Red Steel Q&A: Nicholas Eypert

This probably is the closest we’ve come yet to a preview of Red Steel, short of holding the Wiimote in our own hands. Shacknews’ interview with Creative Director Nicholas Eypert reveals and demonstrates so much of what to expect from the game: its opening stages, gameplay control, the whole nine yards. The only thing really missing is a hands-on demo of the current build.

In response to observations from gaming journalists, the dev team’s slightly altered the control dynamic for the game. Now, the Wiimote won’t be tied to the camera, as though it were a mouse in a PC-based FPS. The complaint with that was it tended to make the screen shaky.

Just like shooting arrows in Zelda (from the E3 demo), there will now be a “deadband” zone in the middle of the screen in where moving the Wiimote will not move the POV. The screen will pan with the Wiimote only when it’s pointed outside this deadband. To turn faster, the player “twists the controller” (the Nunchuck, perhaps, not the Wiimote, but that’s our guess). Eypert reveals that you’ll have the standard array of weapons with which to shoot with, from pistols to shotguns to assault rifles…

Then there’s the signature melee weapon, the katana. In this mode, Eypert says the camera will be locked to the enemy. The Wiimote controls the katana, and will be the main offensive weapon, while the Nunchuck controls the shorter tanto, mostly for blocking. Players can use large or small gestures in sword-fighting, but he says the secret to turning the enemy into sushi is with small but fast gestures.

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Pre-Order: [Red Steel]

This probably is the closest we’ve come yet to a preview of Red Steel, short of holding the Wiimote in our own hands. Shacknews’ interview with Creative Director Nicholas Eypert reveals and demonstrates so much of what to expect from the game: its opening stages, gameplay control, the whole nine yards. The only thing really missing is a hands-on demo of the current build.

In response to observations from gaming journalists, the dev team’s slightly altered the control dynamic for the game. Now, the Wiimote won’t be tied to the camera, as though it were a mouse in a PC-based FPS. The complaint with that was it tended to make the screen shaky.

Just like shooting arrows in Zelda (from the E3 demo), there will now be a “deadband” zone in the middle of the screen in where moving the Wiimote will not move the POV. The screen will pan with the Wiimote only when it’s pointed outside this deadband. To turn faster, the player “twists the controller” (the Nunchuck, perhaps, not the Wiimote, but that’s our guess). Eypert reveals that you’ll have the standard array of weapons with which to shoot with, from pistols to shotguns to assault rifles…

Then there’s the signature melee weapon, the katana. In this mode, Eypert says the camera will be locked to the enemy. The Wiimote controls the katana, and will be the main offensive weapon, while the Nunchuck controls the shorter tanto, mostly for blocking. Players can use large or small gestures in sword-fighting, but he says the secret to turning the enemy into sushi is with small but fast gestures.

The sword now reacts more or less to the Wiimote’s (and Nunchuck’s) input, rather than executing pre-set slashes like at E3. There will apparently be “special moves” available, however, which are triggered by specific Wiimote/Nunchuck movement. Eypert reveals, for example, the hammer attack, a powerful blow executed by moving the swords vertically. Dodging will be accomplished with the Nunchuck’s analog stick – and is recommended. In short, “by mixing simple moves, you have a wide array of attacks and defenses that stay accessible but [are] really fun to play.” (If you’ve ever wanted to unleash your inner Himura Kenshin or Nathan Algren, Red Steel‘s probably your chance).

Ah, and there’s the “focus mode.” Similar to Max Payne‘s bullet-time, it will slow down – or in this case, freeze – game time, allowing the player to pick off opponents at leisure. Focus mode is limited, and is earned by “how much you behave like a samurai” throughout the game.

Behave like a samurai? “A real samurai is a guy who masters his moves and techniques so well that he can choose if he wants to kill his enemy or not. In the game you will have this choice when you shoot and when you fight with your sword. The more you act as a samurai the more respect you can get and the more time you will have to use your focus mode.” Ah, so not killing the Yakuza has its own rewards – besides gaining valuable allies, of course.

To the observation that the only thing missing in Red Steel was the red blood to go with the title, Eypert relates that it was the team’s intention the entire time. Given that the Wii, from the start, was going to be a “whole-family” affair, Eypert and the rest decided that with this wider audience, all they wanted was to have PG-13 fun, not look out for R-18 or NC-17 guts on the floor.

Red Steel‘s scheduled to drop into Wiis everywhere November 19.

Pre-Order: [Red Steel]

Via Shacknews.com