Fear Effect: Retro Helix Q&A

Fear Effect: Retro Helix is actually a prequel to last year's Fear Effect. We sat down with Sandy Abe, the game's producer at Kronos Digital Entertainment to find out a little more about Eidos's new anime-styled adventure.

videogames.com: The game is a prequel to the Fear Effect. How many years does its story precede that of Fear Effect?
Abe: Retro Helix is set about three years earlier when Hana was younger and was still owned by the Triad.

videogames.com:What's the premise of the game? Who are the three/four characters brought into conflict with?
Abe: In this episode, we delve into the backgrounds of Hana, Glas and Deke, as well as into the extraordinary circumstances that brought them together. The story begins as Hana, Glas and Deke are independently hired under mysterious circumstances to acquire three separate items of unknown purposes. What starts out as a routine infiltration and retrieval assignment spawns a chain of bizarre events that forces our unlikely heroes to put aside their differences and unite their skills to save the world from impending doom! In Retro Helix, we also introduce Hana's close companion Rain Qin, an unparalleled beauty wrapped around a dark secret core. As we follow the cast through their ordeals and adventures, we will come to discover the origin of life on earth as well as the ultimate destiny that awaits mankind.

videogames.com: The original game garnered a mature rating. Will the second? What for?
Abe: Retro Helix will most likely garner a mature rating as well. In this chapter, we intend to further push the darker side of our characters. The situations within this story are much more adult oriented and "suggestive." Yes, there will be plenty of bloody battles and revealing scenes between Hana and Rain.

videogames.com: Will there be any changes in the art style?
Abe: The art style remains the same. The characters will still be done in polygonal Anime style on top of prerendered high-detail backgrounds.

videogames.com: How many different paths and endings will there be in the game?
Abe: Since Fear Effect is traditionally a "directed" experience, it is inherently difficult to tell a straight story with different branches and multiple endings. Although, at this point of the production, we are planning on many different minipaths and 12-plus different endings! However, I'm sure that we'll have to cut down the content to a more manageable size as the project progresses.

videogames.com: Will there be any different modes in the game after you beat it? Like Capcom or Namco sort of extras?
Abe: There are different modes and goodies that the player can unlock after they finish the game. They will also be able to unlock previously locked rooms and access restricted areas within the game. With each replay, we will also spawn a different set of enemies to create a whole different experience.

videogames.com: How many discs will the game be, and how long will it be, compared with the original?
Abe: Retro Helix will again be on 4 CDs. However, we've found ways to squeeze close to twice the amount of data onto the same 4 CDs. The Original Fear Effect has 450-plus cameras. Retro Helix will have close to 800 cameras and three hours of total prerendered assets.

videogames.com: Since this game is planned for the end of the PlayStation's life cycle, will you be trying to use the PlayStation2's ability to upgrade PS game graphics a bit? If so, what will you be doing?
Abe: Retro Helix is currently planned for the original PlayStation. It is impossible to achieve PlayStation2 image quality on the Original PS. However, we have found new ways to improve on the overall graphic quality with our Motion FX engine. We call the latest rev of our engine Motion FX3D. In general, the backgrounds will be smoother and more detailed. Player and enemies now have the ability to hide behind real-time 3D objects that are seamlessly blended into the prerendered movie backgrounds. We also added real-time 3D projectile weapons and 3D environmental hazards.