[Full Interview] DarkSeas Games talks Road Redemption, the future of Wii U, more

Author: Austin

You already saw snippets of this interview in the Road Redemption preview we put up earlier today, but in case you wanted to hear more about the subjects I touched on there, or a few other Nintendo-specific topics, I’m posting the full interview in straightforward question-and-answer form below.

The developer of Road Redemption (DarkSeas Games) talked with me about developing the game, what sorts of modes might be included, and the possibility of downloadable content, but they also touched on some more general subjects like the future of Nintendo and the Wii U, as well as how they believe Nintendo could kickstart sales of the system. Hit the break for the full interview!

To start off, a question you’ll be asked in nearly every interview going forth: What is Road Redemption? Convince the “Nintendo audience” to buy the game.

Road Redemption is a spirtual successor to the Road Rash series. It’s all about motorcycle combat racing. So imagine you’re playing an action game like God of War or Zelda: Twilight Princess, but moving at 100mph.

The fact is, that your combat environment is constantly changing. So you might be getting beat down by an enemy biker with a baseball-bat, when you’re both approaching an 18-wheeler in the other lane. A well-timed kick and your opponent will end up lodged in the 18-wheeler’s grille.

You have this dynamic gameplay that’s just not possible in traditional action games.

We think it fits a Nintendo audience because Road Redemption is all about fun, deep gameplay. We’re not trying to make a Skyrim, or a GTA IV. You’re not going to sit through 15 minute cutscenes or slog across barren landscapes. Just like Super Mario Galaxy or NintendoLand, it’s all about the fun.

According to your Kickstarter page, Road Redemption touts a story based around biker gangs, recently-released criminals, and deadly rivalries. Why was having a deeper story more important to the development of Road Redemption when the spiritual predecessor to the game (Road Rash) was more or less an arcade racer without much in the way of a story?

We think there are a lot of gamers who really get involved in a game’s story. We think if we have an opportunity to lend a bit more context to the gameplay, that’s a good thing.

Having a story keeps players engaged. For a lot of people, seeing how the story ends is a big motivating factor to completing missions.

We think Road Redemption is fun enough that people will keep on playing purely for the enjoyment of the gameplay itself, but a strong story will certainly up the involvement for a lot of people.

Regarding multiplayer: Would you ever pursue non-linear, open-world-ish maps (a la “All Range Mode” in Star Fox 64) for modes like Capture the Flag or Deathmatch, or is the purpose of this game to be a linear racer?

No.

The combat in Road Redemption works best when two riders are side by side. That happens naturally when they’re both driving for the same goal.

In an open arena, there’s no single goal people are driving toward, so they end up having brief moments of combat and a lot of moments of doing 180s and trying to line up the next charge. It’s just not the optimal scenario for a game like this.

That said, we’ll be releasing our source, so if anyone wants to implement an arena like this, they’re free to.

Speaking of adding things to the game, how about DLC? You’ve mentioned that “there will never be any in-game real money purchases” in the game, but I’m curious if that means there will be free downloadable content for the game, or that there simply won’t ever be downloadable content for the game, period.

There will be downloadable content, but it will be free. We’re doing this as a reward for our players but also to boost sales.

Every time you release DLC, it gets media attention.

Also, when someone downloads DLC, it means they’re going to be spending more time playing your game. Maybe they haven’t touched Road Redemption for a few months, and all of the sudden they’re booting it up again. This means they’re talking about it with their friends, and that translates directly to more sales.

So the free DLC is a way of keeping Road Redemption evergreen.

The Wii U is not selling spectacularly at the moment. I’m curious what you guys think of how the platform is going to perform going forward, and what effect its situation has on your decision to port Road Redemption over. Do you know of any other indie titles that have been relatively successful on it?

We think that the Wii U’s sales are going to go up a lot once it has some system sellers. Right now, we think it has some great games but no system sellers.

There’s no game on the market that’s like Mario Galaxy. No one else is even trying to make a high quality 3d platformer, that’s enjoyable for adults. The closest thing you have is ploddings platformers like Tomb Raider or the Prince of Persia series. That and the conceptual nonstarter that was Mirror’s Edge.

So when we see a new Mario Galaxy, we’re going to see Wii U’s selling. When we see a new Zelda and Smash Bros and Mario Kart, we’re gonna see systems selling. These just aren’t game experiences that you’ll get if you’re using an Xbox Durango or PS4. They’re too damn unique.

Also, a price drop is going to be huge. We think this is inevitable once the Durango and PS4 release. So when Road Redemption launches on Wii U, we think the userbase will be much larger.

You’ve mentioned “true” split-screen multiplayer (TV/Gamepad) as something you’ll support on Wii U. Any support for other Wii U-specific features? Miiverse integration and off-TV play would be great!

We’re going to look into including both of those. Off-TV play seems like a no brainer, but we’re going to have to look into any difficulties involved there. From what we understand, this isn’t a particularly difficult process, and we’re suprised that it’s not a feature of all games.

We’re thinking aobut other Wii-U specific features. We’re big fans of asymetrical gameplay, so we might be able to do something there. The idea of one person controlling a rider while another acts as a diety, controlling traffic, has been suggested.

Our focus for the Wii U is going to be on multi-screen multiplayer so that’s going to be our first priority.

I think that’s about it! If there’s anything else you want to get out there regarded Wii U, Nintendo, Road Redemption, etc etc, feel more than free to add it on. Thank you guys so much for making the game, and for answering my questions! We’ll be sure to keep the game well covered. :]

Thank you for taking the time to interview us.