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Exclusive: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy Q&A Feature

Derek dela Fuente

21/11/2003

TVG chats to the guys behind THQ's forthcoming comedy action/adventure title...

Sphinx is an enchanting adventure filled with mystery, action and a deep, compelling storyline. The game is set in an entirely original universe that is styled upon ancient Egypt where players will embark on an epic quest exploring new worlds, uncovering dark secrets, interacting with hundreds of fantastic creatures and discovering new abilities. Travelling the world via magic portals to foil the evil plans of Set, players will guide Sphinx on a journey requiring all his wits, agility and special powers in an attempt to find the stolen mystical crowns of Egypt. Sphinx has multiple cool weapons, including his magical blade, capture beetles, possession spells, ice darts, acid darts and bouncing darts! Acquiring new special abilities as you progress through the game is only a small facet of what is on offer as you move through 5 huge worlds to explore, each one as diverse and rich as the previous. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy features 150 characters with 50 enemies characters to overcome.

TVG spoke with Mat Sneap, Director at Eurocom, one of the UK leading developers!

TVG: What has Eurocom developed that the public will know about?

Recently we have developed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and James Bond: Nightfire...before that we've worked with Disney on titles such as Hercules and Tarzan and with Universal on Crash Bash. There are plenty of other titles besides these though.

TVG: Sphinx is described as action and adventure. Can you expand on what kind of action and moves are on offer?

Adventure in Sphinx means exploring large and detailed worlds, talking with the inhabitants of these worlds and trying to find out what treachery is taking place and what you can do to put a stop to it. Adventure means taking on hordes of evil monsters, negotiating deadly traps and obstacles, defeating huge and powerful bosses, solving taxing environmental puzzles, buying items, monsters and ammunition to help you on your quest.

Sphinx can perform various moves with the sword, he can slash high in the air for tall or hard to reach enemies, he can perform a powerful double jump slam attack to stun enemies, he can perform a fast spin which damages enemies all around the player, he can perform 3 hit combos which end in a powerful strike and knocks enemies high into the air away from the player. Certain enemies will block direct attacks and must be approached with a different strategy, such as blocking their attacks with the Shield of Osiris and counter attacking when they are vulnerable. Some enemies hide in the ground or appear and disappear making careful blocking and anticipation necessary. Skilful players can knock enemies off cliffs with a well timed 3 hit combo.

TVG: Explain a little about Sphinx and also the Mummy, and how they interact?

The Sphinx areas of the game are more action orientated, this goes for combat as well as navigating the environment. With the Mummy sections you have to think about how you can use yourself to change the environment. Being a Mummy you can set yourself on fire, squash yourself, electrocute yourself, etc. and these abilities can be used to solve puzzles and interact with the environment.

TVG: How important is the story and what inspired the team to set the game in this period?

When we set out designing Sphinx we were looking for an environment that would allow for a very rich story with compelling characters which hadn't been used in this game genre before. The Egyptians and their mythology seemed to fit the bill very nicely. The story is an integral part of the game as the twists and turns dictate which of the characters you should be playing, it's something we've spent a lot of time developing.

TVG: There are loads of weapons and enemy characters? Please go into a little detail to excite the readers and tell us about your favourite.

Sphinx has quite a varied arsenal - Blade of Osiris, Shield of Osiris, Blowpipe, Acid Darts, Ice Darts, Bouncing Darts, Capture Beetles, Explosive Slim Burbles. Those are the conventional combat tools but itâs also possible to use things like pickupable statues to kill enemies. If you find yourself confronted by an enemy as you are carrying a statue for use in a puzzle - don't worry just throw the statue at the enemy! There are approximately 40 different types of enemy in the game and approximately 60 different NPCs.

One of my personal favourites is the Giant Green Worm; this 5 metre high beast waits for you in his burrow in the ground. When you get near he shoots out and grabs you by the head with his jaws. He then literally shakes the life out of you before throwing you away like an unwanted toy. The trick to defeating him is to lure him out of his burrow by running close, but not too close, then jumping high and slashing at his head with your blade. When you think its all over and you've got the killing blow, make sure you don't get crushed by his massive bulk as he collapses and dies!

What kind of progression is there to the game in terms of your skills and what you might find and use?

This is a fundamental part of the game in which the team and I are particularly proud. At the start of the game Sphinx is very much an apprentice. He doesn't yet have the equipment befitting a hero and has to survive and progress using his wits and tools in the environment. By the end of the first level Sphinx has one of the most important artefacts he will discover - the Blade of Osiris. As the game progresses Sphinx is regularly finding new equipment and abilities - the Shield of Osiris, the Blowpipe, Wings of Ibis (double jump), Capture Beetles, Crocodile Scales (fast swim), Acid Darts, Underwater Projectiles, Ice Darts, Hands of Amun. Sphinx can also obtain upgrades, which allow him to carry more equipment such as the Beetle Satchel, Dart Belt and Large Scarab Bag.

I most certainly wouldn't class Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy as a linear game. The environments and game design mean that there is almost always more than one thing the player can do other than the âcritical pathâ. Of course there are certain quests that you must complete in a particular order to âfinishâ the game. However, there are many side quests and optional objectives for the player, which are non-linear (i.e. you can complete them whenever you like). It's always an option for the player to delay the global quest and go and do something else for a while.

TVG: Every game has it innovations or clever ideas. What do you believe is compelling about Sphinx and The Cursed Mummy?

For me the dual character gameplay and storyline are really interesting. I've yet to see a game which manages to bring together two characters whose objective is the same, yet their core gameplay is so different. The way that the game switches between Sphinx and Mummy really creates a nice pacing due to the different gameplay types. I also think the characters and quality of the animation really stand out.

TVG: Explain the âmakeupâ of the puzzles, perhaps focusing on one of the more devious.

Well there are a lot of puzzles in the game. In general Sphinx has more physical based puzzles - avoiding traps using physical abilities (ledge hang, rope climb, double jump, monkey bar, etc.) carrying objects, blowing up or burning obstacles, shooting remote targets, light and sound sequences. The Mummy levels are a totally different proposition - they involve abusing the Mummy to his advantage. What would normally be a setback in a conventional game is what you need to look out for when playing as the Mummy. Setting him on fire, electrocuting him, crushing him flat, slicing him into three and blowing him up are all encouraged. One of the more devious puzzles involves slicing the mummy into three and then utilising those thee mummies to manipulate a pair of rising platforms which will give access to a critical item in the game. It would take too long to describe here but by the end you will have sliced the mummy into three, crushed one of them flat, slid between some vertical bars, avoided fans which would blow you back into the lava, set one of them on fire, run across the lava and under the lavafall, negotiated platforms in a pool of water to avoid being extinguished, got the third onto the platforms and cunningly switched between the three mummies to get one of them access to the chest.

TVG: Five worlds make up the game so how diverse are they in terms of looks and gameplay ideas?

The diversity of the worlds is very strong in Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. We have the city of Abydos - a cross between Venice and ancient Egypt where pyramids, the council chambers and other buildings rise out of the ocean. This is primarily a world of NPC interaction and mini-games and serves as a second hub.

Then there is the forsaken desert wasteland of Heliopolis with its sandy beaches, high mountains, cursed palace, lost temple and gargantuan wall stretching across its length. This is the hub which you will traverse several times, unlocking new areas and quests.

Uruk is a devastated land of inferno where huge cliffs, lava flows and distant volcanoes provide the backdrop. The game begins here and you return several times throughout your adventure. It primarily consists or action and puzzle solving.

There is the luxurious Palace of Luxor with its elegant decoration, highly polished marble floors, grand banquet hall, dark and sinister secret passages. This is the home of Prince Tutankhamen and you will spend time exploring the palace and talking with the characters.

There is the Castle of Uruk with its room of cadavers and tortured souls, palace of the villain himself, secret chambers and ledges and many other areas with grand scale and architectural style. All the Mummy gameplay takes place here.

Itâs also worth mentioning the interior of the Great Wall of Heliopolis as this could almost be counted as a world in itself. These interiors are of epic proportions and give a real feeling of scale. This is where Sphinx does a lot of his action and puzzle solving.

Thank you Mat