Feature | NeverDead interview: Shinta Nojiri
Dying is stupid. It gets in the way of all the cool things you can do, like eating ice-cream, raising a family or hunting the scum of the underworld. It sucks.
Rebellion Entertainment apparently agrees, and has been hard at work on NeverDead, a third-person demon killing game with an immortal protagonist. Director of the undead project, Shinta Nojiri (pictured), answered a few questions for us about the mechanics, the story behind it, and the unique design challenges present in a game where you can’t die.
Be warned, things might get weirder than a bag of severed limbs.
Gamefreaks: What is the premise of NeverDead?
Shinta Nojiri: NeverDead is an action title that centres on an immortal demon hunter called Bryce. Bryce once fought a mighty demon that killed his wife and cursed him with immortality – which means he can be dismembered, but somehow still functions. Bryce has now been partnered with a feisty agent called Arcadia, and they work together investigating demonic attacks – wherein his unique abilities are called into play, and Bryce never dies!
GF: Since Bryce Boltzmann is immortal, will this be a challenging game?
SN: Bryce’s immortality is vital to the game, but Arcadia is still mortal so must be protected. While Bryce can survive dismemberment, he is vulnerable if his head is destroyed, and there are specific creatures that actively hunt his head down when it is dislodged. As such, there are several ways for the game to end, meaning that the player has to juggle several key challenges at all times, but Bryce never dies!
GF: Bryce is capable of doing serious damage to himself and his limbs; how will this work during gameplay?
SN: Bryce has the ability to remove his own limbs, and this adds a strategic element to the action. He can throw an arm into a melee of creatures, for instance, and still shoot at them from afar. Similarly, he can remove his head and throw it into areas his full body perhaps cannot access. The use of Bryce’s physical flexibility means that the player has far more ways to tackle situations than before and that there are ways for him to tackle seemingly impossible problems with a little lateral thought, but Bryce never dies!
GF: Can there ever be a game over in NeverDead?
SN: Yes, if Bryce’s head is consumed or if Arcadia dies, the game is over, but Bryce never dies!
GF: Megadeth has created a song just for the game, how did that come about?
SN: Quite simply, I love their music. I have been a Megadeth fan for years, and got in touch detailing our plans for NeverDead and stating that if it was at all possible we would love to work with them in some way. Thankfully, they liked what we were doing and went out of their way to get something appropriate for the game. That the NeverDead track will appear on their next album is a dream come true for me, besides Bryce never dies!
GF: How did Bryce end up immortal?
SN: : He went face to face with a demon in ancient times, which is revealed in the game’s prelude. As he and his wife attacked the demon, she was tragically killed and the demon enjoyed the irony of a man who lost his true love being damned to mourn her forever. Thus, he took Bryce’s eye and condemned him to immortality, so Bryce never dies!
GF: Will there be any cooperative or multiplayer modes in NeverDead?
SN: Yes, there is a multi-player mode that allows users to co-op within special levels and against key foes in the game. We will be outlining more on this in the coming months, until then Bryce never dies!
GF: What inspired the game’s unique concept?
SN: To be honest the NeverDead team has an immortal guy and we just interviewed him to hear his biography… I heard so many ways how to use his dismemberment. e.g. When he travels, for instance, he only needs to put his head in a box and sends it via DHL. The Bryce never dies!
GF: What types of enemies can we expect to encounter on our quest?
SN: The emphasis is on the odd-looking, but creatures that are remorselessly deadly. There are creatures with huge axe-like tails that can only be slayed by a sword, while the larger bosses have specific attacks and abilities – one has legs underneath and on its back, so can right itself if toppled very quickly, while another sucks in debris and spits it out using its powerful breath. We have really gone to town on the look and behaviour of these creatures, and they add to the variety in the game, with NeverDead Bryce!
GF: Aside from his arms and legs, can Bryce use anything else in the environment to his advantage?
SN: Fire, electricity panels, collapsing building, running cars, train crashes, and so on can be an advantage to Bryce. In other words, deadly features are nothing to this pitiful immortal. They can definitely hurt him but Bryce can take advantages with these incidents to defeat demons, and as you know, Bryce certainly definitely absolutely perfectly completely and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious never dies!
