When Hunter: The Reckoning launched in May 2002, the third-person hack-and-slasher was met with great fanfare. Anytime you have a game with fabulous graphics, tough-as-nails gameplay, strong RPG elements and four-player multiplayer, you’re pretty darned sure you’ve got a winner on your hands.
When Interplay announced it was creating a sequel to the game, we naturally perked up our ears. Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer is slated to take place in the same troubled town of Ashcroft, this time with another Hunter and a multitude of new environs in which to hack the undead.
DailyGame recently had the chance to ask a few questions of Redeemer‘s producer, Brandon Lang. Although he couldn’t go into detail about the possibility of Live play or any unlockable features, Brandon was most kind to share some exciting new details for our loyal readers.
DailyGame: Redeemer is an all-new game, but it still takes place in Ashcroft. Will players have the opportunity to re-visit any familiar locations?
Brandon Lang: There will only be a couple familiar places that we will take you through. The Streets, Sewers and Catacombs will be familiar locations if you played the first Hunter. These areas will not be exactly the same, as there is a whole new look to Ashcroft, but you will remember them.
DG: What are some of the new locations players will encounter in Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer?
BL: You will be taken through Forests, Warehouse, Rooftop, Courtyard and the list goes on. I want to save the rest for when you purchase the game.
DG: How many enemies and undead creatures will return from the original, and do you plan to introduce any new ones?
BL: We will have several of the old enemies from the 1st. We are also creating new textures so they look different but they will have the same general look and feel. Some of the returning cast will be basic zombies, raver vampires, ghost, skitters and more. We will be introducing several new ones as well. These new enemies look like nothing from the first, and they will have totally different AI.
DG: The first Hunter: The Reckoning was graphically astounding, particularly the particle effects and translucent, hanging ghosts. Do you plan to implement additional graphical touches in Redeemer?
BL: We are doing a bunch on the new game. You can?t make a sequel that looks roughly the same as the first. You?ll see new effects, better textures, bigger (and cooler) environments. We are also creating new monsters and Hunters. The game looks outstanding and is already well ahead of the original from a visual standpoint. We learned a lot of tricks working on Hunter, and we all now have more experience with the Xbox. The art team is out of this world and is going to blow you away!
DG: We’d love to hear more about the new Hunter: name, sex, age, background, weapon preferences, edges, etc.
BL: The name of the new hunter is Kaylie, and she is the little girl you escorted through the graveyard in the first Hunter. When her parents were killed, she was imbued and has been training with Father Esteban ever since. She is now an 18-year-old girl who has honed her skills. Kaylie?s melee weapon will be a Two-Handed Buster Sword, and her ranged weapon will be a Black Power Revolver. As far as edges, I would like to hold off on that right now.
DG: Will you introduce any new weapons or edges in Redeemer?
BL: We will be introducing several new weapons, each original Hunter will gain one new edge, and Kaylie will have 4 new ones.
DG: Can you provide some more story details about the events that have brought the Hunters back to Ashcroft?
BL: Genefex, a large company that manufactures everything from pharmaceuticals to running shoes has revitalized the town of Ashcroft. Recently there have been citizens turning into monstrous servants of destruction. The surrounding forest areas have become unsafe as strange things walk the night. So one night Kaylie goes to investigate these happenings and while doing so she ends up getting her self into trouble and needs help. This is where the four original hunters come back to Ashcroft.
DG: Hunter: The Reckoning was challenging to play alone, but the challenge increased as two or more Hunters joined forces. Do you plan to keep this feature?
BL: This feature will stay the same as the first. Once two more people jump in the difficulty will increase. We will not throw more monsters at you; we will just increase the AI so it?s a more difficult task to take them out. We try to get people to work as a team by doing this. If you have one person that?s always going their own path, it will be very difficult to beat the game.
DG: How soon after the first Hunter: The Reckoning shipped for Xbox did you begin to plan and design Redeemer?
BL: Actually, we started talking about and roughly planning the sequel while we were working on the original. We all knew we were on to something special and could not wait to get on to the next one.
DG: Do you have any plans to port Redeemer to another console or to PC?
BL: No. Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer is an Xbox exclusive title.
DG: Will the save system work similarly to the original?
BL: Yes. The game is still linear, so you need to complete the entire task for that level, then the Save Level glyph will light up and you can exit the level and save. One thing we have added to this save feature will be mid-level save points. Our levels are a lot bigger than the first, so we really needed to do this. The bigger levels will have these mid-level save points so you don?t have to go all the back and play the level again. That gets very frustrating for myself and gamers, and we don?t want that.
DailyGame will have more on Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer as it becomes available, perhaps from the E3 floor. In the meantime, brush up on your undead slaying, because Redeemer is going to be one highly anticipated sequel. Special thanks to Brandon Lang and the entire Interplay team for taking the time to chat with us.