Sega Sees Rise of Nightmares As 'Big Fish in Small Pond'Microsoft's E3 press conference back in June placed a heavy emphasis on Kinect. The company is quite serious about growing the Kinect installed base even higher and making the Kinect experience an appealing one not only for the casual crowd but also for Xbox 360's more traditional core audience. Part of that includes drawing upon more mature content for Kinect from third parties and Sega was more than happy to step up with Rise of Nightmares, which shipped last week exclusively for the motion camera. IndustryGamers chatted with producer Satoshi Ito about the challenge of making a game like Rise of Nightmares for Kinect.
IndustryGamers: How do you know Rise of Nightmares is the kind of game Kinect owners want to play? Do you believe its being a Mature title will be a sales catalyst?
Satoshi Ito: I hope so. But while we are aware that Rise of Nightmares is the first title with the age limit, we didn’t intend that while developing it. We began the development after Microsoft’s new technology, then called “Project Natal” inspired us and made us firmly believe that we could provide a genuinely brand-new experience. The development of the title proved that the technology of this hardware is not only for casual games. No matter what, Kinect has a lot of potential, and titles with new input methods utilizing the sensor will appear in the future. I think it is an inevitable trend.
IG: Considering some similarities in the IP, why not make this a spin off of the well-known House of the Dead franchise?
SI: House of the Dead is more of a gun shooter with a rail navigation system. Rise of Nightmares is an action game with the close combat weapon + free control. Because of this key difference we wanted users to understand this is a completely new title.
IG: Was this game always going to be a Kinect-only title or were their ever plans to include more "traditional" controls?
SI: As mentioned, the project began about two years ago, when Kinect was called “Project Natal”. We felt the uneasy feelings caused by standing in front of the screen without controller would suit the horror genre. In addition, we stuck to free control, not the game where the player proceeds along the rail. We wanted to express the sense that your legs unconsciously stop in front of the room which something seems to lie hidden in and the fear you face when you have to move forward by yourself. After attempt of several kinds of controls, we found the current style to be the most fun.
IG: What are your opinions on video game violence? Legendary programmer John Carmack believes they're cathartic - do you view Rise of Nightmares that way?
"We’re hoping to be a big fish in a smaller pond. I think the Kinect installed base worldwide is big enough to sell a lot of units."
SI: The violence in Rise of Nightmares is different in that the player is standing up, moving around, feeling the feedback from the fights and feeling the rewards physically for progressing. Perhaps it's cathartic, but certainly it’s a lot of fun, and you burn a lot of calories!
IG: Are you worried about how challenging it'll be for gamers to control movements with Kinect? How difficult was it to develop the game to be not on rails?
SI: We were optimistic because we made a prototype and found that walking around the screen was fun. However it was tough to get the final game design where we wanted it to be. The biggest challenge we faced was to establish the reliable relationship between the player and the game. Because there is no physical connection between the console and the player, if the game didn’t respond correctly according to the player’s gesture, he would immediately get bored and not continue it.
Besides, the gesture is different from person to person and from culture to culture. Additionally, the game didn’t perform as it did at the internal playtests in Japan when we tested in the West due to the difference of the physique. For instance, for the gesture to open the door, we needed to conduct countless playtests to accept all gestures.
IG: Many gamers like to play horror titles in low lighting or with the lights off, but Kinect doesn't function well in low light. Was this a concern during development?
SI: Rise of Nightmares can actually be played in the dark, it only needs minimal lighting. We turned off the light in the room when performing presentations during the development and made our booth dark in the events such as E3, etc.
We didn’t have the specific trouble then, so please immerse yourself in the game in a dimly lit room. You’ll gradually feel like you’re in the world of Rise of Nightmares.
IG: Considering that Kinect (and Xbox in general) basically doesn't sell in Japan, we're assuming you developed this game to suit Western gamers' tastes.
SI: Yes, we are a Japanese development team but developed the title aiming at worldwide market.
We set up a cross-sectional organization, where we recorded motion and VO and created sound in LA. The scenario was written up by an American writer while he visited in Japan.
IG: Why not create this game for PlayStation Move also?
SI: The action of the lower half of the body is important for this game. This game design would be recognized only by Kinect at this time.
IG: Are you concerned about sales being limited since it's a Kinect only title and therefore you're selling to an even more limited installed base?
SI: We’re hoping to be a big fish in a smaller pond. I think the Kinect installed base worldwide is big enough to sell a lot of units. We think the groundbreaking gameplay mechanics combined with the over-the-top-horror will gain the interest of a lot of people! It's an accessible game with a real story and a fresh kind of action, so we can make big inroads into a relatively smaller installed base.
IG: What marketing initiatives does Sega have planned?
SI: There are a number of different initiatives in different countries, so it’s relative to where you are. So watch out for Rise of Nightmares activity in your country!
IG: Does Sega have any DLC planned for Rise of Nightmares?
SI: It is not decided yet. However, we have a lot of ideas generated by trial and error approach during the development and hope to use them at some point. It will be interesting to see how people play the game, and feedback we get. We look forward to undertaking more challenges with the Kinect technology.
IG: Thanks for your time.
