CantGetAWii
WiiChat Member
As Capcom’s Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barboros’ Treasure has so successfully demonstrated, the Nintendo Wii’s Remote controller and point and click adventures go hand in hand together, leading to what many feel will be the resurgence of a genre popularised on the PC and seeing its peak during the 1990s. German developer and publisher Daedalic Entertainment are of that ilk and are currently working hard on the graphic adventure described as an “eco-thriller”, A New Beginning, for both the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.
Nintendic recently caught up with the firm’s Claas Paletta to find out how its latest project is coming along. Amongst a lot of chatter about the game, he revealed that A New Beginning is one of Daedelic’s most ambitious builds to date, interesting details on the game’s controls and how the company hopes to lure back the legions of gamers who have largely turned their back on the point and click genre.
Nintendic: What was the initial inspiration behind A New Beginning, and why did Daedalic choose to develop it as graphic adventure?
Daedalic: Our focus as a developer is on games with strong narrative elements. Telling great stories is close to our heart and many members of our team have a background in development and publishing of adventure games. We feel that we have a lot to add to this genre!
Nintendic: What sort of gaming audience are you aiming A New Beginning at? Will the game’s difficulty reflect this?
Daedalic: A New Beginning is aimed at everyone who plays adventure games and everyone who has played them in the past. Many people have turned their back on the genre, since the LucasArts times and we believe that our game has the right ingredients to capture this audience. This is not so much a question of difficulty - after all, puzzles in an adventure game need to offer some challenge - but of the look and feel of the game.
Nintendic: So far no screenshots of A New Beginning have shown off the title’s gameplay interface. Can you explain how players will explore the game world on both the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS? Are there plans to use the Wii’s motion controls?
Daedalic: On the Wii and the PC the controls will be a very straightforward point & click affair. One twist is our context-sensitive interface which allows us to assign up to four specific interactions to every individual hotspot. This means, there are cool and “sensical” things to do with every interactive object and at no time will you hear standard phrase like “That doesn’t work.” I can’t give you any details on the exact implementation of the Wii and DS controls yet.
Nintendic: Approximately how many hours of gameplay will A New Beginning provide, and are there any plans to include incentives to return and replay the adventure once it is finished?
Daedalic: It is still too early to give an exact estimate, but A New Beginning will definitely be one of the biggest adventure games in recent years. We are currently planning to include more than 130 screens.
Nintendic: Are there any plans to develop features in A New Beginning for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS that take advantage of WiiConnect24 or the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection?
Daedalic: Sorry, no info on this yet.
Nintendic: Are the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS version of A New Beginning identical, or are there incentives for gamers to buy both?
Daedalic:The versions will of course differ quite a lot in terms of graphical implementation, interface etc. In terms of content they will largely be the same though.
Nintendic: What are your thoughts on Nintendo’s “unconventional, against the grain” approach to gaming where the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii are concerned? Was this at all behind your decision to bring A New Beginning to said platforms as apposed to, say, the PS3 or Xbox 360?
Daedalic: We are great fans of the way Nintendo has opened up the market towards new audiences - adventure games traditionally appeal to a less hardcore, older and more female audience. So that’s one factor that makes developing an adventure game for Wii and DS very appealing - in addition, the controls for these systems are a natural fit for a point & click game.
Nintendic: Does Nintendo’s WiiWare download service interest you at all? What are your thoughts on this concept?
Daedalic: Wiiware, XBLA and PSN are all very interesting areas that we keep a keen eye on.
Nintendic: Other than A New Beginning, does Daedalic have any other games in development for Nintendo platforms?
Daedalic: We are also working on another Nintendo DS games, aimed at young girls, called Dating Day. It couples a suite of cool mini-games with an engaging storyline about first love and dating troubles. You can find more info at: datingday-game.com
A New Beginning is currently on track for release next year. A long way off it might be, but certainly one to keep an eye on.
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