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Interview: Bloodrayne Betrayal | PSNStores

Interview: Bloodrayne Betrayal

Posted by on November 17th, 2011 | 0 Comments | Tags:

Little surprises in life are always fun. In particular, the re-emergence of an interview conducted prior to the release of Bloodrayne Betrayal, one of the games in the PSN PLAY promotion. Vivas conducted this interview a while back, and here are the unedited responses!

What was it like being chosen for the first Playstation Play? What were some of the selection criteria?

It’s a tremendous honor to be a part of Playstation Play. The extra exposure and recognition has really been great. As far as being chosen, I think Sony was simply impressed by the great game we had to offer!

What kind of support did Sony offer?

Marketing and exposure were the two most important boons to us.

What were some of the major influences in the design of BloodRayne: Betrayal?

Ninja Gaiden ( Xbox ) was a major influence for BloodRayne’s combat. I think that game has some of the best combat of all time, and Tomonobu Itagaki is one of my personal favorite designers. The platforming is inspired by a host of games, notably Mega Man X (SNES).

What is the game about? Where in the BloodRayne canon does this particular entry exist?

At its core, BloodRayne: Betrayal is about balls-to-the-wall action, platforming insanity, and gameplay, gameplay, gameplay. The story takes a backseat to the action. Because this is a reimagined BloodRayne, it doesn’t exactly fit into the series’ canon.

It seems that this game features platforming and action sequences that are reminiscent of Castlevania or a 2-D Devil May Cry. Do you feel these descriptions are accurate, and what other elements can we expect to see?

I can understand that people would like to compare the game to Castlevania ( a huge compliment to be sure! ). But the games couldn’t be more different. In Castlevania, the player has very slow, methodical control and the game is more about spacing and pacing than quick reactions. I’d say that the Devil May Cry comparison is more accurate for the action sections, but BloodRayne has inputs and feel more similar to Ninja Gaiden.

This is WayForward’s first PS3 release (if we don’t count Mighty Flip Champs DX). How has the experience been?

There is always a learning curve to new hardware, and the PS3 was no exception. As our first HD game, it was also a leap for us in terms of graphical quality. However, the result speak for themselves! The PS3 is a powerful and versatile system.

Could you elaborate on the story a little. Who are the Brimstone Society?

The BrimStone Society is a modern-day clan of vampire hunters. However, they are pretty useless when it comes to taking down powerful targets, so they brought Rayne as a hired gun. Her mission is to infiltrate a vampire get-together at a secret castle hideout, and exterminate the threat. However, a wrench gets thrown in the gears pretty fast.

The animations for the game are quite impressive. Is this hand-drawn style something you are particularly proud of?

Absolutely! BloodRayne:Betrayal continues WayForward’s tradition of excellent animation. Most animations in the game run at 24fps, which is the same rate as an animated film. However, some even run at 48, for intense smoothness.

Is there anything you wish you could have or wanted to add to the game that just missed making it in?

There are always a million ideas that never make it into the game. My favorite idea was to make a side-scrolling shmup-style minigame featuring the coffin rocket hurtling toward earth. wouldn’t that be awesome?

There you have it. Bloodrayne: Betrayal is out right now, and has been for a while. I didn’t enjoy it all that much, but maybe you will!