Deep Silver finally unleashed a lot more information on their next IP which just happens to be s Saints Row spinoff titled: Agents of Mayhem from Volition. Taking place in the far future in the city of Sol, South Korea, Agents of Mayhem is set in a futuristic, technologically advanced world where not everything just went to hell like we see in many post apocalyptic games.
The wackiness and sheer fun that was packed within the demo proves that this series can keep going strong and in different directions. Choosing from one of three characters within the game allows the player to select a different strength within their agency, rather than leveling up just one character and making him the all powerful warrior. It’s a game Volition wants us to feel as though we are leading rather than just directing one man.
GamingBolt had a chance to speak with Anoop Shekar, Project Design Director to figure out just what Agents of Mayhem is really all about.
"You’ll also see references and callbacks and different sort of nods to Saints Row as well."
For being a Saints Row spin-off, what similarities will we find that will feel familiar between the two, such as weapons, controls, the world, game play style, etc.?
There are similarities in how the characters control and the way the game plays, it’s a third person action game with an over the shoulder camera. The big difference is instead of switching between weapons you’re switching between agents. In terms of other similarities the over-the-top feel, the crazy situations you’ve seen in Saints Row games – you’ll see a lot of those kinds of things in Agents of Mayhem. You’ll also see references and callbacks and different sort of nods to Saints Row as well.
If Agents of Mayhem is single player only why is there a need for 12 playable characters rather than focusing on just one character?
The big thing is we want the player to feel like they are a member of or running this large organization. G.I. Joe is a big touch for us, and if you only had one G.I. Joe it’s not quite the same, right? So the idea is that we want players to feel like they are controlling a cast of characters that fill out this agency.
Are there any plans for adding online competitive modes later on down the line?
We have no plans for a multiplayer, co-op or otherwise.
"But other areas of the globe are not as lucky. Different ministries affect the world in different ways, and some of them are a lot less kind."
Volition have decided to go ahead with a story that takes place in a future where everything didn’t just go to hell in a post apocalyptic fashion but stuck to being successful and technological. What advantages does going that route form in the game as apposed to the usual post apocalyptic tropes?
It’s interesting because – let me sort of take a step back and say the conflict between Mayhem and the Legion is a global conflict. In this game we are focused on Sol which happens to be high tech and not very decimated. The benefits of that is that the Legion is there because they want to exploit that technology, and Mayhem is there to protect it and they can use some of that stuff as well. But other areas of the globe are not as lucky. Different ministries affect the world in different ways, and some of them are a lot less kind.
What can you tell us about Legion and why do they want to obliterate other nations?
We can’t get too far into the backstory of Legion and what they are doing. It’s safe to say – part of it is a lot of the people in the world don’t even know what the Legion is up to and why they’re doing what they’re doing. Part of the game is learning what they’re up to.
When I played the demo I really got into the action, gameplay style, and fluidity. What do you believe are the secrets ingredients within the game that allows Agents of Mayhem to be so immersive?
To me it’s sort of three key pillars: we talked about one, the agents. Number two it’s the art style. We want to reflect the comic books villains, heroes vibe and so the art style is not something we’ve necessarily seen in a lot of other games, but we think it’s very cool, very interesting and very compelling. And then the third thing is the gameplay of switching between the agents and using their Mayhem abilities. The combination of all three of those really, I think puts you in a different mind that really gets you into the game.
"But at the end, from my perspective as a designer, we care more about a cooler experience than, “is it equally on par with the other platforms?”"
What is your opinion on Microsoft’s recent announcement of Xbox Scorpio and do you believe that it will be a game changer for the industry as a whole?
So I am unfortunately not as familiar with everything about Scorpio other then, from my understanding, it’s a powerful machine. I’m always interested to learn more and see what we’re doing. Anytime we have more access to more power to allows us to turn something to let the audience get something cooler, I just hope that we can see that. But I don’t know enough to know one way or another at this point.
There has been a lot of talk regarding Xbox One’s eSRAM as the major culprit behind the lack of 1080p resolution. Do you think things are stable and developers have been able to overcome it now?
That’s something I can’t speak too much too. All I know is we are pretty happy working on all our platforms. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. And resolution, obviously people care about it, it makes a difference on how the games look. But at the end, from my perspective as a designer, we care more about a cooler experience than, “is it equally on par with the other platforms?”
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