SuperPhillip (SP): What inspired you to
create Heroes of Ruin for the 3DS?
n-Space (NS): Heroes of Ruin is our contribution to a genre that we love
and respect: action adventure games that are heavy on leveling and looting. Titles
like Diablo, Dungeon Siege and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance were among our key
sources of inspiration. Our base concept, though, was to bring to the Nintendo
3DS the most robustly featured game in this genre that’s ever been developed
for a portable system. That concept not only excited the development team — it
excited Nintendo 3DS owners across the globe.
SP: The Heroes of Ruin
demo was impressive. I can only imagine how the full game will be. Were there
any problems in development with fitting the whole game (graphics, content,
amount of loot, characters, dungeons, online functionality) onto a 3DS game
card, much more pushing the 3DS system itself to run the game?
NS: Your readers might not know that Nintendo 3DS game cards
come in different sizes to accommodate games of varying scope. The game card
for Kingdom Hearts 3D, for example, is much heftier than the game card for Bust-A-Move
Universe.
We worked diligently to keep Heroes of Ruin as lean as
possible so that it could fit onto the smallest 3DS game card. In some ways, it
was a struggle to meet those limitations, but this process helped us learn
quite a bit about maximizing our resources. And it was good for us to challenge
ourselves in this regard because that ultimately meant we had all the more
reason to be proud of the game!
SP: Did having the
stereoscopic 3D of the Nintendo 3DS necessitate a change in approach to
development similar to how, with the shift to 3D, filmmakers had to change
their approach to how they shot scenes? Did the 3D effect make some things
possible to do which would have been impossible otherwise?
NS: Our experience might not have been as radical a shift as
what 3D filmmakers faced, but the new capabilities allowed us to enhance Heroes
of Ruin in ways more subtle and sublime. For example, you might see an
environmental object momentarily come between you and your character. This kind
of overlap is possible with any system that accommodates layered displays, but it
yields an enhanced sense of depth when done correctly on the Nintendo 3DS. That’s
why we regard stereoscopic 3D as the next step along the path of fully
captivating and involving players.
SP: Is it possible for
Heroes of Ruin to get patch support for things like glitches, bugs, exploits,
higher-level caps, oversights, etc? And if so, are there any plans to do so?
NS: Glitches? What are you talking about? Heroes of Ruin is flawless
— just like every other video game that’s ever been released! In all
seriousness, though, Nintendo has greatly empowered developers and publishers
with the Nintendo 3DS eShop. It was encouraging to see Nintendo release the
Mario Kart 7 update eliminating the Maka Wuhu shortcut, partly because we’re
huge Mario Kart 7 fans and partly because that demonstrated how such updates
could be delivered. So the possibility is there. As far as what updates might
be done for Heroes of Ruin, if any, that’s an ongoing discussion.
SP: I know at the latest
Nintendo Direct for Europe that it was revealed that Heroes of Ruin would have
free daily challenges for a year. Could you go into more detail on what kinds
of challenges will be available and how deep/complex they are?
NS: There are actually two types of challenges offered in Heroes
of Ruin. Daily challenges, which are delivered by Square Enix, are unique to
any given calendar day to ensure players can constantly enjoy fresh
experiences. In addition to these offerings, Square Enix will coordinate weekly
challenges. These will afford players a bit more time to earn the Valor that
can be exchanged for more powerful weapons and armor. So how exactly do you
earn Valor? One challenge has you hunting down five wolves in the Elder Forest.
Another challenge tasks you with killing four enemies in four seconds. There’s
a wide variety that will keep players of all skill levels engaged.
SP: Do you currently have
any plans to add DLC in the form of new dungeons, character classes, etc?
NS: That’s a tricky question to answer. If you look on the
Heroes of Ruin box, you’ll notice an absence of the orange Nintendo Network
logo. This means the game in stores doesn’t offer the option to purchase paid
DLC. But that’s not necessarily the final word on the subject. We don’t have
anything to announce at this time, but if your readers would like to see paid
DLC, they can make their voices heard at the HeroesOfRuin.com message boards.
Square Enix keeps a pretty close eye on that dialogue.
SP: Is it true that
Nintendo assisted in development of Heroes of Ruin by unlocking more of the 3DS
system's power? If so, how did that help development?
NS: Nintendo did help us, but not exactly in the way that’s been
reported. There’s been a bit of confusion on this point, so thank you for
allowing us this opportunity to set the record straight.
At one point last year, Nintendo released an updated
software development kit for the Nintendo 3DS. This new kit granted us and
other developers new access to the system’s second processor, essentially
unlocking for us some power that Nintendo had previously held in reserve. In
our case, we applied these new resources toward some of multiplayer aspects
within Heroes of Ruin, such as Wi-Fi communications.
So while Heroes of Ruin benefited from the updated software
development kit that Nintendo released in 2011, that kit was not released
specifically for Heroes of Ruin or given exclusively to us. It’s easy to see
where the confusion could occur, but it’s a distinction worth making.
SP: Speaking of Nintendo,
what potential do you see in the 3DS's future and the company’s next console,
the Wii U?
NS: Consider how much the Nintendo 3DS has accomplished in its
first 18 months. It’s hosted games in the Resident Evil, Metal Gear and Dead or
Alive franchises; it’s delivered incredible experiences from smaller studios,
such as Mutant Mudds from Renegade Kid; and it’s helped redefine what we can
expect from a portable system with unique features like StreetPass. And again,
this is just the first 18 months. Can you imagine the incredible games and
experiences we’ll be discussing two years hence? The Nintendo 3DS offers an
amazing amount of potential and we’re very eager to see what we and other
developers can achieve.
Similarly, the Wii U also has us very excited. We saw at
this year’s E3 some very innovative and exciting uses of the GamePad controller.
Of course, that tech defines how many people perceive the Wii U, but there’s
much more Nintendo will achieve with the system. Miiverse could revolutionize how
we think about and experience online interactions with other players. And
because we’re developing the Nintendo 3DS release of Skylanders Giants, the Wii
U’s Near Field Communication capabilities have us very excited. Would you
collect a line of Super Smash Bros. figures to scan and unlock trophies in the
upcoming Wii U game? We sure would!
In short, whether you’re a portable game player, a console
game player or a little of both, it’s a great time to be a Nintendo fan. And
we’re very happy to add to the fun with games like Heroes of Ruin!
===
It was my pleasure to interview the minds behind Heroes of Ruin. In the process of receiving this interview, I was assisted by n-Space president and co-founder, Dan O'Leary, as well as n-Space's Joshua Lynsen who organized the team's answers into what you see before you. Heroes of Ruin is available now exclusively for Nintendo 3DS. As for this site, SuperPhillip Central will have even more interviews with industry insiders and developers in the near future. Stick around and stay tuned!
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