Renegade Kid talks about Dementium: The Ward, their upcoming DS shooter Moon, and gives advice on entering the games industry. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17129 In 2007, Jools Watsham and Gregg Hargrove formed the development studio Renegade Kid. The developer first gained notice in the gaming community with their survivor horror title Dementium: The Ward. N-Europe recently had a chance to chat with Jools Watsham the Creative Director of Renegade Kid. In the interview, Watsham discussed Dementium: The Ward and their upcoming first-person shooter Moon.
Watsham revealed that developing a first-person shooter for the Nintendo DS was an "easy decision." He stated that the studio was always confident in the handheld's ability to deliver such a title and that the lack of survival horror and mature software on the platform would allow Dementium "to stand out a little from the crowded DS shelves."
When asked what measures his team took to deliver a frightening experience on such a tiny screen, Watsham responded, "it never occurred to us that we needed a large screen, surround sound, and all of that other fancy stuff to make something scary." Furthermore, Watsham explained that the team wanted players to question the safety of every nook and cranny of the game world. "Our hope is that you are always looking around not sure if something is going to jump out at you," said Watsham.
Renegade Kid's next game, Moon, takes place in the year 2058 when players must investigate the discovery of a hatch on the lunar surface. Watsham said that the game is divided into eighteen story episodes with an additional six hidden episodes. Watsham mentioned that the game will take about nine to twelve hours to complete, but that players will have the option of collecting all alien artifacts in the game as well as replaying missions they've already completed on a harder difficulty.
Asked whether Moon was influenced by the Metroid series, Watsham said, "we can't help but be influenced by such great games." He further cited Bioshock, Goldeneye, and Call of Duty 4 as other sources of inspiration.
In addition, Watsham detailed some of the game's unique weapons like the Muon Pistol, which packs a lot of power in a tiny form, and the Lepton Spread, which can destroy multiple targets with a single shot. He also described the LOLA buggy vehicle which allows players to travel on the moon's surface. Watsham explained that the team had a great deal of difficulty creating the LOLA buggy, but in the end, "it adds a lot to the overall experience of Moon."
Watsham confirmed that one of their upcoming projects deals with the vampire Count Dracula. He was not willing divulge what system the game was in development for or what genre it would belong to, but did say the game would be a single player experience. He also stated that Renegade Kid would like to continue developing titles for the DS.
Finally, Watsham also gave some advice to gamers wishing to enter the industry. "The video game industry needs people who are passionate about making great games," he pointed out. He further said that studying 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, Maya, and learning level editors can help those who aspire to enter the industry.
Dementium: The Ward is currently available at North American retailers. Moon will be available at stores across North America on January 13th, 2009. Presently, Moon and Dementium: The Ward do not have European release dates.
Topic: Renegade Kid 'liked the challenge' of Developing for DS (Read 1563 times)
