Interview | Renegade Kid Talks Dementium II (Nintendo DS)

Cubed3's Adam Riley: This is Renegade's 3rd DS title, right? What's been the main lesson learned from the first Dementium and Moon?

Jools Watsham, CEO of Renegade Kid: Yes, this is our third Renegade Kid title. The main lesson that I've learned from Dementium and Moon is how to get the most out of the development time given to each project. Dementium II has really benefited from this - the result being a cohesive and constant sense of involvement for the player every step through the game. This is produced by presenting new environments, new enemies, new twists, and story throughout the entire journey. Dementium II is a better realised game than Dementium and Moon.

AR: How supportive has the fan base been? Have you been taking on-board requests at all?

JW: The fan base is very supportive, as well as very demanding *smiles* Players want perfection, and that is what we strive to deliver. We have received a lot of great feedback on what was good and bad about Dementium and Moon. We took all of the feedback and combined it with the reviews and compiled a priority list of improvements, additions, and deletions. That's where we started with development.

AR: Do you feel some of the criticism levelled at the first game was
indeed justified?

JW: Yes, absolutely. Dementium is a game that I am both very proud of, and also fully aware that it could/should have delivered a better experience. I feel very fortunate that we've had the chance to produce Dementium II and address all of those concerns.

AR: Can you discuss some of the main new features included?

JW: The three big ones: 1. Better save system. There are manual save points throughout the game, as well as automatic saves at the turn of each chapter. 2. No re-spawning enemies. When a creature is dead, it's dead... unless it's undead, but that's a special case *smiles* Re-traversal won't screw you. 3. Dual-wielding. You can now use a flashlight and a single-handed weapon at the same time. Some of the other additions include jump, crouch, new inventory system, dynamic music, and a new survival game mode.

AR: Will any multiplayer and/or Wi-Fi modes be included? If not, please
explain why.

JW: No, Dementium II is a single-player experience. The reason is time/development cost. If we had longer/more money we could add it on top of what we have created. If we chose to include multi-player within the same development time/budget the single-player experience would be negatively affected, probably resulting in a game that has an average single-player experience and a sub-standard multi-player experience.

AR: How well did the first Dementium sell? Did you achieve good results
in Japan and Europe despite the delayed release?

JW: Well enough to garner a sequel (thankfully) *smiles* Japan is a hard market for a game that is developed outside of Japan, due to the cultural differences. And I'm not sure if FPS titles are typically welcomed there. However, it did okay there. The sales in Europe were pretty good, but not as good as in the US. I'm sure there are many reasons for this. Top of the list is the fact that the European market seems to be even more controlled by retail than in the US. I get the impression that the DS is pushed harder as a platform for kids in the UK. Not by Nintendo, but by retail. The US/European release of Dementium II will be much closer, so I am hoping this helps.

AR: What made you decide to put this sequel on DS rather than Wii or another format?

JW: There's an audience on the DS who wants it, so we wanted to deliver it to them. Mature rated games on the Wii seem to do worse than on the DS. You have to develop where it makes sense financially. Would we love to make Dementium Wii? Absolutely! Will a publisher pay us to do that? Absolutely not!

AR: Have you thought about trying something on the likes of DSiWare or WiiWare?

JW: Yes. We hope to release titles there.

AR: Are players going to have to had played the first game to enjoy the sequel?

JW: No. Even though the story continues from the first game, the story in Dementium II is separate and can be understood and enjoyed on its own without any prior knowledge of the first game.

AR: What else can you tell our readers to get them excited about Dementium
II?

JW: I truly believe Dementium II is the ultimate FPS survival horror experience on the DS. There's nothing like it. Not even Dementium: The Ward. I am so proud of what we have achieved with this title. I'm also surprised we managed to pack so much into it. Players won't be disappointed... unless there were expecting a Pokemon game or something.

AR: Will there be a Moon sequel? Despite positive reviews it was reported
the game sold poorly in its first month in the US.

JW: Moon scored higher than Dementium: The Ward across the board. It received multiple awards from places like IGN and Pocket Gamer. ABC News scored it 95%. We believe the game delivered a fun and exciting experience that resonated with players and critics. However, it takes more than the quality and appeal of a game to sell it. I think there are still some player's unaware that it was even released. So, due to the poor sales it is very unlikely we'll ever see a sequel to Moon.

AR: Can you provide any update on Maximillian or your Castlevania-esque DS projects?

JW: Both projects are on hold unfortunately. If sales of Dementium II do well, that may change. But, right now the future landscape for original titles on the DS does not look promising. Publishers are not willing to invest in original titles on the DS due to the general poor sales of original titles. I think Scribblenauts is one of the few Third Party original titles to sell well on the DS this year.

AR: What has the response been like so far after your video requesting
support to show publishers interest in new projects IS there?

JW: So far I've had over 4,000 views. Not quite the 100,000 we really need to make a difference. To be honest I wasn't actually expecting to get anywhere near 100,000 views, and am quite surprised to even have 4,000. But, I thought it was worth trying.