Alien Syndrome interview by Gamasutra

This is an excerpt from the Alien syndrome Interiview by Gamasutra

G: How has updating the game been approached, and what can gamers expect from the title?

LH: Alien Syndrome was originally released by Sega during the 1980s. It was an innovative and exciting arcade game for its time. The game had a solid foundation of imaginative visuals and fast paced run and gun gameplay, but we wanted to completely modernize it to meet the demands of the modern gaming audience. So we decided to combine its core sci-fi universe with action RPG style gameplay.

The gameplay of this new version definitely places emphasis on the action component of the ARPG genre by requiring the player to refine his skill with range and melee weaponry in order to progress through the game. In addition there is plenty of loot to collect, weapons to upgrade, character skills and proficiencies to balance and an inventory to manage.

The game takes place far in the future and there is a bunch of nasty aliens on the loose. And of course, humanity is once again faced with the deadly threat of the Alien Syndrome, but we’ve chosen to focus the story of the game on the personal struggles of our main protagonist, Aileen Harding, as she deals with the growing menace and her role in trying to thwart it. What adds depth to her character is that she has an intriguing history that slowly gets revealed as the game progresses. By having the player play a specific character and focusing the story of her personal inner struggle, we avoid the detached, faceless hero common to most other action RPGs.

In summary, the game is all new, with new characters, weapons, environments, gameplay and a new story. Therefore this version of Alien Syndrome is not a simple graphics upgrade but a complete re-design from the ground. The result is an intense, ranged-combat oriented game with lots of strange and horrific aliens threatening to tear the player from limb to limb.

More About: Alien syndrome, action RPG, ARPG

cool