Multiplayer games are really popular too. We divided them into three teams, and each team would focus on a number of episodes, and there was a lot of going back and forth with different opinions and trying to figure out - how can we make this episode better, how can we make this really over the top, how can we make this a game that will appeal to a worldwide audience? Especially with a new IP, it's very risky, in this day and age, with so many sequels coming out. IGN AU: How did your previous work on the Naruto games help this process along? Hiroshi Matsuyama: About one third of the Naruto team at CyberConnect2 are now on the Asura team, but the rest – the two thirds – haven't touched Naruto at all. It was a group effort throughout the dev team, but when we had the story, we passed that on to an actual script writer. Who wrote the story? CyberConnect 2 did, as a group. When we came up with this backwards approach to the development process, first we thought of our focus on wrath, then focused on the story, so we built the story first. It's sometimes seen as negative, but it can be a driving force that helps you overcome any obstacle. It's something that anybody can relate to. That's why we focused on wrath as our main concept. Why do it that way? Hiroshi Matsuyama: Our main concept was that we wanted to reach out to audiences all over the world with Asura's Wrath. IGN AU: You started development with the idea of communicating an emotion – wrath, then developed the story, then worked out the best gameplay fit for each sequence. They were also kind enough to answer a few of my questions after showing off the game, so here's a little more insight into the development process. In fact, talking to CyberConnect2's President/CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama and Producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya during a recent demo session, it was hard not to feel their enthusiasm, and to see what a labour of love the title has been for them. (That said, IGN UK's Keza has played two thirds of the final game so check out what she has to say here.) There is something here, however something that makes Asura's Wrath worth paying attention to. Given the emphasis on telling an epic story the fact that I've only played isolated episodes from mid-late in the game doesn't help give a sense of direction or cohesion, and the gameplay comes across as a little slapdash and unrefined. Will it work as a whole? Well, it's hard to say. One minute it might be a third person beat 'em up, the next an on-rails shooter, then that will segue into a long cutscene punctuated by quick-time events. The gameplay is schizophrenic, and jumps all over the place. Story is the central driving force in the game, and it's an epic tale of demi-gods and revenge, with influences drawn from Japanese culture, eastern religions and science fiction. Think Naruto (no surprise, given developer CyberConnect2 has helmed several Naruto video games), think short stings where ad breaks would normally take place, think cliffhangers, and think recaps at the start of each episode.
#Asura wrath first game on px tv#
It's a game that is structured episodically, much like an anime TV series. Asura's Wrath is certainly going to be one of the more unique games released this year.