Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc Q&A

Trevor Chan has created elegant strategy games like Capitalism II and the Seven Kingdoms series, which is why it seemed surprising that the designer would turn his attention to a hack-and-slash game. Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc will attempt to take all of the fast-paced fighting you'd expect from a console-style third-person action game and will combine it with high-level real-time strategy. You'll play as the fanatical 15th century war hero Joan of Arc and will be able to dispatch the enemies of the king on foot or on horseback. However, you'll eventually rally entire armies to your cause, and you'll control these as you would a traditional real-time strategy game as you lay siege to enemy castles or engage in battle on the open field. For more details on this unusual game, we checked in with the lead designer himself.

Joan of Arc lets you take command of the 15th century French army.

GameSpot: Thanks for taking time out for this interview, Trevor. We have to admit that, given your background with strategy games, we were surprised to hear that your next game will feature lots of third-person hack-and-slash action. Tell us, in your own words, what sort of game you hope Joan of Arc will turn out to be and how you hope its fans will play and enjoy it.

Trevor Chan: I personally believe that what makes the game industry continue to advance is experimenting with new ideas and creating new gameplay models that are refreshing and exciting to gamers. The basis of designing new games at Enlight comes from the question: "What gameplay experience will realistically represent its real-life counterpart?" Great game concepts come from taking risks and breaking the mold. This is an internal goal of mine and something my entire development team challenges itself with on each title we create.

At the beginning of this project, I wanted to create a medieval game with a grand scale--one that would enable players to strategically command troops by formulating siege and defense plans. However, I did not feel the concept would be compelling enough if it relied on a traditional real-time strategy interface, which rarely gives players the opportunity to be fully immersed in battle.

The third-person perspective and the action-oriented game mechanic, while initially seeming simplistic, actually better accomplishes the task of re-creating the brutal battles specific to the medieval time. With this as a basis for gameplay, we could create an environment that enables players to experience wars and battles from a new perspective--letting them command troops, build siege machines, lay siege to castles and capture them, and subsequently recruit troops from the barracks of captured castles.

In Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc, all these familiar concepts of strategic gaming are experienced from the third-person perspective with the addition of a real-time strategy perspective. I believe this will deliver a gaming experience that more realistically resembles the relentlessness and brutality of medieval warfare and will also emphasize the military strategies and tactics unique to this era as well.

With this title, I hope that fans will take advantage of all the different variations of tactics and strategies available to them. We implemented action, role-playing, and strategy elements to provide players with a unique gaming experience, but most importantly, we wanted to present them with an opportunity to determine their own style of gameplay so they can decide their own fates.

GS: Obviously, 15th century France isn't a typical setting for a game. Why did you decide on this setting and these characters?

TC: Fifteenth century France set the stage for the most famous battles during the Hundred Years War, and within these battles, some of the era's most memorable figures (like Henry V) made history. It was also a time when castle architecture and siege technologies were at their peaks and before they were rendered obsolete by the advent of gun powder. This was one of the richest periods of time in the medieval age to draw stories from, and for all of us at Enlight, it made a great setting for this title.

GS: We know that the single-player campaign is based on Joan's historical adventures, but, obviously, the team had to take some creative license in some cases. Tell us about the campaign and what we can expect from it.

The game attempts to re-create the pitched battles of Joan's campaign to capture the throne for Charles VII.

TC: For most games and movies with historical settings, the addition of fictional elements or the alteration of historical plots becomes essential for delivering a fast-paced and thrilling story. This holds true for Joan of Arc as well. We used Joan's historical adventures to form the backbone of the game's campaign but designed each scenario with the aim of producing the most entertaining experience. When the rules of game design do not rest well with sequences of historical events, we, more often than not, opt for the design approach that favors gameplay over historical accuracy.

One example would be the route that Joan of Arc took as she escorted King Charles VII to his coronation. According to the history books, they crossed enemy-occupied castles, yet no fighting occurred. We chose to beef up this sequence of events by populating the castles with enemies who are eager to attack Joan's army.