Interviews
Halloween Comes Early for Gamers – “Ghosthunter” Creeps its Way onto PlayStation 2
“Our aim was to have both in Ghosthunter; the tension and fear elicited by horror and the excitement from the action genre.”
Rookie cop Lazarus Jones isn’t having the best year. It’s not enough that the world is being threatened by several bloodthirsty creatures that have begun to appear. Word has it that these creatures are ghosts – which would make them much harder (if not impossible) to kill than if they were virus-infected monkeys or mutated canines. Sounds like Raccoon City, right?
Wrong – Ghosthunter takes place in Detroit.
Focusing on action, not just horror, this promises to be more than just another survival/horror game. Featuring action-oriented gameplay, enormous monsters (take a look at the screenshots!), and a good mixture of weapons; Ghosthunter should keep you on the edge of your seat.
Want to know what the game is all about before running to your nearest retailer? Just ask Game Designer Phil Mansell, one of the designers of the game. He has plenty of creepy stories to tell, and more than enough reasons to make us keep the lights on while playing.
It isn't easy to scare gamers these days. We expect to see the mutated dog jump through the window every time! How do you hope to change this with Ghosthunter? Are you putting the horror back into survival/horror?
Phil Mansell: We are fans of horror – in games, movies, books and comics, so we have a really wide view of the genres. Also we love action adventure games, and our aim was to have both in Ghosthunter; the tension and fear elicited by horror and the excitement from the action genre. So Ghosthunter is our own take on survival horror, we are keeping the disturbing nature of horror games but injecting a big dose of action adventure as well.
I’m starting to run low on ammo…
Let’s stop this silly game of monster-eats-human and go out for drinks.
Which aspect are you relying on most to create fear and tension: music, sound effects, atmosphere, or frightening creatures?
PM: I’d like to answer “all of the above!” but if I had to pick out the one which has the strongest influence it would be the atmosphere. This permeates through the whole game, no matter what the individual scares and shocks might be on the way through. The game is set to a background of uneasy and at times chilling feeling, and this is built on further by the other elements such as audio, visual effects and the ghostly inhabitants of the game world.
Where does the threat come from in this game? What kinds of creatures do we have to battle?
PM: Lazarus Jones doesn’t have it easy; he’s under serious pressure from many quarters! The main problem of the escaped ghosts is less important to Lazarus than the fact that his detective partner Anna Steele has been stolen away. These two issues are intrinsically linked, so that is the main thrust of Lazarus’ route into the game. Of course those very ghosts Lazarus unwittingly unleashed are there to stop him! As for the different types of creatures in the game, I’d like to keep some up my sleeve, but expect to see mutant teddy bears, drowned corpses, poltergeists, and some truly massive individual bosses.
An evil ghost emerges.
What made high school a good setting for a survival/horror game? Is it because you think that's a place gamers could relate to?
PM: Yes exactly, the High School as the beginning of the game gives a familiar starting point, a location that is grounded in reality. That is one of the themes of the game – reality is being warped and twisted by the ghosts that have escaped.
Everyone has been to school, they know what the experience is like and starting Ghosthunter they will THINK they know what to expect :) That familiarity lets us as developers confound and play on expectations. Schools also have the themes of conflicts with authority, the relationships between students and teachers, and that too has parallels with Lazarus’ story in Ghosthunter.
Also there is the filmic reference which players may know: Carrie, Buffy, The Faculty, etc.
The high school is also home to a ghost research laboratory. Can you tell us anything about it?
PM: The Lab contains The Array – a store for captured ghosts which Lazarus inadvertently triggers and lets the ghouls free. It also has an armory for weapons and equipment, and portal gates which can be powered up to reach the other realms in the game.
Also in the Lab is an AI computer program that we know as “Digital Richmond” who is a guide to Lazarus and takes the role of mentor for the player.
In her youth this zombie/ghost-thing was a cover girl for Dead Fashion Magazine.
How do the prison, swamp and abandoned ship levels fit in? Why will be horrified to explore them?
PM: While each of these realms have their own happenings and inhabitants, they all fit into the story and progression in the game. Lazarus is often following in the tracks of Professor Richmond, and these places reveal what has occurred in the past and point to what is happening with Astral, Steele and the world as a whole.
Each level has its own creepy ghosts and creatures, which need to be captured in different ways and will cause lots of chaotic fun for the player.
Ghosthunter features more than one main character -- who are they? What makes each one important to the game and to the story?
PM: Astral is our second playable character. She is a ghostly being that merged with Lazarus during the accident in the High School, right at the beginning of the game. Astral gives Lazarus the second-sight which enables him to see ghosts, but also complements his abilities. Sometimes there are places Lazarus cannot reach or travel through, but Astral can fly or move through walls. Her abilities are collected from the ghosts Lazarus captures, so as the game progresses she can do more and more things. Astral also plays a key role in the story, in fact one that is far more important than the other protagonists realize!
Oh yeah, sure, like the bullet count matters at a time like this!
From a control and gameplay standpoint, what does Ghosthunter bring to the table?
PM: One of the elements of combat in Ghosthunter that sets us apart is the use of the Capture Grenade device. Because you cannot kill what does not live, the ghosts need to be captured. This adds another dimension to the battles and depending on the enemy can radically change the fights.
As for the actual control, we were keen to keep it accessible but powerful. As much as I like traditional horror games, I’m not too keen on the technique of limiting the player character’s movement or abilities. Sure, it can increase the tension at times but generally it’s frustrating and as a player you can’t display as many tactics or as much skill.
Ghosthunter’s controls are built so the player can really battle effectively against their enemies, and you don’t have to count each bullet you fire – we are Action Horror.
How does the story unfold? Do the ghosts leave behind creepy notes for us to read? :)
PM: The story literally explodes into action within minutes of the game starting, and much of the plot progression happens within the gameplay. Additionally we have used a mixture of voiceovers, detailed but snappy cinematics and items in the world such as police-reports and newspaper cuttings to “flesh out” the details.
“Out of my way Turok! There’s only room for one hunter in this town.”
Silent Hill had incredible shadows; Resident Evil has realistic zombies – what graphic effects will make our eyes pop out while playing Ghosthunter?
PM: One of the first things people mention upon seeing Ghosthunter for the first time is the quality of the visuals, and we’re really proud of this. The worlds within Ghosthunter are massive and highly detailed yet are streamed in seamlessly so there are no annoying game-stopping loading screens. We’ve managed to get the high detail through good technology, very skilled artists and intricate special effects. All of the ghosts have their own special effects so flying ghosts move as if they are flowing through the air, some phase partially in and out of reality and others morph and warp themselves into twisted monstrosities. In terms of graphical lushness I honestly believe you will see nothing better on PS2.
Thank you for your time.
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