’m getting to know her again, and I’m actually enjoying playing her more this time around. It’s been a better experience in general.

I was going to ask about Jonathan Frakes. You must have met him through the show. How is it working with a friend who has been in the same thing as you, but from a different perspective?

It’s fantastic. I’ve met him over the years because once you’re in the Star Trek family you sort of encounter each other. Then he directed me in a show called Leverage, so I knew how lovely he is to work with and what a great director he is. When he told me he was doing Picard I was thrilled because I was terrified to come back. I knew that I was going to be in good hands because he has the same connection to these characters and this world, so I knew he would be the best man for the job.

You must have some on-set banter stories – some anecdotes from filming?

You know, a few. It was fun the first time I had a scene with the consoles on the ship. On Voyager, I did four years on sets that were beautiful, but you know, it was 20 years ago so the technology was 20 years old. They looked pretty and they lit up, but that was all they did – they didn’t really do anything when you touched them. We were rehearsing, and I walked up to the console and started pressing buttons, and the things were actually doing stuff. I completely broke character, got excited and started screaming. It just caught me off guard – I wasn’t expecting it.

That’s the thing, though. In Star Trek, the technology used 20 to 30 years ago is what we use now.

Exactly, we had things called Padds, and that’s what we have now – the iPads we all carry around. The phones that we use are more compact and are sleeker than the communicators we use. It’s pretty amazing, the technology. Computers on the desk are bulkier than the laptops we carry around now. It’s pretty cool, the technology that’s developed from Star Trek.

Can you give us a hint of what to look forward to, whether in the show or in the game?

She’s a bad ass. She’s a bad ass, and I think everyone’s going to enjoy it.

The post “She’s a badass”: Interview with Jeri Ryan, Star Trek’s Seven of Nine appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Since its release five whole years ago, The Sims 4 has remained incredibly popular for both PC and console gamers alike. Earlier this year, we saw the release of the latest expansion, Island Living, which features a tropical island getaway complete with beach barbecues, umbrella drinks, and the usual Sims social shenanigans.

We got to chat a little bit to Jill Johnson, Associate Producer at Maxim, about why The Sims is still such an enduringly popular brand, what it’s like to work on it, and the challenges faced by her and her team. Island Living introduces a host of new features, interactions, furniture, gadgets and – interestingly – animals, to the Sims 4, some of which Johnson is incredibly proud of.

“The Dolphins will forever have a special place in my heart,” she explains. “Just having them as a feature in the game added a few extra warm fuzzies to most of our days at work. The idea of having dolphins in the game came about really early, almost as soon as we settled on a tropical theme. It just felt like such a natural part of the ‘island life’ fantasy that we wanted to live out. I don’t think any of us quite expected being able to play, talk and pet the dolphins in those early days of development. Just being able to see one in the world was exciting.”

Being able to achieve something of a career dream sounds incredible, but according to Johnson it was hard to believe the dream was coming true. “As we were having our tech checks and design reviews, in the back of my mind I was secretly thinking ‘Is this really happening? Did someone just say we’re making an animation for the dolphin to spit in your face?’ So dreamy. When all was said and done, that whole package of what the different disciplines did for the dolphin still just blows me away. The model is adorable, the animations are endearing, and the voice is possibly my favourite audio of my entire career in The Sims.”

Of course, working on something as intricate and popular as The Sims can’t be all sunshine and rainbows, and at times it produced its own challenges. “Working on Island Living was like the butterfly effect of game development,” Johnson admits. “The features were all so closely intertwined and reliant on each other, it was nuts! It seemed like every work-in-progress feature had an impact on every other work-in-progress feature and the slightest change in anything would have a cascading ripple effect.”

Indeed, the amount of extra calculations to consider sounds staggering. “In order to approximate the sizes of our neighborhoods, we first needed to sort out what was a comfortable wading distance and how deep or shallow an incline our animations could support for humans of all ages.” But not just humans, right? I mean, this is The Sims after all. “And mermaids,” Johnson clarifies. “Dogs too if you have The Sims 4 Cats and Dogs Expansion Pack. And small dogs. We needed to define how big our boats were going to be early on to make sure they had enough room to turn.”

If anything, it forced the team to come at the development of Island Living from a different angle. Says Johnson: “It’s almost like we needed to work backwards to make sure all the pieces were working together. In addition to that, we had to sort out how to support water lots, a brand new lot type and how they interplayed with Sims; new stilt foundations, boats, docking points – and don’t forget to make sure there’s a spot for the toddlers to splash! On top of that, we had the Island Event and Conservation layers to balance. I’m in absolute awe at how impressively our team collaborated to pull all these pieces together. This was definitely one for the books!”

It’s also worth considering that this was a very different concept to previous expansions in many ways. The team had to think about things they’d really never dealt with before. “Island Living has more outdoor gameplay than I’ve ever seen compared to other expansion packs within the The Sims 4,” says Johnson. “Swimming in the ocean, in itself, complete with boating and dolphins is a huge addition of activities you can do outside of your home. In addition to that, we added sunbathing and beachcombing, Island Events, Conservation, the island Waterfall, and cool new ways to fish that all wrap up in a luscious backdrop to enjoy. Who would ever want to go inside?”

Unsurprisingly, Johnson’s team took a good deal of inspiration from the fans. Community feedback is becoming more and more important during game development, with social media giving the fans a much larger podium than ever before. “Probably the main area that was reinforced by Community sentiment was the ability to take up residence on the Island,” she confirms. “There were some natural inclinations toward making this a destination world, but we’d heard enough feedback from our players that they wanted to live on a tropical island to confidently sway our decision to a residential world type. We also heard plenty of comments around players wanting Mermaids, and to that we said ‘Yes please, you got it!’”

“The Marine Biologist branch of the Conservationist Career was also inspired by community feedback,” Johnson explains. “Last but not least, our Off The Grid Lot Trait was motivated by the community challenges our players were doing similar to the Rags to Riches Challenge, as an example. One goal for this lot trait was to give that type of challenging gameplay an easier starting point than having to enter a bunch of cheats or use a spreadsheet.”

Johnson also tells us how one of EA’s in-house employee initiatives helped shape Island Living during development. “There was a mystical alignment of the stars while we were working on Island Living. Coincidentally, unrelated to the Sims, EA spun up a new Employee Resource Group called Aspire, right as we were solidifying our feature list. Aspire is a group of EA employees representing Asian and Pacific Islanders,” she clarifies, “that helps in lending advice to game development teams while a project is still in development. We had a review and brainstorm with them to make sure we were accurately portraying Pacific Islander culture and people. Their advice helped us refine our presentation of our Child of the Island Personality Trait quite a bit.”

Some of this advice proved utterly invaluable, even translating to features in the game. “The Masarap Ang Spoon and Fork wall decoration in the buy catalogue is a direct result of feedback from the Aspire group,” says Johnson. “The timing was perfect and I’m so happy they were here to collaborate with us! They had some wonderful notes and insight for our team that definitely drove some shifts and new content we hadn’t thought about before.”

Being a part of the team that created The Sims 4’s biggest and most ambitious expansion to date obviously left Johnson with some fond memories, but there was one element of production she was particularly fond of: “The puns!” she says. “It’s fascinating how many beach and ocean references naturally came up in just in normal conversation. Throughout the course of making this pack, we devolved into a bunch of joking dorks. From day one, it was really hard to avoid having any serious tech conversations that didn’t involve ‘diving in’ or ‘being in the same boat’. Some people were a little crabby about all the dorky puns at first, but eventually they too started to dip their toes in. Not that I’m fishing for compliments or anything, but eventually a handful of our team also took the plunge and we started punning it up on porpoise. The brilliance was washing over us. Eventually we just couldn’t kelp it.”

I thought we were bad here, but Jill Johnson really put us in our plaice.

Sorry. I’ll let myself trout.

If you’re a fan of The Sims 4, be sure to check out the Island Living expansion, available now on PC, Xbox One X and PlayStation 4.

The post “The dolphins will forever have a place in my heart”: Interview with Jill Johnson, Associate Producer on The Sims 4: Island Living appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Jesper Kyd has done some fantastic video game scores over the last decade. With Borderlands 3 finally here, we spoke to Jesper Kyd about his favourite soundtracks, a vinyl release for the score to Borderlands 3, and more. If you haven’t read our review for Borderlands 3, check it out here. I discovered Jesper Kyd through Assassin’s Creed’s music but my favourite score of his in recent years is Battlechasers Nightwar for sure.

It is always interesting to know how composers approach working on a game soundtrack. What’s more interesting is how the approach changes when the game is a sequel to a very popular franchise where things need to be fresh but still resonate with fans. “The setting I scored for Borderlands 3 is Eden-6, a planet brimming with marsh fields, swamps, basins and wetlands. That’s a very different environment to the desert planet of Pandora or the sci-fi locations of Handsome Jack’s moon in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. So I was asked to come up with the sound for a new location in the Borderlands universe while still maintaining the sound we have created for Borderlands through the previous scores. The planet is inhabited by a lot of alien animal creatures in organic, natural environments as well as a big southern Victorian mansion, and a prison called the Anvil, where you enter to start some trouble. So the variety of music we have for Eden-6 is by far the most varied music score I have written for the Borderlands series. The world of Eden-6 is so rich and colorful, full of water and plant life mixed with abandoned giant spaceships that crash landed on this planet, so I wanted to add a lot of melody to this world to bring out the color of this planet. Also, Borderlands 3 is so entertaining all the time that adding a melodically rich and entertaining score is something we agreed would be cool.”

One question I have when it comes to any soundtrack for a game is whether a vinyl release is possible in the future. I asked Jesper about a possible vinyl release and what it would include. “A vinyl is currently in the making but I can’t reveal anything else at this point, other than to say it features some of my favorite picks from the soundtrack!” It is disappointing that the complete score can’t see a vinyl release but a selection soundtrack is better than nothing.

Jesper also discussed some of his favourite music from what he has worked on so far in gaming. Despite having not played a lot of the games he worked on, I’ve enjoyed the soundtracks. “I’ve had a lot of fun crafting unique scores for many games so I wouldn’t say there’s a favorite. Borderlands 3 was a ton of fun and I was given so much freedom to explore a new direction for the series which is something I am always looking for and really appreciate. Darksiders 2 was also special, I felt like I was able to go deep on that one and the discoveries I made on that score I have carried with me and continue to expand. Of course the 4 Assassin’s Creed games were also really special to work on, especially Assassin’s Creed 2 and the reception the game and soundtrack received was just phenomenal. At the beginning of my career I would mention the 4 Hitman games and Freedom Fighters which is where I really started to figure out how to push things forward with each of my projects. Lately the State of Decay scores and especially the Warhammer: Vermintide series have been really great to work on too.”

Some franchises see music style vary quite heavily with newer entries. I asked Jesper what he thought of games completely changing genres in new entries. “I think each franchise requires its own approach and don’t think one general rule will apply to all. If a franchise has what’s considered an original unique sound and there’s a lot of love for that particular music then you should be careful and very aware about how you change it. The fans will really appreciate if you are sensitive to the love and support the soundtrack for your franchise has accumulated. On the other hand, if the original composer has only one music style he/she can do and you are changing the musical direction then it makes sense to hire a new composer. Also, if a game changes so much that it’s a totally different game experience then I think it’s a good time to try something new.”

When it comes to what his favourite video game soundtrack was in recent years, Jesper spoke about how he looks outside the medium. “I must admit I don’t have any recent favorites as I prefer listening to music outside of the medium and usually find inspiration for my music beyond the games industry. I tend to immerse myself in the style of the project I’m currently working on. The foundation of my music style is experimentation and so I try to harness this energy in different directions depending on where the project takes me. Everything else, melody, symphonic writing, electronic music composition, creating new sounds, playing and recording acoustic and modular synth performances etc, all that comes second. First I need a good idea for a track and then I can figure out everything else and be on my way.”

The post “I wanted to add a lot of melody to this world”: Interview with Jesper Kyd, Composer for Borderlands 3 (and much more) appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is now available to play, and with it comes the second game from developer Playtonic. You can read our review to see exactly why we loved it so much, and to coincide with its release, we sat down to talk with Harry Robinson, Design Director at Playtonic Games. With ten years of working at Rare, Harry has used his talents to help make Yooka-Laylee a special and exciting new franchise, and with the release of Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, it was interesting to find out more about the development and ideas that make it so much fun.

With a small studio of about 20 individuals, moving on from the first game was a challenge, so it was interesting to know when development started on the second installment of the series. “It was kind of staggered. When the original Yooka finished we had a group of designers go off and think about what the new one would be, and gradually that idea developed. We had others still working on the original Yooka – such as the patch – and as you can imagine, having a team of 20 people or so, they gradually moved over and over and over as it tailed off on the original Yooka. It was a gradual process that started as work finished on the original Yooka.”

Yooka-Laylee was a game designed with a colourful 3D world, so changing the style for a sequel seemed like a bold move. The 2D platforming works exceptionally well, with levels seeing plenty of design choices and ideas thrown into the mix. “We knew that after the original Yooka we didn’t want to go straight into another 3D platformer, because at Playtonic we want to be seen as a company that keeps its fans on their toes and you never know what we’re going to release next. We knew that we weren’t going to roll into a sequel – we wanted to do something different. With a 2D platformer it would be a really great next step. It was something we were confident we could do a good job of. We were excited about the prospect of doing it, so it just felt the right next type of game to do for the studio.”

One of the coolest features in Yooka_Laylee and the Impossible Lair is the secondary levels that open up when you do something in the overworld, but the idea to feature them came about after the initial planning began. “That’s one of the things that came in gradually. Originally we knew that we wanted the overworld and the 2D levels. We knew that we wanted those two experiences to compliment one and other, and we also knew that we wanted to do the Impossible Lair. The way the second versions of the levels came about is that we had the overworld up and running and the levels, and we had some puzzles in the overworld. We thought “wouldn’t it be cool if the puzzle that you did in the overworld changed some aspect of the level nearby.”

So if you’re doing a puzzle and could divert a river nearby that turned the level into a swimming level – it just organically grew from there. It wasn’t originally planned, but it gradually merged from developing the overworld along with the 2D levels. We wanted them to feel like a singular cohesive experience as opposed to these two disparate experiences. I think that’s what works really well, that you potter around the overworld and you’ll do something and it’ll feed back into the 2D levels.”

The humour is incredibly well-written and layered, featuring jokes that adults and children will find funny on various levels, and that was the plan of the writing team on the game. “That is kind of the aim. When you look at the best kind of animated films – like Pixar film or something like that – you can see that the writing is very clever. They’ll write a storyline that anyone can enjoy and understand, but they often have nods in for the parents. We do write it with that in mind, that there’re a couple of jokes in here and there that you’ll maybe get as an adult and you’ll miss as a kid. It’s tricky. It’s a fine line to get it right. One of the barometers is that if we think it’s funny – and we haven’t gone over a line – then other people will think it’s funny as well.”

Having the final boss battle of a game at the start isn’t typical of most platformers, but it was something Playtonic definitely wanted to feature, and there was a clear reasoning behind this. “We thought it’d be cool to flip up the structure of a 2D platformer. Particularly with speed running in mind, and it being a popular thing these days, we thought it’d be a fascinating thing to see. How many people are going to jump in and finish the game immediately and ignore the rest of it. We think from a speed running perspective that will happen. I don’t know how anyone will manage that. I certainly can’t manage that and I’ve been working on this game for a while, but someone will manage it. There’s one person in the office that has done it, so we know it is possible. We’re really excited to see when that will happen, and we’ve got bets on to see when it will happen. Will it be day one, or is it week one?”

Playtonic has crafted something special in their second game to feature Yooka and Laylee. It has a lot of heart, and plenty of great levels that are both challenging and fun to play. However, they’re still a small studio, but with a stronger foundation this time around, they were able to focus solely on the development this time around. “The big difference with this game and the original is that we were still building the company. It was a challenging game to make whilst still building the company at the same time and having all the Kickstarter promises you want to deliver on. With this game, we knew what we wanted to make going in. We had our studio and we had everyone hired – we were in a really strong place. We could focus on making the best game we could, and make sure it was polished, such as making the gameplay really refined. We put a lot of work into making sure it was really responsive and fluid, and it’s something that takes time.”

Perhaps the best feature in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is the Tonics. They’re a collectable that can be equipped to help make levels easier or more of a challenge, as well as adding silly visual effects that add variety and fun to the overall experience. Much of the studio had an input in choosing which ones were included. “We knew we wanted a lot of them because one of the key reasons to explore the overworld is to collect the Tonics. The overworld would’ve been a fairly empty place if there were no Tonics to find. We wanted those to be the reward for players who explore this vast world. We did a company-wide brainstorming session where we came up with ideas, then me and a couple of other guys whittled them down so we had a wide variety of Tonics to change the visuals and the gameplay.

We have to invest a lot of time into making them, so we had to think which ones would be a lot of fun. In terms of coming up with ideas we had loads. Some of them were ridiculous, but we love that. That’s how we work at this company. If someone comes up with something ridiculous, it might spark you to come up with an idea that’s not ridiculous. I love that free-from idea generation process where any idea is valid. Initially everyone is in that open mindset of, “what about this?” and “what about that?” You end up with ideas that one person would never have come up with if they were just sat in a room on there own. You get this broad canvas of creativity from all different walks of life, and have all different life experiences. We thought they’d be a great way of giving the game flexibility that suits them. If you’re struggling and pick up a tonic that helps then brilliant. Conversely, if you find the game too easy and you want a bit more of a challenge, then we’ve got you covered.”

The post “We didn’t want to go straight into another 3D platformer”: Interview with Harry Robinson, Design Director at Playtonic appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

I can count on my fingers the number of times I have played a true competitive 90 minute 11v11 game of football in my life. But ask me to put an estimate on the amount of hours I’ve played football generally and I’d struggle to hazard a guess at how many thousands of hours it has been. From back yard kickabouts to indoor FIFA Volta style five-a -ide and car park 2v2s, my time as a kid was almost exclusively spent playing football, even if it was never in the professional style matches.

When you think of how many people experience football like this then the choice to add in street football, or Volta as EA are calling it, to FIFA 20 isn’t as strange as it first seems. For many people this is what football is to them, and now they can experience it in the digital world, bringing some of the best players in the world onto their local playing fields.

“FIFA is about football, and there’s this whole side of football that we’ve not represented”, says Matt Prior, creative director on FIFA 20. “It’s the side that all of us kind of grew up with as our first foray into football, you know: kicking it about with your mates in the park, or in the back garden. This whole side of football that people can really relate to that we haven’t had in the game, for obvious reasons. So I think it resonates, I think it rounds out the game in the sense that we’re now offering kind of a whole world of football and a lot of different experiences as a result.”

FIFA Volta: Street fighting man

Now look, playing on a specially designed rooftop 3v3 pitch in Shanghai with a DJ playing just metres behind the goal isn’t something many of us will get to do in real life, but playing in a green-fenced cage in London or on a larger 5v5 style indoor sports hall pitch is something many of us do on the regular. These three locations, which are just a taste of the multiple options coming with FIFA Volta, were perhaps selected to match the experiences those playing at the event have had, but there is no question that there was a very familiar feel to it, especially the squeaks of indoor shoes quickly changing direction on a polished wood floor, and that makes it, at least at the start, incredibly satisfying to experience.

But go back a few years, in fact all the way back to 2012, and FIFA Street managed to pull off almost the same thing. Back then it was an entirely separate game to the main FIFA offering, but now it almost seems like they have just taken the basics from that game, and put it into FIFA 20. Anyone who put time into the 2012’s FIFA Street will notice more than a few similarities here, especially when it comes to the locations you can play in, but when you are actually playing on the pitch things feel very different.

Whereas FIFA Street was always about pulling off ridiculous skill moves and chaining them together with ease, Volta makes things a little more realistic while still allowing for moments of flair. Unless you are playing with a player who has a strong skill move rating then you are going to struggle to successfully dance through an entire team of defenders. A quick press of the right analog stick will allow you to flick the ball up and hopefully knock it over someone’s head. Pulling off crazy skills certainly feels possible, but it’s not easy to do, especially with low rated players, which can make things a little frustrating when you play with your story mode team that all start off with low kill ratings.

“If we look at Street back in the day that was very much of a different, I don’t like the word but, arcade-y kind of experience, and you could be proficient at Street but then you would transition to FIFA and it was almost two different experiences”, says Prior. “So by virtue of bringing it into the world of FIFA, it offers the opportunity to teach me about how to play the game. And then that learning can carry over to 11v11. Because at its core, it’s based around the 11v11 game engine, there’s certain elements to kind of showcase flair a little bit more, but it’s the same gameplay engine. So this is a good way to kind of transition people, if they want, into the world of 11v11.”

Skills to pay the bills

Clearly the more skill based style of play is something EA are trying to bring out in FIFA Volta, but as it stands in the build we played (which could change before launch) it often feels like the least efficient way to play. When playing in the Rush modes, which feature smaller goals and no keepers, the AI opponents sometimes feel a little off, letting one of your players run from one end of the pitch to the other completely untracked and into an acre of space. One simple pass, which feels incredibly easy to pull off when playing on a pitch with walls, will usually put them through to an open goal. So providing you can keep possession long enough for a player to find space, scoring can at times feel a little too easy.

This in turn makes the task of beating your opponent in a 1v1 almost pointless some of the time. You simply have to keep possession, which with the new Strafe Dribbling that slows you down but gives greater control over the ball with more touches, can be pretty easy. The system, specifically in the 11v11 game, is designed to allow you to draw in a defender by slowing down and presenting the ball to them, and then knocking it past them or playing a pass as they move in for the tackle. But in FIFA Volta it’s perhaps best used to slow down the pace until you can play that killer pass into space.

Jumpers for goalposts

Fortunately this feels like much less of an issue when playing a game mode that does feature a goalkeeper. When you have to beat that final person instead of just tapping it into an open net, a defender failing to track a run feels less game changing, as there is still a line of defence. The 5v5 mode with keepers was where FIFA Volta really excelled. It still felt like football, just on a smaller scale, closer to the stuff I played as a kid. Tapping the ball into an empty net is never as satisfying as beating a keeper, so not being able to have keepers on some pitches with smaller nets is a little disappointing.

“It is one thing we played around with, but it makes it a little bit more difficult because there’s obviously a whole bunch of added intelligence we need to add to the goalkeepers”, says Prior regarding the possibility of adding keepers to the smaller goals. “So we’ve got them in the kind of futsal nets, but for the smaller nets there’s another level of intelligence. So we did have that on the want list when we set out, but it was one of the formats we couldn’t get to. Now, who knows what the future holds, because it was a lot of fun. It was a little bit buggy because of the intelligence of the keeper but it was quite a lot of fun. So it’s something we could potentially look to in the future.”

FIFA Volta: Will it have staying power?

The key for FIFA Volta is going to be how much staying power it has. Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of different arenas to play in, multiple different formats, a story mode that will allow you to build a team from low level players to world beaters and a ton of cosmetics to unlock. But my overwhelming feeling was that this will be something you play for a bit in the first few weeks of FIFA 20, and maybe even run through the single player story mode once, but then it will become an afterthought. Some will, of course, get hooked and grind away at the online matches, but for most I imagine the staying power will not be there, and Volta will instead be used as a party game or as stress relief if things aren’t going your way in FUT.

Playing FIFA Volta is great fun, providing you get a competitive match where the AI don’t just gift you free goals through leaving wide open space, and the different styles of play and locations do keep things pretty fresh for a while. But it does feel like, for most players, it’ll be something they won’t keep returning to. It’s a nice addition, and something that is sure to bring in new fans who maybe don’t follow the pro game but still love to play football, but for the hardcore FIFA fans who are most likely to be reading this, it probably won’t be a game changing addition.

Preview based on impressions from an EA hosted event. Published paid transport and accommodation.

The post FIFA Volta is great fun, but the test will be in its staying power | Preview & Interview appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Over the last few years, I’ve played VA-11 HALL-A multiple times across different platforms and it has safely secured a spot in my top 10 games of all time. With the PS4 and Nintendo Switch port, I thought it would be a great time to talk to Christopher Ortiz (@kiririn51) who is the Director of Sukeban Games about the present and future of not just VA-11 HALL-A but in general game development, collaborations, ports to other platforms, and more.

VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Ever since the Switch launched in 2017, many indie developers and publishers have spoken highly of the audience and how indies usually do very well on the platform. I wanted to know how it felt for Sukeban Games to have their game out on the Switch which seems to have the most vocal audience for indie games. “I feel pretty much like every other indie that grew up with Nintendo and is particularly happy that we are finally releasing a game on a platform of theirs, it really is an excellent feeling.”

With many late ports, new features are usually added. Both the PS4 and Switch versions just released a few days ago and Christopher commented on what he wanted from the ports including the Joy-Con support. “We made a point to make it as faithful as possible to the original PC version so there’s no new features, except for the Nintendo Switch version that has some motion controls for the drink mixing. It’s quite sensitive, so it adds a really cool challenge on trying to make mixed or blended drinks, you really gotta get the hang of it.”

VA-11 HALL-A has been getting a ton of promotion in Japan in tweeted:

through artwork and posters. I adore the new artwork for this release and wanted to know if he ever thought it would be promoted so heavily there and how it feels. “I don’t think we ever expect anything from what we do, so when things like this happen it’s always a huge surprise for us. It’s certainly a great feeling to see our game plastered at stores all over Japan right beside huge domestic titles. Very humbling even if it’s something companies over there are used to… We are the first Venezuelan game developers to do many of the things we’ve achieved, so there’s also some pride involved.”

VA-11 HALL-A’s characters are fantastic. I had to ask about how he came up with Streaming-chan. “Streaming-chan was a curious case as it was the suggestion of an anonymous forum user who responded to a message of mine asking for character ideas and then we ran wiid with it. Out of all the suggestions made there, Streaming-chan was the only one to make it. As for what went into her, I imagined a very energetic woman that took way too many pills to stay awake, and the design was born from trying to portray that. This was kinda how every character was made, we thought of certain traits and tried to convey how we felt about them in visual form, and also to give depth to easy-to-understand archetypes, give humanity to what would be otherwise rather boring set of common anime traits. It’s a fun creative exercise.”

Christopher also commented on how real life influences characters and writing. “So, I mentioned that we make characters out of easily understandable archetypes and then proceed to give them a human touch, and I guess the natural result is that many people will end up relating to them in many aspects. When it comes to writing, we take a lot from our own lives and from people we’ve met along the way, many stories are inspired by things that happened to us, and I feel it’s inevitable to establish a connection with the player. After all, we are opening ourselves to them, as if we were truly drinking together at the VA-11 HALL-A bar.”

Given how much I adore not only the visuals but also the writing, I wanted to know who their influences are. “Suda51, Shinichiro Watanabe, Mamoru Oshii and Wong Kar-Wai from the top of my head. Mostly because I like the mix of cultures featured in their works, and it was this mix that shaped my creative engine both early and late in my life. I saw Chungking Express for the first time while working on VA-11 HALL-A, so there was a lot I took from that movie when it comes to the atmosphere. ”

He also went on to detail how the game combines different cultures. “On the subject of the culture mix I mentioned: VA-11 HALL-A has a strong Japanese influence, but the story has a Venezuelan voice, the music was made by Michael Kelly in the US, and so on. I don’t think we could be able to make a game that’s explicitly in the real world because of this. Our studio is all about melting pots when it comes to videogames, we want places where you can take the best and the worst from all over the world and present this to a global audience. Quick example: Glitch City is nowhere near Asia, but Jill lives in a Japanese-styled apartment. Why? Because I relate these small places with being comfortable, with feeling cozy with what you have, so we gave her a Japanese-style room. That’s how we work, we take whatever conveys the feel we want regardless of the place where the story is being told.”

Since the Japanese release of VA-11 HALL-A is getting an artbook in its first print edition, I wanted to know if there were plans for a full fledged standalone release. “Probably just the first print stuff for now, unless there’s a big interest for that with both fans or an editorial company. Hey! you! the reader! would you like an artbook? Let us know on Twitter or something.” There will be a North American release through Limited Run Games for a physical copy on PS4 and Nintendo Switch with details to be announced later but the Japanese release has full English support if you’re in the mood to import.

The Future

Christopher wants to make a game written by Suda51. He also said there are way too many artists he wants to work with but Suda51 is on the top of the list. Now that VA-11 HALL-A is on the most popular platforms for indie releases with PS4, Switch, and PC, I wanted to know if there were plans for more ports. There have been multiple teases for an iPad version even though news about the port on the official website is still seemingly outdated. I asked about the status of the iPad port and a possible Xbox One port. “I don’t know much about the iPad port. I was told it was going to release at the same time as the console versions, but you would need to ask Ysbryd (our publisher) about that. I honestly don’t know why there’s not an Xbox version, but should the chance arise I wouldn’t say no. As for our involvement, we were pretty much hands-off except for a couple extremely small things, such as icons or packaging illustrations.”

With VA-11 HALL-A’s major ports done and it being a few years old now, I wanted to know if the future would have anything for it or if Sukeban Games is moving to N1RV Ann-A and what he calls “Next Game”. He spoke about collaborations here including the upcoming tweeted:

that is taking place this August. “We absolutely want to do more with VA-11 HALL-A, and we are in talks to produce some really great content related to it, we just can’t give out many details yet. There’s the collaboration with the mobile game Girls Frontline, though! It’s coming this year and we’ve been working hard with the developers to make this the best crossover event ever seen. Lots of love involved in the process since they are fans of the game, and we are avid Girls Frontline players as well, so we
can’t wait to unveil more details about it.”

Moving to N1RV Ann-A, the trailer already has a different feel to whatever we’ve seen of VA-11 HALL-A. The tone is different even though it feels like a proper fit in the same universe. “N1RV Ann-A I think it’s a bit more heavy and serious given the themes we are portraying. The main character Sam is a woman who is still coming to terms with motherhood, so she tries to compensate by being the best mother she can possibly be to her own detriment. She feels like she wasn’t ready, and the shift from a rather wild lifestyle to settling to raise a kid didn’t result in smiles. This is coupled with the fact that she’s in a relationship with a member of a crime syndicate, Leon, who is also the father of her kid, so this naturally devolves in a clashing of lifestyles that puts their relationship in a tight spot. The duality of everyone’s lives is a strong point in this game.”

With N1RV Ann-A set for a 2020 release on PS4, Switch, and PC, a lot of fans have been wondering about the demo that is set to release. Christopher explains why the demo will be PC only for now. “Only PC, since it’s a bit of a hassle to publish just a demo on consoles and then update bug fixes. I think it’s safe to say that we are a PC-centric developer for this very reason, shipping things in this environment is way too exhausting.”

Collaborations, Real Life, Game Development

Oshiete! Galko-chan from Kenya Suzuki is something I got into through the anime before starting to buy the manga. Kenya Suzuki has done the reverse art for the Japanese VA-11 HALL-A release and I wanted to know how that collaboration happened. “It was actually pretty straight forward. He made a small reference to VA-11 HALL-A in one of the Oshiete! Galko-chan chapters and I noticed he followed me back on twitter, so when the chance to release the console versions in Japan arose, we contacted him to ask if he wanted to collaborate with us in some way, and the rest happened on its own. Turns out he’s a big fan of our game and was glad to take on the chance to do the art for the Japanese version. That said, out of a lot of media out there I consider Oshiete! Galko-chan the closest to VA-11 HALL-A when it comes to dialogue and characters, so there’s a crossover audience here that digs this type of “raw” slice of life.”

If you’ve been watching the international news, you probably know what is going in Venezuela. Sukeban Games is located there. I wanted to know how he is dealing with not only life in general but also game development there. “It’s pretty hard, I have to say. There are many hurdles you have to sort in order to make a game of any scale in this country unless you’re filthy rich and can successfully shelter yourself from the outside world. It goes from infrastructure issues like not having constant electricity, running water or even a reliable internet connection, to more outright crippling business conditions such as not being able to get paid using local banks without getting ripped off by the government. Making games here is extremely complex unless you’re rich and we weren’t anywhere close to rich when we made VA-11 HALL-A, just two guys with cheap computers, and we were very fortunate that our work led us to sign with Ysbryd, who has supported us all the way and has had the patience of a saint.”

With two announced (more or less) upcoming games, I asked them what a day in their life looked like right now. “Not as stressful as you might imagine. Venezuela’s troubles aside, what I do is switch between games whenever I get bored of churning out assets or playtesting one of them. Some days I just wanna keep building this detailed town for “Next Game”, and the next day I get a sudden rush of ideas for N1RV Ann-A’s development. It’s really fun to work on both, but I don’t know for how long it will keep being like this.”

Looking outside, it is always interesting to see what developers are playing. “Lately, I’ve been hooked to Sega Ages Phantasy Star, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Deus Machina Demonbane. I’m normally not one to play long games, but with the blackouts in Venezuela I always end up having more time to be bored. ”

I also wanted to know what their favourite drink in and outside the game was. “My favorite drink varies from mood to mood. Sometimes I would just ask for a cassis orange, probably when I’m a bit hot headed, but when I want to relax and just talk to someone else, a White Russian will suffice. It helps that I’m a huge Lebowski fan. My favorite drink in the game are the piano man and woman pairing, because it has a very romantic vibe that’s really suiting me at the moment, where I feel that after all this work on games, I’m finally free to live again.”

I wanted to know what Christopher (and Sukeban) thought about using and working with game engines for upcoming developers. “The more the merrier, I just wish there was more flexibility when it comes to fiddling with their inner workings. Many times they want to make your life easier but the tools included get in the way of making something look pretty most of the time. Not always, but a significant amount for me to mention it. In my opinion, any engine that allows an artist to concretize their vision on their own terms instead of going back and forth with a programmer is a good one.”

Speaking of upcoming developers, game jams are growing in popularity. Christopher commented on the importance of game jams. “They are important for any developer that needs a reminder on how good it feels to finish something. Finishing a game it’s also by far the most useful thing a new developer can experience and the more they create the more capable they will feel to the point of shipping a commercial product. Many indie hits were born from these jam sessions, so it will never stop being important.”

Since VA-11 HALL-A is on two new platforms this week. Christopher has a message for all new players. “If you want a game like you’ve never experienced before, VA-11 HALL-A is a great bet. This is not a story about saving the world from a tyrannical ruler, this is about the lives of people trying to make the best out of a terrible situation, smiling in the face of dread. It’s something to play as comfy as possible, and if you’re in need of an optimistic game to cheer you up then this is the one.”

I would like to thank Sukeban Games, Christopher, and Ysbryd Games for their time with this interview. VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is now available on PS4, Switch, PS Vita, and PC platforms. Read my review of the Switch port here.

The post An Interview with Christopher Ortiz of Sukeban Games about VA-11 HALL-A, N1RV Ann-A, and More appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Mortal Kombat 11 is releasing in less than a week, and I am pant-wettingly excited. Maybe that’s not an image you wanted to picture, and for that I’m sorry, but there are few developers that get me this excited, and after heading to London to see even more of NetherRealm’s latest entry into the Mortal Kombat saga at the UK launch event, I can’t think of how anything else is going to top MK11 this year. Combos flow so sweetly, and each character feels so unique. The cinematics are feverishly delightful, environments are both menacing, beautiful, and advantageous, and the blood flows like Victoria Falls.

I was a huge fan of MK X’s story mode. NetherRealm has shown just how seriously it takes a single player campaign, both with MKX and Injustice, and I was keen to learn a little more about it. I had the pleasure of chatting with Assistant Producer at NetherReam Matt Burke, who gave a bit of insight into it. “This is definitely the biggest story mode we’ve ever done, in terms of the length,” he told me. “It’s quite long, and I’m very excited for everyone to play it. Kronika is a super cool boss character, a big bad female character. We’re all excited around the studio about that.”

“Having the past and present kind of merge together, getting to see past Lui Kang run into his evil ‘revenant-leader-of-the-NetherRealm-self’ while he’s still the chosen one. The paragons of virtue, as they both see themselves as that. We have tons of moments like that.”

If you played X’s story, you’ll know just how epic it was, and knowing this is a sequel to that, taking place after the final events, we’re most certainly in for a treat.

The MK11 beta gave us a limited character roster, but at the event I had the chance to play as Johnny Cage, Sub Zero, Raiden, and newcomer Geras. A loyal and powerful servant of the Keepers of Time and the Architect of the Universe’s Destiny, the time manipulator and all-round powerhouse is a terrifying force. He is a hulking warrior with an intimidating move set, and I had plenty of fun trying him out. “He does some of the weirdest stuff we have ever done,” said Matt. “He has moves where he can add or remove time from the clock. You could have a lead with 20 seconds left on the clock and think, ‘yeah, I’m just gonna skip forward,’ and it is really cool.”

“He can also roll back through time, so if he’s in a combo he can roll himself back six seconds and move across the screen, start doing projectiles whilst the character is still doing the combo, and you’re opponent is thinking, ‘what the hell just happened?’ He breaks so many rules. He is super cool. His powers are both equipable special moves. MK 11 is also about the custom variations. They are both pretty powerful and take up multiple spots. A lot of his moves bend the rules, but you can’t use all of them.”

There’s such a wide variety of moves and styles, yet nobody feels too overpowered, something which NetherRealm has gotten right for a long time now. Without trying out the whole roster, I’m already drawn to Kabal and Sub Zero, but every character has positives which allows them all to be useful in a fight. Choosing a main could be a difficult decision to make, but I’m fine with that. Each fighter is unique, with familiar favourites managing to exude their personalities through their cinematics and move set.

Matt shed some light on one favourite of his: “They all do something really special, and I’m very proud of them. The character that they’ve shown a lot of and that I’m excited about – that showcases something really cool that we’ve done this game – is Johnny. He oozes his personality. All of his moves, his cinematics, his fatal blows, his fatalities – they’re all like, ‘of course Johnny Cage does that!’ He’s the only one who would do that, and I think we’ve tapped into something with that. Everyone needs that personality, like Jade. She would lean back on her post and be like, ‘yeah, whatever.’ But I’d pick him, but that spills out to everyone.”

If you’ve been keeping up with how Mortal Kombat 11 uses customisation, you’ll know just how varied it is. You can change intro cinematics, equip different special moves, change attire, and so much more. It seems like a natural evolution to include a deeper customisation with MK11, and Matt expanded on that. “Some of it was based on feedback from the last game. MKX was the first time we did custom dialogue and intros. People really liked that, and we really nailed it. With MK 11, people really loved this so let’s give them more.”

“We’re all about giving more content – so let’s give them more. They can have this intro that they think is super badass for the character they’ve built with all this gear – the ability loadout they’ll know its theirs. My hope is that you run into someone online, and without seeing their gamertag, you’ll see this Johnny and see how he’s kitted out, and be like: Oh yeah, this guy is known. This pink undershirt Johnny, he’s dangerous.”

Every fighter strolls into a fight with the bravado and arrogance of the Red Viper before his skull gets crushed by the Mountain in Game of Thrones, and these cinematics are just incredible. I wondered how much work goes into getting this right. “That’s a lot of back and forth between design and animation,” Matt explained. “Our mo-cap artist Carlos who’s been with us for a very long time, is trying to make sure every character has their own flavour. Like Kitana is very flowy, with the last game she was assassin-based, and in MK11 it’s like she’s dancing when she’s hitting you. Jade kind of has that with her pole, spinning around and doing all these flips. Jax is going to punch you really, really hard, over and over, like, why wouldn’t he do that? He’s not going to dance around, he’s going to go in like a freight train, and I think it adds even more personality.”

If I was Geras, I’d fast forward to the release date and be sitting here happily playing MK11, but I’m not. I don’t even have his muscles. Still, I can continue riding the hype train and wait patiently like everyone else until the legendary franchise bestows its newest title upon us. There are still some fighters to be announced, and on top of that there’s all the cool DLC we will most likely be getting.

Speaking of downloadable content, Matt let me know one of the fighters he was looking forward to seeing: “I’m super excited for Shang Tsung who we got to announce, and that’s Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa from the MK movie, with his VO and his likeness. We were like: is this going to work? But we saw it and it was incredible, now everyone is so psyched.”

Remember that movie? It was a work of art – an Oscar winner that never actually received an award. But it should have! Anyway, Mortal Kombat 11 is upon us on April 23, we’re all going to see just how far Mortal Kombat has come in the last four years.

The post Mortal Kombat 11 is “the biggest story mode we’ve ever done”: an interview with NetherRealm’s Matt Burke appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Here at GodisaGeek we’ve had the opportunity to have a chat with Round 8 Studios, the developers in charge of upcoming MMORPG title Bless Unleashed. The game is due out later this year on Xbox One, but to tide you over until then, we’ve taken the chance to ask the team some questions that not only shed some more light on the game itself but also what goes into creating a console MMORPG.

Enjoy!

How’s development coming on for Bless Unleashed?

We are working hard and are positive about the game’s development. As with all game development, we have faced some challenges developing an open world MMORPG for a console environment but we’re proud of the progress that has been made.

What’s been your biggest challenge so far?

It would be implementing gameplay handling and action controls for an MMORPG to match the expectations of a console user. Especially in the case of open world battles, it is difficult to predict how many users will participate in these battles at the same time, so it is then difficult in an MMORPG to design well-balanced battles and synchronized users.

As someone who knows nothing about game development, how do you create a persistent world online i.e. how do you keep it alive 24 hours a day?

That’s a great and difficult question. For the technical requirements, MMORPGs have been developed in Korea for more than 20 years, so running a game environment well is a product of many years of experience and accumulated know-how.  The more difficult challenge as a developer is what new experiences can we give users in a 24-hour world? MMORPGs have a relatively long play time compared to other genres, so  the biggest challenge is to continue to deliver new content and new experiences. Bless Unleashed strives to do this by showing various changes with region quests that pop-up by time such as rare treasure boxes in the world, elite monsters, boss battles, and divine quests.

What did you want to do different with Bless Unleashed that hasn’t been done with online MMORPGs?

MMORPGs are traditionally PC-based, and even today’s MMORPGs on console are a PC port, leading to a difference in game performance that console users are used to. Although Bless Unleashed comes from the same IP as the PC game Bless Online, the systems and code was built from scratch for the console user.

What does the combat of Bless Unleashed offer players when in teams taking on the monsters of Telarion?

The most important and difficult decision for Bless Unleashed’s combat design was whether or not to follow traditional RPG roles of Tank, DPS and Healer. When considering the action combat when designing the combat experience for Bless Unleashed, we asked ourselves if a Tank was required in a game where dodging and skilled gameplay can avoid an opponent’s attacks. And because Bless Unleashed does not have targeting like a traditional MMO, the Healer’s role is diminished. There is always a chronic problem of having to wait a long time to get into the dungeon because of the low proportion of users who want to play Tanks and Healers. Our solution is to get rid of these rules. If you can strategically play dungeons, regardless of class, you will be able to clear dungeons.  We chose to emphasize each player’s active role in combat. For example, if one player is caught in an enemy effect, another player can help remove the status effect, regardless of class. If a group plays strategically and is skillful in their placement, any arrangement of classes can clear a dungeon.

How do players upgrade their gear and level?

There are variety of ways in which players can enhance their gear. Gear upgrades can be earned through monster hunting or quests, or from treasure chests in the field. Another way is to hunt elite and named monsters that spawn in the field, which will require teaming up with other players. Players can also complete region quests that will be available at regular intervals, and upgrade their reputation to a certain level to unlock additional gear options.

Some gear items cannot be upgraded, and those  are relatively strong, so players can use them instantly upon acquisition. For gear that can be upgraded, that process will take place slowly over time. To upgrade gear, you will need items like Artifact Pieces (acquired by destroying other equipment), Enhancement Stones, Upgrade Stone or Star Seed.

What has been your biggest inspiration when making Blessed Unleashed?

Our dev team has a large collective experience with MMORPGs. Most have experience at a developer studio for at least one MMORPG, and we are all fans of playing MMOs like World of Warcraft.  We were inspired by large open world console games. Even though we were looking at open world games that weren’t MMORPGs, they contained plenty of elements that MMORPGs would benefit to have. This has helped us to look at MMORPGs from a new perspective.

Is the world brand new, or is it based on existing fiction? If new, how much fun was it creating this world and its lore?

The core world is based on the existing Bless IP, but that’s more art assets. Our team created new stories and quests to explore. We did not want to create linear storylines or one-dimensional characters. If a character is faithful to his/her first impression throughout the story, it won’t be very fun. It is more compelling if a character has an interesting background or something for the player to discover as the story progresses.

Early feedback has been that the story has been too serious, so we are trying to mix a lighter subjects as well. We are also creating a lot of “letters” in which curious users can find in-game to learn about background stories.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Round 8 Studios for the interview.

Bless Unleashed launches on Xbox One in 2019.

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It’s been a while since we saw the Underworld series grace our system of choice, but now, it’s back in the form of Underworld Ascendant, and we got the chance to interview Warren Spector and Paul Neurath of OtherSide Entertainment all about it.

It’s been a long time since the last Underworld game was released. How does it feel to step back into this world?

It feels great to return to the Underworld universe. It’s nice to know that people still care about games we worked on a while back.

What are your favourite technological advancements in video games since the previous entry that have made development easier or more efficient?

The biggest thing we have going for us now that we didn’t have when we made the original Underworld games is Unity. There are now game engines that do everything our proprietary tools used to do, and more. We used to have to build engines from scratch. Now the tools are there for us already.

What game mechanics are you most proud of in Underworld Ascendant?

There isn’t any one mechanic that makes me proudest – it’s the collection of mechanics that, collectively, we call the Improvisation Engine. That allows players to experiment, to play, to find their own solutions to game problems. That’s really exciting.

How have you found bringing the Underworld universe into the present day, introducing it to a whole new audience?

Well, you have to remember – Underworld Ascendant isn’t a direct sequel to the classic Underworld games. I guess you’d call it a “continuation.” Fans of the original will find things they remember, which we think they’ll get a kick out of, but no knowledge of the old Underworlds is necessary to appreciate and enjoy Ascendant.

Are there features from the original games that have been brought into Underworld Ascendant?

Sure, there are some. The most notable to me is the runic magic system. Players will be able to learn a bunch of spells. But even cooler, they’ll be able to create their own.

What challenges have you faced bringing the game out in 2018 as opposed to in the past?

For me the biggest challenge in bringing a game out in 2018 is that player expectations are so high. The quality of games is so much higher now than it used to be. I’m talking mostly graphics now. Luckily the indie team at OtherSide is focused on gameplay, first, last and always. Quality gameplay is timeless.

The post An interview with Warren Spector and Paul Neurath, the team behind Underworld Ascendant appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The Banner Saga is one of the best trilogies in recent years, featuring some of the finest storytelling around. It concluded earlier in the year, and many – including myself – feel rather lost, knowing the series has finally come to an end. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Thomas, co-founder, writer, and designer of Stoic Games about how he felt now the series is over, what he loved most about the series, and whether this was really the end.

After all the hard work you guys put in, how does it feel now the trilogy is complete, and is there a sense of loss now it’s over?

We’ve talked about that a couple times and it always comes up as a certain combination of melancholy and relief. On the one hand, we’ve been kind of living and breathing this world every day for going on 7-ish years now and to actually be done with it is such a sad thing, because I think we’ve made something that feels organic and natural, like it might exist even without us. On the other hand, we set out from the beginning with the plan to make this hugely ambitious thing, and we actually pulled it off to the point that everywhere we’ve looked people seem satisfied with the resolution and feel closure about the whole journey. We really couldn’t have asked for more than that!

Do you all have a specific moment of the game, or design choice that you’re all proud of?

I can’t speak for the whole team, but as the writer and creator of the fiction from the start I know that we set out to tackle some really ambitious claims, that we could make a game where “choices really matter” and a cast of over 35 characters, each with their own voices and narratives. Our goal was for players to feel really invested, and feel like their story was truly their own. On the gameplay side we took a risk with an untested system using strength as health and damage that could have really backfired. We’ve even seen other games come out and be compared to the Banner Saga as if we created a new sub-genre, and that’s something I find pretty amazing. I’m glad nobody told me how hard it would be or I’m not sure we would have persevered, but I couldn’t be happier with how it all came out.

How did the relationship with Austin Wintory come to be, and what was it about his work that you loved enough to choose him for TBS?

We were actually pretty surprised when Austin replied to our emails. In the midst of the Kickstarter campaign we were being solicited by a lot of top-tier composers to our great surprise. One of our friends suggested “Hey, if you’re getting offers, why not go for broke and just ask whoever you’d want to work with.” We were all blown away by Journey at the time and thought why not ask? We never expected to hear back from Austin but not only was he interested, he was completely invested and excited in the project. It was the perfect circumstances for both of us.

Were there any decisions in regards to plot that you were scared to make, such as character deaths?

Deaths were never a concern, in fact that was one of the our tag lines: absolutely nobody is safe. A lot of games have felt like watching a kids’ show, you know the heroes are going to win, you know nobody’s going to die. It’s hard to take the narrative seriously when things don’t really change. We set out in the indie market under the premise that there must be people who wanted to be surprised and moved and really feel like the game was responding to them. In fact, we kind of delighted in the idea that we could take risks and do things the players might not like in service of the story. It’s rare that you get to design a story-forward game, so we just went for it. If there was anything that we were concerned about, it was delivering a game that was actually fun to play on top of all that- stories with a lot of pathos and drama are engaging but rarely described as “fun”. I feel like the games industry juggles a lot more inherent difficulty than a lot of other mediums have to deal with.

In The Banner Saga 3, The Darkness begins to corrupt people and turn them into twisted monstrosities of their former selves. Was it always the plan to do this with The Darkness when you first started?

One of the big things we were certain about with the darkness was that it wasn’t fake destruction that would suddenly recede and fit into a nice box and everything would be fine again. There’s almost a horror element to knowing that whatever this stuff touches is changed permanently, and permanent change was such a big theme for us both in terms of player choice and the things that the characters were dealing with that we wanted the darkness to represent change, not death. We also tried really hard to keep it from feeling like we were just cynically adding viking zombies for the sake of cultural popularity. We knew the darkness would become important, but back when we started working on the game I don’t think we knew exactly what it looked like. I’m really happy with how it turned up though, in some ways the world in the darkness is more beautiful than the familiar, untarnished landscapes.

Who are your favourite characters within TBS?

Personally, my favorite was Mogr. He’s probably the character I imagine closest to my own personality; not the protagonist but the reliable right-hand-man that gets things done, even if that hasn’t always been me in real life. Even still, I made a real effort not to make him a Mary Sue because it’s such a corny thing to do but in a way there’s a little bit of yourself in anyone you write. Writing such a large cast is a strange task, because you have to get their personalities from somewhere and work to make sure they don’t all have the same voice, sometimes it feels like you spend all day pretending to debate with yourself. That said, it was always a lot of fun and a nice reprieve for the darker themes to write the lighter characters like Tryggvi, Sparr and Dytch.

What will you miss most about working on TBS series?

Honestly, just thinking about the world and the world-building is what made it feel like a place that could have existed. I remember writing the history of the gods all the way back before Saga 1 released and being really happy with it, thinking about how some people might learn this fiction and legitimize it. In some ways, reality is what we all collectively believe. It almost felt like bringing something into existence. The good news is that we have plans to keep expanding the world in the Banner Saga through various means, and absolutely intend to continue doing this type of world-building on our next project.

Are you planning on doing more within the world of The Banner Saga, whether in the form of a prequel or side stories, or is your focus on a new IP?

For the immediate future we’ll all pretty excited about new ideas, new potential and we’ve been talking with a bunch of different people about what’s next for Stoic. We’ll definitely share as soon as we have more to talk about in the future!

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Battlefield V seems to have changes to please everyone. For the harcore competitive players random recoil patters have been removed in favor of set recoil for all weapons, like the kind of thing you see in CS:GO. Then for those who like to play with friends squad play is now almost essential, and for those who want a return to great single player shooter campaigns the new War Stories on offer are arguably some of the best single player content in a multiplayer focused FPS in years.

But the one big addition that almost seems to be missing an audience is the massive focus on character customisation and cosmetic items. When playing against other it’s near impossible to tell, or even notice, if an opponent has a cool cosmetic item equipped, meaning the only real time anyone will ever see how you look is if you secure the Best Squad award at the end of the match. Sure it adds an extra level of progression, and could be expanded in the future to make the cosmetics into something that aren’t just different grey coats, but at launch it certainly feels underwhelming.

“I think for Battlefield it absolutely makes sense,” says Andreas Morell, Senior Producer on BFV, when talking about the cosmetics system. “Player expression, player choice. It’s something that some people really like, other people don’t really care about it, and it doesn’t affect the balance of gameplay that we have in the game. But, if you want to express your way, build the company, make it really unique, it’s there for you to do.”

Interestingly none of the cosmetics can be purchased with real money, at least not yet. For the launch period there are no microtransactions available, but they will be turned on at a later date, allowing players to purchase in game currency with real money to then use on cosmetic items. For some this might seem like a ploy to avoid the negative press that Star Wars Battlefront 2 received last year at launch because of the questionable microtransaction systems, but the only answers DICE would provide on why microtransactions are being held back is that they want to allow players to play the “vanilla” version of the game first.

“At launch, there will be what we call the Company Coin, the in game currency you can earn,” says Morell. “That will be the favourite one to earn and spend, and buy whatever you want to buy within the game. Further down the line, we will switch on micro transactions in terms of the, I think we call it the Battlefield Coin or currency, but only for vanity. It’s all about cosmetics. So, again, it’s something you opt in. At launch, that won’t be available, so we want everyone to experience the game the way it is, vanilla. So, that is something that will be switched on at a later date, but it’s only gonna affect visual customisation.”

The customisation side of things still seems a little perplexing. Perhaps not in the fact that it exists, but in how little a difference it actually makes and how much of a big deal DICE and EA have made of it. It feels like they have learnt from their mistakes of previous titles, and kept things back at launch, but it’s hard not to wish they had fully embraced the more outlandish looks that we saw in that first reveal trailers.

However, one new change that seems to be doing the opposite thing and completely flying under the radar is that of gun recoil patterns. In previous titles there has been randomness in where the kickback of your gun will take your bullets, but in BFV every gun has a predictable recoil pattern, meaning you can learn how to manage the recoil, especially on PC, and make sure that every bullet hits your target. Its a move to a system a lot closer to say CS:GO, than other recent Battlefield titles, and at the very top level could have a big impact.

“Another big part is the completely reworked gun mechanics,” says Morell. “No more random deviations on bullets, it’s very much skill based. You can learn how a weapon handles and you can master it. Whilst, before there was a random element into it, now if the gun is difficult because it’s, say, a high recoil weapon and high damage weapon, you can still master it and tweak it and tune it so that you can become good with it. And that’s something that’s very, very new for BFV.”

It’s a system that really allows you to become comfortable with the weapons you use very quickly. After just a few hours of using certain weapons you start to pick up on the recoil pattern and start to adjust to it quickly. Some weapons of course have a less extreme pattern and become easy to master, but others will require some serious adjusting mid spray. The risk here is that, say like in CS:GO, certain powerful weapons that are traditionally balanced by extreme recoil pattern, can be mastered by players and as soon as they can control where every bullet goes become the only viable choice for every player.

“It’s something that you’re going to have to learn and master based on the amount of time you put into it,” says Morell. “There will obviously be guns that you stick to, but we don’t want to have, like, everyone play with the same weapon. We’ll balance the weapons. Battlefield has always been about a balanced rock, paper, scissors gameplay and we don’t want to have one particular weapon that is overpowered. If anything, we want players to feel like, ‘I lost that firefight, not because there was randomness or he got better RNG than I did, but because he was better with that gun, and I understand why he was better’ and so on. So, it should feel like it was a fair fight, the better man walked away with the win.”

Despite the risks this system can bring compared to the random option, it will undoubtedly make this a better experience for most players. Even if you’re not playing at the top level and learning the recoil patterns of every weapon, this should result in less instances of you being sure you aimed at an opponent’s head only to miss completely. It sounds small, but it is an exciting change, and one I’m amazed DICE have not shouted about more than they have.

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Put yourself in the shoes of Andreas Firnigl. Employed by Cohort Studios (which developed Buzz! Junior and PlayStation Move game The Shoot amongst others), he was made redundant when the company folded in 2011. Within two months, he had started to call in favours, and research how to start up his own company. Thus Nosebleed Interactive was born.

Fast forward a little, and Nosebleed has a game prototype thanks to funding from what is today the UK Games Fund. At this stage, Firnigl is pitching his company’s first game to Sony. A new, unknown developer trying to sell its first game to one of the biggest companies in the world. Nervous but determined, he has a… complication to deal with.

“If I’m honest, I was really hungover,” he tells me. “All the other people were looking very casual, no one else was wearing a suit [like me], I thought ‘Oh god. I’m not only hungover, I’m also woefully overdressed.’”

Andreas was one of several developers trying to woo a group of six Sony executives. Despite his mildly marinated mental state, he found that he instantly enjoyed one advantage over his competitors. Thanks to some help from people with experience at Ubisoft Reflections, Nosebleed’s engine – built for the not-yet-dead PlayStation Vita – was “more fancy than any of the [other] samples Sony had [seen]”. Better yet, one of the executives (who would end up being Nosebleed’s producer on the game) was reluctant to give up the demo to his colleagues, uttering the immortal words “oh, just one more go.”

Needless to say, the pitch was a success, and the game released as Vita exclusive The Hungry Horde in November 2014. This proved to be the beginning of an interesting learning curve. The game included in-game stickers to collect, but this didn’t quite connect with audiences in the way that Nosebleed expected. “We thought that’s quite a casual thing that might appeal to the casual players,” says Firnigl. “But actually, all the feedback was from a core audience, proper hardcore players, who loved that collection system.”

Nosebleed’s second game, Vostok Inc., is the one that the studio is best known for. “With Vostok, we kind of took a similar approach […] you think of idle games as for a casual audience, but actually, it’s the hardcore players that really engage with it. You know, the people that play World Of Warcraft that really enjoy that grind. The casual players, weirdly, are the ones who enjoy just flying around in space shooting stuff and don’t get too deep into the mechanics.”

While ‘fly and shoot’ gameplay is an important part of Vostok’s DNA, its heart pumps idle mechanics around the system. Your pot of in-game cash, “moolah”, constantly ticks up in the background. How quickly depends on how many planets you’ve visited, and what you’ve installed on said planets to make as much moolah as quickly as possible. Currency is there for the spending, of course. As well as ship upgrades, you need moolah to make moolah, as the old saying goes. This system, Firnigl believes, is effective for the way that many people consume media now.

“Watching people watching TV, nowadays everybody’s got their phone out, their tablet, and they’re doing stuff. And I include myself in that, you know […] I’ll be sitting playing something, and I’m not really concentrating on TV, because I’m playing the game; but I’m also not that engaged with the game, because I’m meant to be watching TV. We wanted to make something that is a core game; you can’t get much more core than a twin stick shooter. The Switch version is kind of the perfect version – my daughter comes in and wants to watch something on Netflix, so I’m like ‘yeah, cool, alright.’ And I’ll undock it and carry on playing. But maybe she’s watching something on TV that’s interesting, and I might put it down and watch TV, and the game carries on. We wanted to cater to the new way of playing games.”

Yet simply giving players a game that can easily be abandoned is, of course, not enough to keep them engaged. “A lot of people say ‘I love seeing the numbers tick up’ and all that kind of stuff, but actually, the people I’ve spoken to start going a little deeper. What I think actually drives play, is the fact that we give people long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals. There’s always something. With Vostok especially, we strive to always unlock something new probably every 15 minutes. I think the fact that you’ve always got something that’s just out of reach is what makes it compelling.”

The constant promise of a new reward just around the corner is an effective tactic used throughout the industry. This speaks to a Pavlovian response which can be exploited for more than just entertainment, as Nosebleed found when it embarked on a project with Newcastle University. “Stroke rehab is like physiotherapy; you have to do the same movement over and over again […] [it’s] dull.” The idea, therefore, was to make it more engaging. More fun. Gamify it.

As is so often the case in non-gaming projects requiring a motion sensor, Kinect was used to help. “Let’s say for example the doctor had said ‘right, the patient has to do this [extends arm, moves arm in a circular motion] as accurately as possible over and over again.’ The Kinect would track this movement, and score it from zero to one hundred as to how accurate you’d done it. The consultant could record themselves, say ‘this is the perfect version of this movement,’ set it out for the patient, and then the patient would have a list of moves that they’d have to do.”

Nosebleed’s job was to build this into a game. “What we built was this JRPG style thing called Sir Bramble Hatterson and the Hat of Hats. It’s this top-down map, in 3D with 2D cut-out characters. The user interaction in this was supposed to be next to nothing. These people aren’t necessarily gamers, they’re usually older, and have limited mobility, so the game plays itself almost.” The patient becomes involved when an in-game enemy appears for a fight, and they then have to replicate one of the movements set out by a consultant. The better they replicate the movement, the more damage dealt to the enemy. A real-life QTE, if you will. “It gives you a percentage score. If you do badly, say 0-10%, it says ‘almost!’ Then it’s like ‘well done!, amazing!, superb!, ‘spectacular!,’ and there’s fireworks going off and all this sort of stuff. You inflict damage, then it damages you, and you’re constantly upgrading as well. So you get more hats, and better spells, and this that and the other. So even if you die, you go back and you’re stronger, and you keep progressing.”

Sound familiar?

The feedback from the university was that patients were really engaging with, and enjoying, this gamification of their therapy. Where things got really interesting was actually before the project was complete, and the game part was still in the testing phase at Nosebleed. “When we were testing this, internally, friends coming into the studio or whatever, we had it set up so that you’d press the spacebar and it would give you a random value, because we didn’t have the Kinect stuff at the time. Press spacebar, random value, done. It’s about 15 minutes of gameplay to play the whole thing to the end, and then loop back round. Almost everyone that started it finished it. Because you’re getting told well done, you’re getting this lovely explosion of colour, all this pleasant stuff. And kind of want to see what happens next.

And it’s weird, it’s that thing of constantly being told ‘well done’. You can see where the next thing is, and you know it’s ten seconds away, ‘ooh, which enemy am I going to fight?’ or ‘I’m going to get another hat.’ It was weird psychologically that even people who knew it was just a random number, would still play it all the way through to completion.”

Nosebleed has a lot to build on, therefore, and it’s keeping all this in mind for its next game. Currently untitled and being pitched to publishers, it’s a racing game whos biggest influence is – I kid you not – PS2 RPG Dark Cloud.

“It’s got two pillars. On one side, it’s a couch multiplayer racing game, top-down. Think of something like Mashed, which is one of our most played office games. Or Micro Machines; that combat stuff. Made for you to swear at your friends, basically. For you to be like ‘Noooo!’ That’s what we’re aiming for with one half of the game. It’s set in the Vostok Inc. universe, a bit nicer looking than our last two games, because we’re not aiming at lower spec machines. All the fancy effects, and that sort of stuff. That’s the multiplayer stuff that we’ll take to shows, because it’s really easy to show, and it’s like ‘here you go, really simple controls,’ the nuance is in the fact that you’re playing against real people and they’re sitting there on the couch, and they’ve just knocked you off the track, and you’re like ‘you bastard!’”

It will still retain the Nosebleed identity which, Firnigl explains, will go much further than the inclusion of minigames. “The second pillar is what we’re billing as a CaRPG. It’s taking loot grind mechanics from something like Diablo, or Dark Cloud, or Vagrant Story, and applying them to the racing genre. Racing around feels really good inherently, in pretty much all racing games, unless they’ve broken the handling. Racing feels fun. But, outside of that, the hook, for me, is never really there. There are a few that have definitely succeeded in keeping me playing loads. But just unlocking a new car, or unlocking a new track, just doesn’t do it. I want something more.

Think of Final Fantasy VII. The second-to-second gameplay is fairly crap. You press a button, that’s it. But it’s one of my top ten games! I absolutely love it. You’re making decisions, and you’re pressing the button, but the actual interaction isn’t that much fun. But the systems behind it, the levelling up, always having that thing that’s a little bit out of reach […] that, for me, keeps me playing for hundreds of hours.”

The idea, therefore, is to thrust the racing genre deeper into grind and loot mechanics than it’s ever been, while ensuring that the core racing game remains polished and compelling. “You’ve got WipEout-style vehicles. Ish. The artwork style’s very heavily influenced by Simon Stalenhag, who’s a brilliant artist. So it’s trying to make it look real world with weird, slightly alien or slightly futuristic technology. As if it’s the 80s, but the 2080s, like we’ve colonised a bunch of planets but everybody’s still wearing high-tops.”

There’s no denying, however, that loot and idle mechanics aren’t for everybody. Nosebleed recognises this, and the plan is to have elements of the new game that can be enjoyed without the need to go through the grind and upgrade cycle. Multiplayer for example is currently being developed as completely removed from the upgrade aspect, as it’s understandably “an issue of balancing.” Multiplayer will support bots as well as human opponents and “if you’ve ever played Micro Machines or Mashed, you’ll definitely see the influence. It’s Mashed meets WipEout, basically.”

The new game still has a long way to go; but with the promise of refining all that the studio has learned about upgrade cycles, reward mechanics, and traditional gameplay, Nosebleed might just manage to reach the next level.

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Velocity 2X hits the Switch in a few days after originally releasing on PS4 and PS Vita. I loved the game then and continue to enjoy replaying it. While my full review of the Switch port will arrive around launch, I spoke to James Marsden (Owner and Director at FuturLab) about the company’s history, starting out in game development, porting games, and more.

2018 will be FuturLab’s 15th Anniversary year. I asked James how he started the company and got into flash development. “It sounds a bit weird but FuturLab was founded as a by-product. Music is my first passion, but I’d only rediscovered this fact at age 22 whilst studying Fine Art at University. I knew that a career in music was probably out of my reach; I wouldn’t be able to compete with folks that had been practising their whole lives. This notion was compounded by the release of Napster: suddenly overnight, musicians would struggle to make a living from direct music sales, making an already tough industry even more so. My next thought was to make music for games – my second passion – but again, the musicians who would struggle to make a living directly from music sales would likely think the same; the competition for working as a musician in games would be that much hotter. That’s when I had the silly thought that if I started my own games company, nobody would be able to stop me from making music for the games…Whilst I never openly pursued that goal as it seemed a bit loopy, it obviously drove my decisions over time, because five years later I was running a Flash games company. I chose Flash because the barrier to entry was far lower than console, and I hoped to jump ladders over time.”

Music also seems to have led to Velocity as a game existing. “Music was really what led to the inception of Velocity too, as I’d been working on a piece of music on and off for ten years, and in 2010 when we’d just finished Coconut Dodge, the music sounded like a heroic 80s space shooter. Robin (Jubber), the programmer responsible for Coconut Dodge said we could reuse the codebase from Coconut Dodge for a space shooter – so I said I’ve got a tune for that!”

FuturLab has done multiplatform games but for the most part, it has been doing stuff with and for Sony before anyone else. I asked how they got in touch with Sony and how things progressed. “By 2006 I’d had enough of the Flash projects we were working on as they were so creatively shallow, so set about learning how to make a proper platform game. Driven by ideas I’d had at University, I spent about three months working around the clock to make a game I’d be proud of. I showed it to one of our clients who had done work with Sony in the past, and he made an introduction to David Amor at Relentless Software (makers of Buzz! on PS2 and PS3). David was interested in helping out, so he gave us the number of the right person to speak to at Sony. You can read about the pitch that resulted from that here.”

FuturLab games have appeared on multiple platforms so I asked how it has been working on various portable and non portable platforms a few years ago and now. James also commented on the Switch hardware and Nintendo. “Honestly we’re not very exposed to portable development at the moment. Andy Yelland is the chap who created the Velocity 2X engine, and he has always worked with us as an external contractor. Andy produced the port to Switch, with us doing minimal play testing once his work was nearly complete. We needed to make some adjustments, shuffling the control scheme around to better fit Nintendo’s platform conventions (B being the most often used button as opposed to X on PlayStation for example), but otherwise we’ve just been in awe of the hardware. I’ll be honest and say that whilst I’ve always loved Nintendo’s games, this is the first time I’ve really found their hardware desirable from a product design point of view – I think Switch is absolutely beautiful as a piece of design.”

Velocity 2X is a super fluid experience on every platform and quite the departure from the original Velocity. I asked how they approached the sequel and what they wanted changed from the original. James commented on how some things could’ve been possible with the first Velocity. “The idea of getting out of your ship was actually there during the development of the first Velocity. Our ambitions were high, but we weren’t able to find a publisher to support that vision, so we self published it on PS Minis without the platforming aspect. We always thought the game deserved a bigger platform than PS Minis, but we decided if we can’t get funding for realising its full potential, then we’ll just make the best game on PS Minis – which we arguably did. Once Velocity became critically highly successful, we were approached by Sony to ask what we wanted to do for a sequel, and before I had the chance to finish my description of wanting to get out the ship to run around and do the same sort of action on foot, I was told the deal was agreed in principle. It was exhilarating and more than a little reassuring that we were onto a good thing.”

Velocity 2X was ported on PC after PlayStation platforms and the experience was not great thanks to a Windows 10 and NVidia bug. “Initially the port was straightforward, but then we released into the launch of Windows 10 which exposed a game-breaking bug for NVidia cards that took us a year to fix. Obviously this still stings us looking back, but I take pride in the fact that we did *actually* fix it. We persevere! You can read all about that bug here if you’re interested.”

Nintendo Switch is the new hotness for every indie developer with games doing better on Switch than other platforms and in many cases more than all other platforms combined. My list of indie games I’d like to see on Switch grows shorter with each passing day and Velocity 2X is something I wanted but didn’t think would happen. It is FuturLab’s first release on a Nintendo platform so I asked how the porting process was. The port was done by Curve Digital. ” It was largely straightforward, though it always takes a while to learn a new platform in terms of the release process. Fortunately Curve took over and have dealt with the submission process, which has been greatly appreciated.”

Readers of my Re:Port Review series will know I care a great deal about games using Switch specific features like HD Rumble and Touch well. James discussed those aspects and one feature both he and I love about using split Joy-Cons. “We use HD Rumble and the touchscreen, yes, but actually I think the best addition to the Velocity 2X experience that comes from Switch has nothing to do with us – simply being able to detach the JoyCon controllers means that the high input intensity experience becomes very comfortable. There’s no ‘claw-hand’ cramp when you can rest your elbows anywhere you like with wrists at any angle. The hardware itself just melts away, and since Velocity 2X is all about achieving flow, this hardware feature of detachable controllers really elevates that experience of being at one with the game.”

Velocity 2X’s soundtrack is kickass and was done by Joris de Man who also did the superlative soundtrack for Horizon Zero Dawn. James commented on how it has been working with him. “A total joy. He’s so talented, patient, understanding and super enthusiastic about everything he works on. He’s just a lovely chap who I’m now proud to call a friend.”

An indie game I love coming to Switch means I need a physical release and it looks like Curve Digital will have to decide on one for this game. James also said he wants to revisit Surge Deluxe in the future. Before wrapping up, I asked him about the ketchup at the FuturLab office because it is a tradition here. “It is in the fridge, but it’s far less important to me than the Encona Hot Pepper Sauce. We have one bottle in the fridge and one bottle in the cupboard. Because.”

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Dan Abnett is one of the most accomplished British writers around, writing many acclaimed comics for 2000AD (Sinister Dexter, Brink, Rogue Trooper, Judge Dredd), Marvel (Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, The Punisher), and DC (Legion of Super Heroes, Aquaman), as well as being a multiple New York Times bestseller. He’s tried his hand at almost everything, and has done so extremely well, and now he’s a part of GameLoft’s popular Dungeon Hunter series. I had the pleasure of talking to Dan about Dungeon Hunter: Champions and its creative proces, his work on other gaming titles such as Alien: Isolation and the Shadow of Mordor series, as well as his important role in creating the widely successful Marvel comic reboot of Guardians of the Galaxy, and having it adapted into the feature film starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper.

It always fascinates me where the creative process is born, so I asked Dan to give a little insight. “I was approached and invited, which was a lovely thing to happen. Obviously, I’m known for my work on comic books and my novels because that’s what I do. I’ve got a terrible confession, and that’s I’m not a gamer. I don’t play games because I think I’d like them too much and I’d never get any work done. Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve had various game companies come to me, which is always flattering, asking if I’d like to work on characters or dialogue, or story – whatever it is, and I’ve said “lovely, but I don’t know anything about games,” but they say “no, but you know about story.”

I’ve worked on some high profile games, like Alien: Isolation and the Shadow of Mordor games, and I’ve tried to bring my skill set to it, like storytelling and worldbuilding, and tried to use my complete lack of knowledge of the video game industry as an asset. I’m the lone voice of ignorance in the corner that says, “why are we doing it like that?” Sometimes they would explain to me in great deal why we are doing it like that, and sometimes it’s really useful getting that input from an unfamiliar outsider saying, “just because it’s always been done like that doesn’t mean it has to.”

Creating such a huge game like Dungeon Hunter: Champions must be heavily involving, and I wondered if Dan created the majority of the game, such as the characters and the world, as well as writing the story. “Yes, least of all the characters as some have appeared in previous incarnations of the games in the franchise. Many of the characters had been visualised – the game’s designers have done an amazing job creating these characters they thought would be interesting, and I was asked to give them names, attributes, and back stories, possibly explaining what powers they had. Sometimes that led to doing alterations to the character design. I also helped develop worldbuilding particularly to develop the world and to explain how it worked, and string it all together. Quite often, they will bring a story person in very late in the day and say, “can you create a story that makes sense of all this?” and you think, “really?”

With this, they had all the raw materials, but it was about putting it into context. We had to make it playable and to make it fun, but it had to have this meta story that actually linked things together. I think mobile games get a lot of bad press because they’re like the snack food of the video games industry as they’re meant to be a very quick fix of fun, and inconsequential and that they don’t matter. The big games are immersive and you can get lost in for hours and hours and hours, but these are meant to be played on the move. We wondered if there was a way of delivering a bit of that quality and depth of a bigger game into the mobile format, and also to supply – without being overwhelming – a thread of story.that made all those instances of playing a level at a time accumulate in your mind so you would have a sense of actual progression. It’s got all that immediate fun you’d expect, but perhaps more longevity.”

It was something I didn’t realise at first, but Dan actually worked on the Shadow of Mordor games. I had to ask him some more about this as if any of you know, Shadow of War was my game of 2017, and I argued strongly to get it featured in God is a Geek’s GOTY podcast. “I created the orc characters and gave them personalities, which is very similar to this whereas you take the basic concepts and providing different inspirations for characters that are contrasting and different when you encounter them.” We moved on to how the process was different from writing comic books and novels to video games.

“There are fundamental differences when writing a game or a comic, or a novel which is what I spend a lot of my time doing. They are all about delivery and story, and in a novel or comic that story is set, and there’s no way for the reader to divert the story because it’s just a linear thing. Whereas games have the player participation, and the story has to be adaptable and organic for the player to respond to that. Games do that by being incredibly structured and really guiding you by giving you the illusion your making choices. Some of them go the completely opposite way by being open world sandbox – do anything and explore, and the story will just happen randomly.

This walks a line somewhere between the two. There are things to explore, but you are being moved forward in a relatively controlled way. One of the big differences is that, almost everything I write in a comic, and certainly everything I write in a novel goes completely to the reader. There’s probably about 4 times as much writing I’ve done in this game that is invisible because it was worldbuilding to inform the game dev, and that to me is one of the most interesting processes. In fact, one of the reasons I really enjoy working in games is collaboration. Not just with the team on a comic which is great fun, and a huge change from sitting in a dark room, but actually working with potentially 100 people worldwide in different offices and having that back and forth collaborative brainstorming. I think that’s one of the things that’s kept me doing this, working in a large group creating something that’s hugely significant and substantial.”

Having such an extensive back catalogue of work across so many formats, it was interesting to know one of them held more weight than the others. “I love writing novels more than anything, and I’ve been fairly successful at that. There’s is something particularly delicious about writing something that essentially barring the proof-reader and editor is delivered directly into the reader’s brain; it’s the closest connection you have to readers. I guess maybe it plays to my fantasy of sitting there with the eyeshade on and my typewriter and just going for it. I still write novels and I’ll continue to write novels – I’m literally writing one right now, but I would have thought if that was true I would’ve long since moved on from comics because writing novels delivers a great sense of satisfaction, but that’s not true. I absolutely adore writing comics – it’s like a habit I can’t quit.

I think that parralell of writing a novel in the morning and comics in the afternoon is one of the things that’s made me so prolific, and has kept my creativity flowing because I’m never in one place or fictional setting for that long. Moving around keeps you very fresh, and including games as the third thing make the differences such a delicious contrast to the things I do. Last year there was a comic that came along where I didn’t have any gaming work, and I kind of missed it. It’s a thing that doesn’t suit many writers, but when you’ve been doing it for almost 30 years that having slightly too much to do, and having lots of different things to do produces better work from me.”

It’s worth mentioning that if you’re an aspiring writer, or are currently writing something of your own, Dan gave some fantastic advice that I’ll definitely take on board, and so should you. “I often find that if I’m stuck on a particular project and I cannot think of the crucial plot point that I need for Titans or Lawless, I find that switching to something else, it will literally leap into my head. Two weeks ago I was stuck on a plot point for Aquaman and I couldn’t make it work. I spent most of the morning trying to make it work, and I said – actually, I won’t say what I said because it’s rude – but I just sat down in the afternoon and worked on the next chapter of my Warhammer novel I’m writing.

I was about 500 word in, and I suddenly went, “that’s how you solve the problem.” I don’t know where it came from, but I turned my creative attention to something else that powered my brain to go “this is what you need!” I wrote down the things I thought of then finished the chapter I was working on, and all the bits in Aquaman fell into place. If you know that’s likely to happen, use that. Rather than getting bored, or suffering writer’s block, just go away and do something else.”

Working on so many projects, it was interesting to learn about some of the things Dan would like to do, and what he enjoys doing after his momentous tenure in the business. Was there anything he’d like to do that he hadn’t? “Yes, and oddly enough, I can’t talk about it, but I’m actually working on a number of screenplays for television shows. It’s not that great big ambition moving forms or genres, but when that opportunity arises it’s great fun to do that, and to try your hand at something you’ve not done before. I still always get the thrill of being asked to work on a comic I haven’t done before, or working on something I’ve done before like Sinister Dexter or Brink. I think because it’s been the most recent thing that I’ve done, games have been completely outside the things I’ve done before, and something I never thought I’d do, like the Alien franchise, or like Lord of the Rings and Dungeon Hunter.”

Obviously, Guardians of the Galaxy is easily one of the best MCU films of all time, and the story and its themes and tone were directly linked to Dan’s 2008 reboot of the GotG comic. Before he went, I couldn’t help but talk to him about it, and what his thoughts on the films was. “I absolutely can’t pretend it isn’t a huge thrill. I was flabbergasted when I was told by Marvel however many years ago it was, that Guardians was going to be the next movie. I couldn’t believe they’d chosen that; of all the things you could pick, it’s this book! James Gunn got into contact with me and I visited the set, and I read the script. He made it very clear to me that it was my version they were turning into a film, and I think they did an extraordinarily good job. It was tremendously entertaining and added a completely different aspect to the Marvel franchise. Just this weekend I saw Infinity War and I absolutely loved it. I mean, I worship Jim Starlin’s work, so a Thanos movie – thank you very much! To see that, and to see things like Knowhere come up and know I invented that, or I added that.

If I can cheekily go back to Dungeon Hunter: Champions, watching a comic book story being translated for the big screen and seeing what bits work and what bits need to be altered, informs enormously how you deal with a story that’s going to be a very different format like a game. This Dungeon Hunter: Champions game has a lot of blending of genres going in. There’s fantasy like it’s always been, but there’s science fiction, steampunk, and hard cosmic, but we went for it enthusiastically to make that contrast a meaningful part of the story. A lot of people worry about genre building, but I didn’t bat an eye as I’m used to doing it in comics. Weirdly, when I was sitting in a cinema on a Sunday afternoon watching Infinity War, this game came to mind because it’s sort of what they’re doing here. They’ve taken the time to build up the Marvel Universe, and now they’re finally delivering a movie where, essentially almost all of their movie elements, even the ones that don’t immediately appear to fit are fitting together.”

At this point, I was completely mesmerised by what Dan was saying, mainly because I love the MCU, and a lot of the work Dan has done. We finished on quite a profound realisation, and one that rings true when developing the craft of writing. “The joy of the film is a combination of these characters that haven’t met and are working together, fighting together, and bickering together. Oh my God, it’s Star-Lord and Iron Man, all those combinations and that works, that is the absolute bread and butter of a universe like Marvel’s or DC’s cross over events. I’ve worked on a lot of those and those are exactly the skills I was transferring into this game. You can develop craft working on one thing and actually, you’ll find maybe even years later they’ll have a remarkable application for something that is apparently completely different.”

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God of War is the biggest game on the planet right now, and rightly so. It combines superb combat, glorious visuals, and a wealth of gameplay to appeal to everyone. But at the heart of it lies a story that is both moving, impactful, and out right enjoyable. This is down to great writing, and a superb cast of actors bringing God of War to life. I had an opportunity to talk to Robert Craighead, the actor behind God of War’s stand out character – the loveable and mischievous dwarf Brok. Robert was a great, down to earth guy, with a lot of love for the game, and we chatted about how the crew went into the wilderness to prepare for the role, what it was like to work with Sunny Suljic (Atreus) and Christopher Judge (Kratos), and how special the experience was.

I wondered just how this opportunity came about for Robert. “I had done some video mo-cap for Sony PlayStation before, and, I don’t know if you know but I did Tomb Raider, and on Xbox, I was General Hemlock (Dead Rising 3). Actually – and I don’t know if they remember or not, but I remember reading for Kratos way back in the beginning, before they desided to go with Christopher Judge, but I read for Kratos, and then they brought me back in for Brok. I had a lot of fun with it, and the character went through a lot of changes as far as what they wanted to do with the character’s voice. There were three different vocal accents we went through before we finally settled on one.”

The role of Brok is pivotal when he shares time on screen with both Kratos and Atreus, bringing out their characters more with every scene, and it was interesting to know how Robert prepared for the role, finding out about one of the entire team’s first outing. “In the beginning we did some teambuilding before we even started on the mo-cap. They took a whole crew of the writers and the actors, and we went out into the wilderness with these survival guides. We spent the day learning how to build shelters, and fires – it was pretty fun. Sunny was there, Chris, myself, and the voice of Freya – Danielle. It kind of helped us mould a friendship between all of us. You work on these games for like – I worked on it for three years on and off. Matt, Richard, and Cory worked on it for five years.

As far as the mo-cap, you’d go in and shoot for four or five days, and you might not hear from them again for four or five months. You’d then go back for a few more days, followed by strictly voiceover work, cranking out forty or fifty pages a day.” There seems like there was a real connection between all the actors and the production team, and it was especially evident in Cory Barlog’s recent reaction video, but was there a moment when Robert realised this?

“I think one of the first things I shot was when I knew this was going to be special, with Sunny and Chris – moving my horse across the bridge. I just knew immediately that it was going to be good. Sunny was such an amazing young talent, and of course, Christopher Judge, who is such a riot to work with.” I commented how this must’ve been great, as Kratos is so straight-faced and serious, but Robert assured me with a smile, “he’s not like that in real life.” He told me that Chris used to make a lot of funny noises when filming, and it was great to work with him.

Brok’s brother Sindri is another fantastic character, and their relationship builds over the course of the game. I was curious to know if this came naturally. “Oh yeah, because there was a lot of downtime when others were filming, and you’re covered in your spandex and ping pong balls, we’d spend a lot of time getting to know each other. Adam is a wonderful actor on camera as well, I don’t think anyone is just a video game actor – we all do on camera as well.”

Robert went on to tell me an interesting story about how the scenes between Brok and Kratos were filmed. “It’s always a lot of fun to do mo-cap and then to watch how it comes out in the motions and the movement. One of the funny things was to capture the size difference between Kratos and Brok. They would walk behind Chris with a six-foot stick and a picture of Kratos on it, and that would be my eyeline. Then, they’d put a picture of Brok on my chest for Chris to look down at.”

Filming video games, TV, or film must have certain differences, and Robert explained a little bit about the similarities there were. “You know, I don’t think there are a lot of differences. Even when you’re going back to acting 101, you’re having to create your environment from sense memory, when you’re not using props so to speak. You have a piece of poly pipe and that’s your axe – you’re having to create it all. That’s what you do when you first start acting, so kudos to my acting coaches.”

It had been a pleasure chatting with Robert, and it was great to see just how well-received God of War has been. Going forward, 2018 will be a year to celebrate for Sony Santa Monica, Cory Barlog and the rest of the team. Before Robert went, he explained how vast the team were, and what launch day was like for him. “We had a launch party last Friday night when it came out, and it was put on by Sony PlayStation in a private club in Hollywood. It was packed with everyone that worked on it from Sony PlayStation – there must have been around 500 or 600 people. It was a lot of fun, and I had a great time.”
You can watch Robert Craighead as Brok in God of War right now on PS4, and I suggest you do. We gave it a 10, and it is the finest PS4 exclusive available. Go and play!

The post A chat with Robert Craighead, the actor behind Brok in God of War appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.