This year at Game Developers Conference, Nintendo displayed a brief, introductory demo of Geist. Nintendo of America's Jeffrey Kalles, associate producer of Geist, was gracious enough to discuss his current project with Planet GameCube.

PGC: Okay, let's get started here. First off, introduce yourself.

Jeff Kalles: My name is Jeff—ah, excuse me my voice is going after three days of this—Jeff Kalles. I am an Associate Producer at Nintendo of America.

PGC: And you're working on Geist, correct?

JK: I am working very closely on Geist. Not as hard as the developer's working on Geist, but I am working on Geist.

PGC: So how long have you been with the team, and working on Geist?

JK: Well, pretty much since we announced it. This will be—unfortunately—its third E3, I think.

PGC: Speaking of E3, the demo you have here is very limited compared to even last year's E3.

JK: (laughing) It is very limited. You know, several reasons. We wanted to just give a taste of what the game had to offer, but we didn't really want to show, really, what makes it so unique. You find that there's a lot of people who like to steal good ideas in this industry. It's been refined, and modified and improved upon, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

PGC: Well, the booth babes keep saying that the game looks a little crude. Is that something you guys are working on as the game nears completion?

JK: You know, it's a constant improvement process in development. They're always looking to optimize frame rates, improve jaggies, adjust lighting…you know, that's a process that goes all the way until the very end of QA. So, you're seeing preproduction software, that's all you are seeing.

PGC: So, you said there are a lot of ideas. Does that mean you can't talk about them right now?

JK: I can fill you in on what the game has to offer. (laughs)

PGC: What can we see once he actually dies, and you really get to be a Geist in GEIST! That's kinda bizarre…

JK: Not yet! Well, in the ending cinema you see what happens, how he's been captured, his spirit's being ripped away from his body…so, what you're gonna have after that is you are going to have to overcome objectives. One of them, obviously, is try to get your body back. There are other things you'll unveil as you go through the story. But you'll come to obstacles you'll need to overcome. And, in order to do that you'll need to find those that have the ability to get past the obstacles. And in order to use those hosts—these people with that ability or knowledge, whether human or creature—you'll need to find a way to make them susceptible to possession. So, by scaring them or putting them in an agitated, excited state, you are then able to possess them, maybe gain some of their knowledge or utilize one of their abilities in order to overcome some of the obstacles to get to the next area, or the next task. So it is very much an adventure game. What you're seeing is a very small part of the first person shooter aspect, which is interspersed throughout the title; but really it's about the adventure aspects of the title that really sets it apart.

PGC: It is now classified as a first person adventure, is that right?

JK: It is. It is a first person adventure.

PGC: So we should be thinking more along the lines of Metroid Prime, then?

JK: Well, not so much re-traversal and exploration, but more about "how do I use my possession to advance my goals in the game." That's really where the adventure aspect comes in. 'Cause it's not just people and creatures: you can possess objects. And maybe manipulating those objects will allow you to advance in the game.

PGC: I noticed a few interesting things in the UI. For instance, after the boss if you look up there's this little eye icon, almost like the scan visor in Metroid Prime. Can you tell us more about that? Is that more of a "if you're curious, look", or is that going to be a serious part of the game?

JK: One of the design things that n-Space, the developer, wanted to do, was to make the interface as intuitive as possible. So what they've done is really made everything context sensitive. So as you're looking around, if your reticule—your main focal point—goes over something you can examine, then the eye icon comes up. Very intuitive. If you come in [contact] with something you can interact with, an action icon comes up. A door has a little picture of a door. So n-Space was very thorough and very careful and conscious of what the player is experience, and they wanted the game to flow as seamlessly as possible.

PGC: I also noticed the bottom left has a picture of the guy walking around and shooting and stuff. Is that more of an aesthetic thing, or is that going to be more of a status of your character thing?

JK: Well, what it is, is that when you're in first person, you never see your own character. So when you're always jumping into different objects and creatures and people, how do you know what you're in and how do you remember? It's basically an affirmation back to the player that this is currently what I’m in control of.

PGC: How long do you expect this game to be in general?

JK: We're expecting probably right around 15 hours of gameplay, plus or minus.

PGC: Will there be any serious multiplayer?

JK: There are multiplayer modes. They've done a really good job at n-Space of creating modes that really take advantage of the possession mechanics. So there's some sort-of-standard multiplayer stuff with a unique twist. And then there are some very unusual gameplay modes that we've never seen in multiplayer before that are really taking advantage of that possession.

PGC: Will we be seeing some of this at E3?

JK: I'm not sure if that is on the schedule to be shown at E3. Of course, the game is going to be out shortly after E3, so everyone will get a chance to see it and play with it then.

PGC: What else is interesting?

JK: You want the story?

PGC: Sure, tell us the story, but don't ruin it for everyone!

JK: No I won't ruin it, but I'll give you the bullet points, right? John Raimi is the character you're in charge of, and he is an expert in all things biochemical, having to do mostly with anti-terrorism. And major corporations will consult him. Governments will consult him, specifically, on how to deal with these sort of threats. So there's this very shadowy corporation called Volks, and they do a lot of military R&D type stuff, and they're not too careful who they sell to. They've sent someone in who happens to be someone you've crossed paths with before many times—a friend of yours—they sent someone to infiltrate the facility and find evidence. Well, he finds evidence and so, an extraction team is put together to go get him and the evidence. They invite you along because they want to use your expertise. And that's really the first level you are playing is that extraction. You're going in, getting your friend. But things go wrong, the alarms go off, things happen…and at the end of the demo on the show floor, you get captured and then you get subjected to some of their experiments which happen to be paranormal in nature. And they've separated your spirit from your body.

PGC: Actually, it ended with a boss battle. Can you tell us more about how big a role bosses will have in the title?

JK: They will have several bosses in the title. I can't say exactly how many. All of them do have a role in the story of what is happening at this facility and what is happening to you, so it's not just "throw in a boss," its really about creating creatures and obstacles that help reinforce the overall vision of the game. So, yeah, there are bosses—good boss fights.

PGC: Going back to the fifteen hour thing. If you want to replay the game—for instance in games in Goldeneye, there are harder missions with extra things to do—will there be something to come back to?

JK: Well, there will be things you can open up by going off the beaten path. So for those players who have not explored the first time through, they will find things that will enhance their gameplay experience by going through and finding those items or objects they may have missed.

PGC: There was a customizable control option. Just how customizable are the controls?

JK: There's—in the demo there are currently two main control schemes. The player can also, ya know, invert the Y axis of course, which is what everyone needs to do. (smiles)

PGC: Yeah, some bozo had it un-inverted when I started.

JK: Yeah, I'm an up is down, down is up guy. I know other people that can't play that way—I can't play the up is up way, I don't know why. You can't map individual buttons, but you do have control over your basics…whether it's the C stick versus the control stick that is manipulating your aiming versus your movement.

PGC: What kinds of gamers do you think would be most interested in Geist? Who is your target—what other games are out there that, if they liked it, they should check out this game.

JK: Well, obviously, anyone who really enjoyed Metroid Prime, who enjoys that kind of adventure game that happens to have the first person point of view. I think anyone who is tired of the same run-of-the-mill first person shooter, who wants a different game experience…tired of the, ya know, let's go into the warehouse and walk through all the crates…you're always stuck in the same character through the whole game. This really—the game changes depending on what kind of host you're in. So if you're in a host that is ripped and he has cool weapons and you can blast through a section. If you're in a host who is, maybe you're using them for their knowledge, then you'll have to find problem-solving ways to get around obstacles.

PGC: You were telling me that you have to scare people to possess them. Are there any examples you are willing to give that were not at E3 last year?

JK: Well, you know, maybe if you hear a conversation about someone's phobia, so you can utilize that information to find out what really scares them. It's not just scaring. Maybe you'll need to do it for information purposes. One of the examples I can use is posses a key pad to get into a restricted area. Well, if you catch the guard's attention, he thinks the keypad is fritzing out. He'll come over and punch in his code. Well, you're in the keypad, so now you've learned his code! So now you can go out and find a host and come back. Or sometimes you possess a host and maybe get a glimpse of their memory or knowledge that you wouldn't get, because you've had a little insight into their memory.

PGC: There were animals like the dog we saw last year. Will that be a big part in this game?

JK: There are more than just humans you will possess. Along with the objects there is more than just dogs…a lot of times animals have a better ability to get through environments or get into otherwise inaccessible areas.

PGC: You're pretty much wrapping up development of the game, you've shown it at E3, it's coming out soon…Is Nintendo planning to work with n-Space further, or is this a wait-and-see how this one does first?

JK: Ya know, I have a ton of respect for n-Space. They're a great group of guys. I really hope we can continue our relationship with them. I know that whatever their next project is, with whomever it is, I'm sure it will be a big success. It's been a great learning experience for both parties. I've learned a lot from them. I think they've learned a lot from Nintendo. So I really hope that, in whatever fashion, that I am able to continue working with them, personally and as a company. We'll see what happens. Obviously, there's nothing public that I can say about anything, but they're working very closely with NCL, and Mr. Miyamoto's group, and working very closely with NOA. I think everyone is very encouraged by the relationship.

PGC: You've told me you have been with Nintendo forever…

JK: I have!

PGC: We've had some announcements here. We're seeing WiFi coming up…what are you most excited about, things you've been talking about here? What are you looking forward to most?

JK: ZELDA!!! (laughs) It's always about Zelda. You know, I am excited. I am a gamer, as Mr. Iwata was talking about. Otherwise I wouldn't be in this industry. I play all sorts of games at home. I play them online. So I'm very excited about the online possibilities, especially Animal Crossing, which sucked away too much time…

PGC: I never really had time to get into that game.

JK: Really? It ate away several hours—I found [myself] getting up with the sunrise to fish and…weird stuff.

PGC: Once you can start emailing, or whatever you'll be able to do online, I can see it as getting…weren't people selling things for Animal Crossing online on Ebay?

JK: I don't know! It's possible with the password system. But now you don't even have to deal with that since it's online. I don't know exactly what features they are working on, but it is very exciting. But really, it comes down to Zelda, if you've seen that trailer.

PGC: Well of course I have!

JK: It's awesome, it's gorgeous. It's one of the prettiest games I've ever seen on any platform. And to have Zelda in a very dark and moody atmosphere is very intriguing to me.

PGC: I love that you put it in those terms because last year [at GDC] at an interview with Mr. Aonuma I asked him if we're going to see a darker, moodier Zelda…in pretty much those words. And he said they had already done it with Majora's Mask.

JK: And you know, Majora's Mask was dark and moody, but let's take advantage of the processing power of the generation we're in. I think that's very exciting, and if you listen to what Mr. Iwata had to say, Nintendo knows what it is doing. We have a very firm plan in place, and it is very exciting. I don't think anyone will be disappointed as we move forward.

PGC: Well thank you very much for your time.

JK: Thank you! It was fun!

Planet GameCube would like to thank Jeff again for his valuable time. Geist is currently scheduled for a summer launch.

You can discuss this interview in the TalkBack thread.

Interview conducted by Michael "TYP" Cole