QJ Interview: Legend of the Dragon

The battle between good and evil has been fought countless times, by countless representatives, on countless battlefields. This year, the battle’s taking place against the prosaic backdrop of China‘s sacred temples. The combatants? A young warrior stands ready at the side of good, while an evil magician musters his forces to achieve dominion over the world.

OK, enough with the flowery prose. We managed to score an interview with The Game Factory, the team behind Legend of the Dragon, the upcoming fighting game for the Sony PSP and Nintendo Wii. Legend of the Dragon is based on the BKN animated series of the same name and features lightning-fast martial arts action, beautiful graphics, and innovative RPG-style mechanics. Oh, and magic armbands and kung-fu monkeys, too.

Full interview, right after the jump! Click on the “Full Article” link below.

The battle between good and evil has been fought countless times, by countless representatives, on countless battlefields. This year, the battle’s taking place against the prosaic backdrop of China‘s sacred temples. The combatants? A young warrior stands ready at the side of good, while an evil magician musters his forces to achieve dominion over the world.

OK, enough with the flowery prose. We managed to score an interview with The Game Factory, the team behind Legend of the Dragon, the upcoming fighting game for the Sony PSP and Nintendo Wii. Legend of the Dragon is based on the BKN animated series of the same name and features lightning-fast martial arts action, beautiful graphics, and innovative RPG-style mechanics. Oh, and magic armbands and kung-fu monkeys, too.

Without further ado, here’s the interview.

How faithful will the game stay to the animated series? Will BKN (Bohbot Kids Network) have a hand in the game’s production?
The game’s story line is very similar to the plotline of the TV show. The Legend of the Dragon story begins against the backdrop of ChinaÂ’s sacred temples and just as a new Golden Dragon is selected. The Golden Dragon is the honourable title given to the chosen warrior set to fight the evil Zodiac Master, Woo Yin.

Each of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs has its own temple protected by a guardian; all guardians have individual powers unique to their zodiac symbol to help them defend their temple. The Zodiac Master – Woo Yin – plans to capture these powers; with them he will be unstoppable in his fight for the dark side to reign over China. Each milestone of the game development goes through an approval process that is managed by BKN.

Will the different arenas shown in the trailer also be in the PSP and Wii versions of the game?
The fights take place in battle arenas. There are 18 of them and they will be available for both the PSP and the Wii versions. They are all inspired or taken directly from the show. You will find indoor and outdoor settings with weather variations. Different temples such as the monkeys, horse, ox or rabbit are based on each characterÂ’s identity. Some indoor areas will found the player evolving in a forest or a mountain environment as an example. All of the battle arenas include destructible items.

Will the PSP and Wii versions of the game retain the cel-shaded look seen in the trailer?
This is a pure arcade style fighting game. We did put a lot of effort into making moves and combos looking real. It is cell-shaded and has the usual-suspect versus and single player fighting modes that we are all familiar with. We did add a quest mode that will challenge the players with a series of dictated ways of wining the fights in order to boost their physical and magical abilities. This power-up system blends a touch of RPG into the core gameplay of this title. There is a unique fighting system that we call the cast spelling system that has never been seen in a fighting game before that you control by storing a key sequence of buttons to create a spell….

Can you tell us about the spell-casting system? How exactly will that work and what does it bring to gameplay?
There is a unique fighting system that we call the cast spelling system that has never been seen in a fighting game before that you control by storing a key sequence of buttons to create a spell….we just canÂ’t reveal too much about it at this point.

Can you give us an idea of how the controls will work on the Wii?
The Wii-mote will be utilized in two aspects of the fighting mechanics (Spell casting / Defense and attack mode). It is mainly used for all movements related to fighting. The A & B buttons are used for punching and Kicking, Grabbing and guarding will be performed by twisting the remote on the side or moving the Wii-mote vertically. Shaking the controller will be also used in the Spell casting system.

Will there be any multiplayer options in the PSP or Wii versions of the game?
Yes, 3 multiplayer modes will enhance the gameÂ’s longevity and provide hours of fun for gamers. There is a versus mode (2 players basic one on one fighting), a Team mode (2 players) where each player creates a team of characters. Once one character is dead, the next one in the team fights. In game fight is similar to a versus mode. And lastly a Tag Mode (2-4 players) where each team is composed of two characters. In game fight is similar to a versus mode, but the player can decide to switch character at any time. When a character is not used, he recovers slowly his life. The PSP version will feature wireless multiplayer modes.

Aside from the controls, how else do the PSP and Wii versions of the game differ (playable characters, arenas, special moves etc..)?
Actually not much, the Wii graphics are a little bit better, but the PSP version will have an exclusive bonus.

How far along are you in the game’s production?
We are in the final submission stage for master with Sony and Nintendo. Very close to be finished.

Finally, what should fans of the series and videogames expect from the game?
After more than a year working on this title I’m very sure every fan of the show will enjoy playing the game. We’ve spent a lot of time working the animation and the graphics… and we are very proud of the result.

Any hints at what’s next from you guys?
We are developing additional titles for the Game Factory such as Bratz Ponyz for the DS and another Wii and PSP title soon to be announced.

There you have it, folks. Legend of the Dragon is currently slated for a June release in Europe, while those of us in the U.S. will still have to wait for an official announcement.