Soul Fighter Team Questions

GameSpot News recently sat down with the Soul Fighter design team to discuss Soul Fighter, the amazing-looking US Dreamcast launch title. Toka, the game's developer, is best known for such titles as Legend for the Super Nintendo and Burning Road for the PlayStation.

What little we've played of the game has captured our readers' attentions, so we've been following the title closely - here's the latest addition to our list of coverage from the past few weeks. Today videogames.com posted a preview of Soul Fighter, which can be reached by clicking on the link to the right.

GameSpot News: Why return to the side-scrolling coin-op genre?Toka: Soul Fighter is actually not in the side-scrolling coin-op genre. Soul Fighter is a real-time 3D beat'em'up. True, the art and fantasy setting have been inspired by the classic coin-op titles that we all know and love from the side-scrolling days.

GSN: Will there be a credit limitation, as in many of the older Genesis arcade conversions?Toka: In the coin-op version there will be credit limitations, but the title will be modified for a "home version" on the Dreamcast. (Ed's note: the arcade version is to be released in Japan early this fall)

GSN: Are there any plans to include a multiplayer mode?Toka: One of the outstanding features in Soul Fighter is its motion-capture animation running at 60fps combined with a free-roaming environment. Reproducing this 60fps frame rate is simply not possible with a two-player option. There are currently no plans to include a multiplayer mode.

GSN: Will there be realistic depictions of blood and gore? Toka: Insofar as you can include realism in a fantasy environment, yes there will be depictions of blood. We have not yet decided whether to include depictions of decapitation. We are also considering a blood and gore "off" option.

GSN: Is the use of magic going to be included? Toka: Yes. One of the three characters you choose to play will be a magician. This character's specific weapons will be magic and spells. Magic and mystic powers are also included in other ways in the game.

GSN: Who did you recruit to perform the motion captures?Toka: We have worked closely with one of France's leading mime schools to perform the motion capture. The idea to use mime artists came from the realization that we needed artists who could communicate the personality of the characters they play without words. You will notice that each character and enemy has specific and individual motion capture, which gives a clear expression of personality.

GSN: What was the inspiration for a medieval setting? Do you feel you're taking on Gauntlet Legends?Toka: As mentioned above, Soul Fighter is clearly inspired by the great coin-op arcade classics. We decided to take this heritage and introduce it to a real-time 3D environment. With the advent of the next-generation console technology, this is now something real gamers can enjoy in the home.

GSN: Why did you develop Soul Fighter for the Dreamcast instead of for the existing PlayStation? Do you feel that you're taking a risk because the Dreamcast has yet to prove its worth in North America? Toka: Certainly we did take a risk, since there is currently no Dreamcast-installed base in either the US or Europe. However, the choice for the Dreamcast was determined by our artistic drive to produce a game, which offers a real-time 3D fighting game with full-motion-capture animation in a free-roaming environment. This is simply not possible on the PlayStation.