At the special event we attended last month, we talked to Jason Warnke, who is responsible for the combat dynamics of Immortals of Aveum, about the game.
Last month, we went to San Francisco at the invitation of EA Games and had the chance to play Immortals of Aveum, which will be released in August. You can take a look at the details of the game from our Immortals of Aveum preview content, where we expressed our opinions, or you can watch it from the video below.
In this special presentation, we also had the opportunity to speak with Jason Warnke of Ascendant Studio, responsible for the game’s combat dynamics. We forwarded some of the questions that we prepared ourselves and that we received from our readers.
Immortals of Aveum interview
Merlin’s Cauldron (MK): Hello, can you first introduce yourself?
Jason Warnke: Of course, I’m Jason Warnke from Ascendant studio. I am responsible for the main combat dynamics of Immortals of Aveum.
MK: The concept of the game has a style that we are not used to. How did you create this concept?
JW: Bret (Bret Robbins, the game’s director) and I were previously working on the Call of Duty series. He left the studio after World War 2. While chatting one day, he talked about this concept, which has the fantasy shooter dynamics he wanted to do for a long time. He wanted to make an FPS without guns and I wanted to be involved in this project.
MK: The game is truly a magical FPS game. But it also carries traces from games like Call of Duty, Doom and Hexen. Which game do you see closer?
JW: It’s more like a Call of Duty game where there’s obviously magic. Of course, there is no cover system in the game, because we have our own shield, a special shield. I’m not sure if it’s very accurate to make such a close comparison, but I have 94 copies of Heretic and Hexen. I love both games.
Our game carries traces but offers a completely different experience. It has a fast-paced action like Doom, as well as a heroic combat system. It’s a bit like Destiny on the talent side, and God of War inspired on the item finding side. While playing, you will get similar flavors to different games, but a brand new experience will be waiting for you in the game.
MK: So what can you say about the story? Does everyone have these powers or will we be faced with the chosen one scenario?
JW: I want to combine this with the other problem as well. For example, there is a very strong story in Call of Duty. Our play also has important cutscenes with a strong narrative aspect. In the world of Aveum, many, if not all, can cast spells. Jack, on the other hand, has a special ability where he can use all three different spells. This puts him in a better position than others. While a normal magic user can master one, Jack is a character with the potential to master all three different types of magic.
MK: Blue spells have a scan rifle, green submachine and red spells have a shotgun style. So, will we be able to see different spells like rocket launchers?
JW: Each of these three categories has its own variations. For example, blue magic can also take on a powerful gun or sniper mode. Red, on the other hand, has a much more impressive Super Shotgun style use, apart from a classic shotgun mode. Green will offer different variations where you can shoot fast shots.
MK: In the demo we played, the red magic already had a rocket launcher.
JW: We’re definitely going to see these types of area damage effects as well.
MK: There are also some puzzles in the game. We solve them with the spells we have. Does the puzzle system take on a more complex structure as the game progresses or does it continue with simple puzzles?
JW: Many puzzles in the game are at the level to be solved with the use of magic. Of course, there are puzzles with different solutions or similar tones in the following sections. However, to be frank, this is a game that is more action-oriented, and we do not want players to get stuck in the puzzle part of this type of game.
MK: Will we revisit the old regions we passed in the game? Because I don’t know if it’s because of the demo, but some doors are closed and I got a bit of a metroidvania-style feel from the game.
JW: Definitely, we wanted to put a bit of metroidvania in the game. With the new features you have received, you will unlock the doors that you cannot open or the special areas that you cannot pass.
MK: Especially the visual effects in the game are overemphasized and they look beautiful. But sometimes we see that there are so many effects on the screen, they take up the screen. In some comments about the game, we see statements like “epilepsy crisis is coming”. What do you think about this?
JW: (Laughs in the comments) We’re still working on the effects and I kind of agree with the comments on Youtube. We like the combat system to be true to the game’s own style and at the same time we want it to be legible, that is, in a way that players can understand. There will definitely be some balancing on this before the debut.
MK: What can you say about optimization? We got a lot of comments about it. Considering the system requirements of the game and also considering that many recent games have been problematic, do you see this as a challenge?
JW: I’m pretty comfortable with that. If you are going to play the game on PS5, Xbox Series or a PC hardware that can meet the requirements, you will get a fluent experience. Our FPS target in the game is 60 and I think we will achieve it.
MK: Do you think of any multiplayer mode in the future in the game?
JW: We don’t have a multiplayer mode, we are more focused on making a good action game with a story focus. You know, we are a new studio and we have directed all our efforts towards this goal.
MK: There are many different types of enemies in the game. But in such games, the problem we call “bullet sponge” (the feeling of shooting at the sponge) can occur. For example, this was one of the biggest problems of Ghostwire Tokyo, which came out recently. How do you plan to overcome this?
JW: Balance is a very strange thing. A single fact does not make the game very difficult, or determining the target points well does not make the game easier. My team that created the battle system is very experienced in this regard. We’re trying to find the perfect balance in this regard, and it’s very important to us that the battles are fast, action-packed and balanced at the same time.
MK: Well, the last and most frequently asked question of our followers; The feeling that we use magic instead of bullets in the game is very much. Are you planning to differentiate it with combos and do you think so?
JW: Yes, the combo system has an important place in the use of magic. You have to do combos often to create cool scenes in the game. While making the game, we thought about how we can make a game where there are no weapons but dynamics such as loading and firing bullets. All the dynamics in the game will make you feel like you are in an FPS game. We think that we are successful in this and that we can give that feeling.
MK: Thanks for your answers, we hope you get the feedback you expect when the game comes out.
JW: Thank you very much. We also wish players to love Immortals of Aveum and we are doing our best for it.