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Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
27/06/2005
TVG chats to the Lead Designer of Midway's forthcoming revision of the classic arcade title...
The Gauntlet name is much revered within the gaming world, and in the words of Midway themselves, `Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is the fusion of fantasy fighting action with the strategy of user-friendly RPG elements, providing gamers a deep, engaging gameplay experience complete with solo play, co-op and an online community`. To find out more about what looks a very exciting rebirth of the game, Derek dela Fuente spoke with Josh Sawyer, Lead Designer, about the fresh take on the game...
It has been 6 years since the last Gauntlet title; do you feel the brand still has the same kudos and high expectations attached to its name?
I think the last two titles in the franchise didnāt help some gamersā perceptions of Gauntlet. The console market has evolved beyond the simplicity of the original Gauntlet titles, but Legends and Dark Legacy didnāt keep pace that well. Our hope is to evolve the gameplay in Seven Sorrows, but keep the great fun and co-op that all the games have had.
In theory the gameās basics remain the same, taking control of one of six, (not four) figures in a hack/slash fest in a fantasy world. What are some of the prime objectives to ensure the brand remains exciting and grows and will the story be more involved and detailed; is this aspect a focus for the team?
The combat is much more involved in Seven Sorrows, and we also have nice character advancement and item collection systems that are easy to learn but have a healthy amount of depth.
"We donāt want to force people to sit through a story they couldnāt care less about."
The story is also a large focus of the game. Our Story Mode is told through the use of cinematics and more traditional RPG-esque text skits. But despite our attention to this mode, people uninterested in the story can skip straight to the more classic āAdvance Modeā. We donāt want to force people to sit through a story they couldnāt care less about.
Please tell us the backdrop story to the game.
Prior to the beginning of the game, three of the four immortal heroes (the warrior, wizard, and elf) conspire to murder a powerful emperor. They failed and were crucified on a magical tree at the bottom of the world. The valkyrie, oath-bound to stand by the warriorās side, stayed at the tree for two centuries until, for mysterious reasons, the tree collapses. The quartet set out to find out what has become of the emperor.
They learn that the emperor, overcome with regret over seven acts of cruelty, is attempting to merge himself with the magical energy of the world. He believes that if he can do this, he will be able to reverse the effects of his worst act, the murder of his lover, Cusirimay. Unfortunately, merging oneself with the energy of the world is potentially dangerous to the world itself. To prevent the emperor from tearing the planet apart, the heroes set out to undo his seven sorrows and set his mind at rest.
Please give our readers details pertaining to the RPG character development system.
Characters can level up, just as they could in Legends and Dark Legacy. But at the end of each stage, players can spend skill points on new combos, increasing the power of their class skill (super attack), or bumping up their primary stats (Strength, Endurance, and Intellect).
Seven Sorrows also has a focused item collection system. Players can collect weapons, shields, armour, and amulets to increase the power of their characters. Each item has a small set of relevant statistics that the player has to consider before equipping, selling, or trading it. Weāve worked hard to make sure the inventory system is easy to use and unobtrusive while still rewarding the player regularly.
What are the multiplayer elements/modes of the game and will the online experience be one of the central features of the game?
Essentially, all modes of Gauntlet are multiplayer modes. We have two modes to play offline: Story and Advance. Story Mode can be played by one or two players. The players alternate between three sets of heroes: the warrior and valkyrie; wizard and elf; and lancer and tragedian. Itās intended to give the player a sampling of the different play styles and a rich story.
Advance Mode can be played with 1-4 players, online or offline. It basically strips out all the story elements and lets the players focus on action and power-levelling their characters. Advance Mode is more like classic arcade Gauntlet.
Can you give details of the 6 characters, along with their signature move and class skill?
Since there are six characters, I hope youāll forgive this rather Spartan breakdown.
Warrior
True Name: Ašalbrandr
Homeland: Sušurhöfn, Heima
Hair/Eyes: Blonde/Hazel
Height/Weight: 5ā11ā/240 lbs.
Age: 345
Weapons: Great Cleave, Great Pierce, Cleave
Class Skill: Retribution ā“ The warrior is limned in magical fire. Any opponent who strikes him in melee will instantly be knocked away, taking major damage in the process.
Signature Move: Rain of Blood ā“ The warrior juggles an enemy and hurls his spinning weapon after the hapless foe, slicing the enemy in mid-air.
Valkyrie
True Name: Ragnheišur
Homeland: Noršķs, Heima
Hair/Eyes: Blonde/Blue
Height/Weight: 5ā8ā/125 lbs.
Age: 320
Weapons: Cleave, Magic, Great Cleave
Class Skill: Flock ā“ The valkyrie calls down a flock of ravens on her enemies, causing panic and massive damage over time.
Signature Move: Queenās Defence ā“ The valkyrie spins up into the air and releases a shockwave of energy, knocking back all surrounding enemies.
Wizard
True Name: Madoc
Homeland: The Dolwrach, Gwaedmae
Hair/Eyes: White/Black (naturally green)
Height/Weight: 5ā10ā/180 lbs.
Age: 406
Weapons: Magic, Cleave, Pierce
Class Skill: Constellation ā“ The wizard calls forth a blazing pattern of stars around him. The constellations orbit around him as he continues to move, causing damage to all caught in their path.
Signature Move: Menhir Eruption ā“ The wizard summons circles of mystic stones that create shockwaves, juggling anyone standing above them.
Elf
True Name: Idain
Homeland: Egelwyr (under the Struktum city of Danurhod)
Hair/Eyes: Black/Blue
Height/Weight: 5ā10ā/170 lbs.
Age: 301
Weapons: Pierce, Great Pierce, Magic
Class Skill: Glow ā“ The elf transforms himself into an expanding sphere of magical energy, burning nearby enemies. If taken to the limit, the elf will explode in a shower of light, hurling his foes away.
Signature Move: Needle ā“ The elf repeatedly drives his weapon forward in a series of blinding-fast thrusts.
Lancer
Name: Adeycmi
Homeland: Adagun Odo, Ajanaku Orile
Hair/Eyes: None/Black
Height/Weight: 6' 4"/230 lbs.
Age: 179
Weapons: Great Pierce, Pierce, Unarmed
Class Skill: Supremacy ā“ The lancer dons the mystical armour of his ancestors. He will not flinch from an attack and his martial skills increase considerably.
Tragedian
Name: Thandi
Homeland: Ukusina Umhlaba, Ajanaku Orile
Hair/Eyes: Black/Black
Height/Weight: 5' 7"/130 lbs.
Age: 85
Weapons: Unarmed, Pierce, Cleave
Class Skill: Maquette ā“ The tragedian teleports away in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a dummy for enemies to attack.
Please explain the rudiments and intricacies of the combat system.
The combat in Seven Sorrows features a relatively deep combo system. Each character specializes in a certain weapon style with its own move set, its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, Great Cleave moves are good at hitting large areas, Pierce weapons are fast and cover a lot of ground. The face buttons used in combat are for quick attacks (bread and butter), strong attacks (hit a larger area, cover more ground), break attacks (break blocks, usually juggle or knockdown an enemy), and projectile (warriorās axe, valkyrieās lightning, etc.). Different enemies often demand different weapons and different combos for success in any given arena.
How exciting and extensive are the enemies youāll face and perhaps you would detail one of them?
We are working hard to differentiate the creatures in the arenas. Because this is Gauntlet, itās uncommon that any individual enemy you face will withstand more than a single combo of moves. The interesting aspect for the player is meant to be how the simple behaviours of enemies are combined in a single arena.
For example, in the Standing Stones, the player will fight against Aesatae Warriors, Morbus Wizards, and Imperial Legionnaires. The Aesatae swarm around you. They are the typical Gauntlet enemy that comes in fast and in huge numbers, attacking aggressively and almost never defending. The Morbus try to stay away from the heroes, hurling skulls that spawn bone critters. If a hero tries to rush a Morbus, the wizards respond with a powerful magical push. Finally, the Legionnaires are well-armoured, defensive foes armed with long spears. They try to keep their distance from the heroes, blocking and back-pedalling if they are crowded. If a hero tries to āturtleā by blocking constantly, the Legionnaire will rush in with a block-breaking kick.
Heroes will find that different weapons work better or worse against any given group of enemies. Great Cleave weapons work well against the swarms of Aesatae, but the Legionnaires are usually out of reach. By using Pierce or Great Pierce weapons, the heroes can run down the Legionnaires and make short work of them. However, because those weapons have very few clearing moves, they work poorly against the Aesatae. Experimenting with these different weapons and monster behaviours is meant to prod players into thinking about whatās going on around them.
Romero and Sawyer sounds like a fantastic match-up; how did this situation come about and perhaps you could elaborate on the different directions that Seven Sorrows is likely to head as a result?
It started when John came to Midway, originally as the Project Director and Lead Designer on Gauntlet. He set the general direction for the title: an action-RPG with a heavy emphasis on action. I came a few weeks later, from Black Isle. John eventually made me the Lead Designer and he moved on to become the Creative Director at Midway, San Diego.
Both of our backgrounds were in PC game development, but I think weāve both come around to an understanding of console sensibilities. Itās been a difficult balancing act, finding the right level of simplicity and depth in every system. Hopefully weāre pulling it off.
With such a venerable franchise as Gauntlet, presumably plans are already in place to move across to the Next Generation of handhelds and consoles, where do you see the franchise heading in the next couple of years if Seven Sorrows succeeds?
"Iād like to see a single-player free-roaming action exploration game set in this universe...Of course, we have to finish this title first."
I donāt make the big fancy decisions at Midway (i.e. what games weāre making), but Iād like to see the franchise truly become a franchise, not just a series of similar games. I think there will always be a place for the four-player-on-one-box co-op game, and there should continue to be Gauntlet titles that evolve that niche. However, part of the reason why I developed the extensive character background and histories for Seven Sorrows was to give hooks for other titles in the same world. Iād like to see a single-player free-roaming action exploration game set in this universe, or even a more traditional RPG. Of course, we have to finish this title first, so who knows what the future holds!
TVG thanks Josh Sawyer for taking the time to answer our questions. Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is set for an end of year release on Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC. Weāll have more on the title soon.
