After playing
Kingdoms Under Fire: Heroes at E3 this year I had
a hard time describing the game to friends. The combination of strategy
and hand to hand action was a refreshing change from the other entire
standard genre games on the floor so when we got a chance to submit
interview questions for the game we leapt at the chance.
GamingNexus: What’s your name and what is your role on the project?
Hello, my name is Jay Eom, and I am a Product Manager for Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes (KUFH) project.
GamingNexus: What is the back story behind the upcoming game? Is it set before or after the last game?
Jay Eom: Heroes is set in the same time frame as
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (KUFTC).
But this time, the seven campaigns of Heroes will depict the Encablossa
War (the main plot point of The Crusaders) from more personal and
closer viewpoints. One of the campaigns features what happened to the
characters five years before the whole war started. Another campaign
parallels the time frame of The Crusaders to show what really went on
behind the curtain. Another one covers what took place after The
Crusaders as well. Overall, the storyline of Heroes will make the
Kingdom Under Fire world a richer and more detailed place, but players
do not need to have a previous experience of The Crusaders to
understand and enjoy Heroes.
GamingNexus: What lessons have you learned in the development of the series?
Jay Eom: With Heroes as our second Xbox title, we’re still
learning many things. A lot has to do with how to achieve balance
between two seemingly opposing qualities: Eastern style vs. Western
style. Also, we’re learning to balance development goals to incorporate
a challenging title for hardcore gamers with a friendly and inviting
title for casual gamers. The list goes on, and we’ll keep learning.
GamingNexus: For those who haven’t played any of the previous games,
how would you describe the game play? Is it more action or strategy?
Jay Eom: Well, it’s basically either way you want it to be –
Action with some strategy or RTS with some action. Our intention was to
create an intricate balance between action and strategy. Although your
character is the strongest soldier out there, it’s impossible to
achieve a total victory by having him kill everyone. Inversely, if you
aren’t making a good use of the general, you’re not an effective
strategist. NOW, the player can decide to focus on either part of the
game. If you’re having more fun with the action part, do it more,
that’s a good way to win. If you’re about being a brainy strategist, go
ahead, that’s also a nice way. Just make sure you don’t completely
abandon the other part.
GamingNexus: Will gamers who didn’t play the first one be able to hop right in or are they going to be a little lost?
Jay Eom: Those who haven’t played KUFTC won’t have problem
playing KUFH at all. Newcomers can start from the Easy level campaigns,
where each mission is designed to guide the player through all the
basic controls and techniques. By the time they get to the Normal or
Hard levels, there won’t be much of a difference between a previous KUF
fan and a new challenger. For those who’ve finished KUFTC already, they
can choose to skip the easy level, or breeze through it quickly to
check what’s been added/changed.
Same with the storyline, too. Existing
fans will be rewarded by building a much more elaborate and richer
world on top of their existing knowledge. However, new comers can just
treat it as a new game and still enjoy the show.
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