Think technology is dangerously close to controlling every aspect of our world? Or maybe you think that we should bulldoze all the forests to make way for parking lots, shopping malls, and HAL obelisks? No matter your stance, Silverfall, the action RPG due out in two weeks from Monte Cristo Multimedia, will let you wage war against one side or the other. I spoke with Jehanne Rousseau, Silverfall's producer, to find out more about the game.
Shack: What is the back story for Silverfall?
Jehanne Rousseau: The game kicks off in the central city of Silverfall, the last of the mage-controlled settlements. In years past, Goblins invented steam-powered devices and discovered gunpowder; their new technology threatened the power held by the elemental sorcerers who had governed the land from their cities in the sky. As cities began adopting these new technologies, the effects on the environment surrounding those cities could not go unnoticed; a faction rose up to oppose all forms of technology, and to protect nature. The struggle between the forces of nature and technology has continued across the land of Newle for many years, and which influences all game aspects. Silverfall is an important city, in that it is the only remaining unaffiliated settlement. The player starts the game in that very city as it faces an unexpected attack at the hands of an undead army.
Silverfall is fundamentally a hack-and-slash game, with fast-paced combat, addictive item collection and extensive character customization and progression. Where Silverfall sets itself apart from other hack-and-slash games is the extent to which the story is incorporated, and in how open-ended character development is.
Shack: How did your team decide on the game's cel-shaded visual style?
Jehanne Rousseau: When we began to develop the gameÂ’s visual style, we decided that we wanted to aim for a look that was not only appealing, but also helped set Silverfall apart from its competition. The cel-shaded appearance is provided by a thin black outline around the characters, which helps lend a bit of a comic book feel to the game, while allowing the characters to stand out from the environment. The end result is a visual style that is instantly recognizable.
Shack: What races are available?
Jehanne Rousseau: Silverfall features four playable races: Humans, Elves, Trolls and Goblins.
Shack: Tell us about the character customization system.
Jehanne Rousseau: We've done away with the standard class system in favor of the open-ended skill tree. This way, players can create any type of character they want; they won't be confined to archetypical warriors or mages. Players are free to develop their character to suit their play style.
Upon launching a new game, players will ... choose a name for their character, as well its race and sex. We have included a few options for further customization, with the ability to choose the face, skin tone and hair style. The choice of race will open up certain parts of the skill tree, though most of the available skills will be open to anyone, or will become available when the player makes appropriate choices along the nature vs. science theme.
Each fight or quest successfully completed will give you experience points. When having reached a certain number of points (it all depends of course on the level, i.e. you will need more points to upgrade from 59 to 60 than from 1 to 2), the player moves up a level, which allows him to allocate four new Attribute points (Strength, Constitution, Agility and Intelligence) and four new Skill points.
Shack: Tell us about the skill system, such as the branches of the skill tree certain character types can access.
Jehanne Rousseau: Players earn skill points whenever they move up a level. They can allocate them freely in the skills which interest them amongst the three skill trees, which are Combat, Magic and a third which contains skills linked to the character's race and loyalty to either nature or technology. The Combat tree has three branches: Melee, Shooting and Technique; and the Magic tree also has three branches: Element, Light and Shadow. Therefore only the use of the third tree is limited by the race and the loyalty percentage of the player.
Apart from that, even an elf can use a two-handed weapon and string together a circular attack, a troll can launch a fire rain spell or summon some wraiths for help. There are lots of possibilities, as the player can juggle with more than 150 skills to create his character. All skills have been tuned and tested so that the system is solid and well-balanced.
Shack: What do you feel separates Silverfall from other titles in this genre?
Jehanne Rousseau: The game offers ... an unprecedented combination of elements: it combines the pleasures of hack-and-slash and action with tons of monsters to kill with more story-oriented elements while introducing the concept of choice through the whole game. Moreover, the skill system allows the player to really build the character he wants or to try unedited combinations such as the troll magician or the paladin goblin, who is also an innovation which will pleasantly renew the genre. Last, but not least, you have to add [in] the world itself, with its [open-endedness] and a unique visual appearance.
Shack: Any multiplayer plans? If so, can you tell us about them?
Jehanne Rousseau: Silverfall will ship with two multiplayer modes: free mode and campaign mode. The campaign mode is perfect for fans of cooperative adventuring, as they'll be able to play through the game -- including the main quest -- with the same group of friends. Free mode is great for fans of dungeon crawling, as they'll be able to fight monsters and grab all the cool loot they can, then log out until the next time they get the itch!
[In addition], with the game you will get the Silverfall editor, which offers a very large number of possibilities to the player, from simply adding new items or monsters, to the creation of full maps with story scenarios, quests, etc. In short, with this tool the players will really be able to create their own adventures and to share them with their friends!
Shack: Just how open-ended is the game world?
Jehanne Rousseau: The world is free, meaning that the player can go wherever he wants, even without worrying about finishing quests. The only thing which may stop him is the level of the monsters he meets, which may not be adapted to his level, if he walks around randomly. He can do all side quests without doing the main quest, or only do the main quest. He can take companions or advance on his own, he can choose his skills freely and buy them back if he has made a wrong choice in order to try something else. He can choose between nature and technology and see how this choice influences the world, his possible companions and, of course, his character. However, he will finally have to opt for one path or another; he can't stay neutral.
Shack: How did the idea of nature versus technology come about?
Jehanne Rousseau: When we were initially developing the game, we decided to create a central theme for the game; the theme would not only be aesthetic, but would also play a major role in the gameplay and the story. We decided to pit nature and science/technology against each other to achieve this goal. While you will, of course, make your way through various unique levels that portray either natural or technological elements, you'll also battle enemies that convey the same themes, and your character's development and the fate of Silverfall will ultimately rest on the path you follow.
Shack: How does the theme affect game play? Do I essentially just pick a side and stick to that path?
Jehanne Rousseau: It is indeed more complicated than that. Of course it is recommended to decide quite quickly for one path or the other, but the choice is not made at character creation or at one specific point. Each quest completed gives you loyalty points, and those progressively give you access to more and more items, special skills and new quests.
Various quests, skills and items will only be available to those that follow the path of nature or technology. Further, NPCs and some of the companions you encounter -- the latter will be able to join you on your quest -- have their own position in the conflict between nature and technology, and their reaction to you will vary accordingly.
As you progress through the game, you will be forced to make decisions and complete quests that will determine your character's tendencies. Sway toward technology, and certain skills will become available, such as the ability to use guns. The same goes for nature. In the end, your position in the struggle will determine the affiliation of Silverfall.
Shack: Can I join either side with any race type, or are some races adverse to one ideology or another?
Jehanne Rousseau: Silverfall features a very open-ended character-progression system that essentially allows players to create the type of character they want. So while others you encounter in the world may have preconceived notions about which side is more important, we'll leave it up to the player to decide for himself.
Shack: Do the quest types vary depending on your allegiance to nature or technology?
Jehanne Rousseau: There are many different types of quests in the game. Some of them will only be given to you depending on the path you have chosen, but at the beginning of the game you can take pretty much any quest, as you choose your path -- either nature or technology -- during quests. Apart from these multiple choices, which can completely change the solution of the quests, we have traditional quests in which you have to search for an item, empty a dungeon or kill a certain number of monsters, or other quests less common in the hack-and-slash genre, such as escort quests.
Shack: Thanks for your time.
Silverfall will be released for the PC on March 20, 2007. You can try the demo over at FileShack.
