MALIK PRINCE: Video games on this podcast vary from E to M.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MALIK PRINCE: We’re right here to speak all issues Senua’s Saga– Hellblade II
And I’ve two superb individuals who labored on the sport
right here to assist me by means of this as a result of they’re the actual stars.
I’ve Lara Durham and Dan Attwell,
who’re going to speak in regards to the recreation, speak about what we
skilled right here in Iceland, and really simply be the specialists.
How are you all doing right this moment, by the best way?
Good.
Yeah, actually good.
MALIK PRINCE: We now have simply endured
two days of extraordinarily lengthy treks throughout Iceland
and it has been superb.
And I obtained to start out with you, Lara.
I feel that this has been a tremendous journey.
And so I am curious, what’s your function right here at Ninja Idea?
So I used to be the scriptwriter for Senua’s Saga–
Hellblade II, and I additionally did directed the efficiency
seize.
We now have a whole lot of questions posed to you
as a result of this recreation is like such a story expertise
that we’ll come to you about a whole lot of that stuff.
Nicely, sure, however you may come to Dan as effectively.
MALIK PRINCE: OK.
[LAUGHS]
As a result of everyone on the workforce is
concerned in telling that story, so everyone knows.
Yeah, you are in there.
Nicely, talking of you, Dan, what’s
your function right here at Ninja Idea?
DAN ATTWELL: So I am Atmosphere Artwork Director.
I am additionally one of many artistic route workforce as effectively.
MALIK PRINCE: Superior.
And it’s extremely apparent why you selected Iceland,
and we’ll get into that in just a bit bit.
However Lara, are you able to set it up?
For people who could also be leaping into this recreation
for the primary time and perhaps have not performed the primary one,
are you able to clarify a bit of bit about Senua’s journey
within the first recreation and the place that leads us within the sequel?
ANNOUNCER: Sure, in fact.
So Senua is a Pictish warrior from Orkney,
and he or she sees and hears the world in another way from different folks.
Her father made that really feel like a curse,
so she retreated from the world.
However she met a younger man who not solely opened
her coronary heart to the world, but additionally taught her find out how to be a warrior.
And when he’s killed in a rage by Viking slavers,
she units out to free his soul from hell.
And that is her expertise within the first recreation.
She’s very traumatized and buffeted by her experiences.
By the point we come to the start of the second recreation,
she’s discovered a sort of peace together with her experiences.
She’s discovered some company.
So when the Vikings come again to her village,
she makes a promise to Dillion that no person else will
undergo like he did and she is going to cease the slave commerce
at its supply.
And that promise is what leads her to Iceland.
Oh, that’s so badass, if I can say that.
Out of your perspective, that journey you talked about,
the phrases you employ had been like “by the point we get to the second
recreation.”
How vital is it to have that character arc and that character
improvement, the place you are constructing a narrative?
It is actually vital to us that we do not press
the reset button on Senua.
The occasions of the primary recreation modified her,
and that has to stay true.
That has to remain true.
For her character to be convincing and genuine
and really feel actual, she has to alter.
She has to develop.
So within the second game–
the primary recreation was very insular.
It was a really private journey for her.
On this second recreation, we’re taking her out into the world
and he or she’ll meet different folks and be modified by them
and alter them, and it’s actually a continuation
of that journey for her.
I like that, and we’re excited to see how she tackles it.
Now, Dan, we’re in Iceland and a whole lot of what you’ve got mentioned–
and we have been right here with creators
and we have been speaking to creators.
And Dan, I feel you arrange the explanation
we’re right here in Iceland so effectively.
The primary recreation wasn’t essentially in an actual location
and now we’re.
What are among the advantages that affords you
and among the issues it’s a must to think about?
DAN ATTWELL: Yeah, so basing on actual places
and capturing these actual places
sort of provides us the chance
to extend immersion.
As a result of we’re utilizing actual world reference and issues
like that, actual world places, it
signifies that you sort of do not query
what you see on different screens.
So there is a groundedness or a believability
to it, which is becoming completely
with how Senua was interacting, and now on this recreation,
in comparison with the primary one.
Yeah.
We had been truly speaking the primary night time
at dinner about how precisely what you stated
is true of so many video games, even among the greatest
video games on the earth.
In the event you assume GTA V, which isn’t essentially
Los Angeles, however the purpose why I feel
it resonated with so many individuals is as a result of it
is a model of Los Angeles.
And I feel it is fascinating, and we’ll
get into it as we go into every location, among the liberties
that you simply needed to take with every location,
but additionally simply how true to every location and the weather
that you simply saved from every location as we went by means of.
So on the primary day, we went to Djúpalón,
and that was an expertise.
Everybody is aware of who watches this podcast is aware of I am a metropolis boy.
I grew up in New York Metropolis.
So that’s the furthest factor from New York Metropolis.
So once I was there, we obtained there.
It was sort of overcast.
And I used to be like, oh, I hope it begins raining.
As a result of I really feel like this recreation, it shines within the rain.
I imply, we will speak about how lovely the sport is, simply
usually talking, however I feel within the rain and every little thing.
However yeah, that location, are you able to inform us
a bit of bit, Lara, about the advantages of going there?
LARA DERHAM: We now have proven that location earlier than as half
of a gameplay trailer we launched,
which exhibits Senua’s encounter with the ocean big.
MALIK PRINCE: Sure.
LARA DERHAM: So we needed to take everybody there,
simply to indicate how we have created recreated that location in recreation.
It is a massively vital second for Senua.
She will be able to’t give an excessive amount of away in spoilers.
MALIK PRINCE: After all.
After all.
LARA DERHAM: However she meets a personality there
who’s actually, actually vital to her.
That location, I feel going there actually
impressed the creation of the ocean big and that encounter.
As a result of while you go there and it is such a stark panorama.
There’s all these big rocks crouched there, like giants.
MALIK PRINCE: 100%.
LARA DERHAM: And the ocean is such a presence.
It appeared actually becoming to create an encounter
like in that location.
Yeah, and some issues there.
One, I simply bear in mind the reveal of that.
Everybody remembers the place they had been when
they noticed that gameplay trailer.
And I simply assume there’s a lot going
on from the graphical constancy of that second
to the urgency of that second for Senua attempting to run away.
Every little thing was so nice.
However I like what you talked about in regards to the sea
being form of a presence there, as a result of that’s what I felt.
You virtually felt each wave crashing
into rock in your chest, and I really feel
like that was superior to see.
Now, out of your perspective, Dan, when
you are going to construct that and also you go onto this seaside
and also you see all of those totally different components,
from the black rocks to the spectacular rock formations
to the ocean, what’s the very first thing that
involves your thoughts of how you are going
to recreate that within the recreation?
Crikey.
[LAUGHTER]
Nicely, yeah, principally that.
How are we going to do that?
Nicely, yeah, when it comes to the process–
as a result of we knew we needed to have
a illustration of the situation as trustworthy as doable,
so we used satellite tv for pc information to get the topology of the land.
After which we finally used drone-based photogrammetry
on high of that to get the next decision.
After which we went in there and we took
scans of all of the totally different rocks and issues like that
and sort of recreated them again within the recreation engine.
Yeah.
So it was a multi-layered factor.
And that location, usually, was one of many first take a look at bits
that we did as effectively.
MALIK PRINCE: Oh, good.
DAN ATTWELL: And I feel, as effectively, elements of that story
got here out of being there anyway, that impressed
us to try this chunk of the story as effectively.
Now the cave, although, the place the ocean creature was
wasn’t there.
No.
Only for any of the places, however this one particularly,
what had been a few of the–
you are making a recreation, proper?
So you’ve got this place that you take inspiration from
after which it’s a must to take it and make a recreation.
So I am assuming that cave got here into it,
like, how will we make it in order that the participant walks into it
and finds one thing?
I imply, should you take a look at the world that we positioned it,
you may sort of think about how that headland was
related to among the sea stacks which might be on the market.
What we additionally did, as effectively, is we took–
there is a location additional up across the peninsula,
the place there’s sort of a sea cave there,
and we used that as an inspiration.
We scanned that, as effectively, and we sort of
transplanted into that space so it sort of feels built-in.
However yeah.
And when it comes to how the narrative performs out,
the place the important thing beats are, and issues like that,
there’s issues that we have now to take away.
There’s issues that we have now so as to add.
However then in essence, we wish to maintain the sensation of the situation
to be fairly trustworthy, although.
MALIK PRINCE: 100%, and I feel you all did an awesome job simply
from that gameplay trailer.
I can not wait to really bounce in.
However Lara, from the angle of somebody
who clearly is a scriptwriter, but additionally,
you oversaw the movement seize, we obtained the possibility
to hike a few of these hills, and I shortly
realized how off form I’m.
In order that was nice.
Thanks for that.
However then one factor that I saved pondering in my head is like,
not solely is Senua battling any foes that she could come throughout,
however it’s actually she’s battling the terrain,
and there is the bodily, I assume,
fortitude wanted to recover from the terrain.
What was it like capturing these sorts of scenes, I assume?
So we tried to be as 1:1 as doable with our movement
seize.
So which means if we have now to do a tough traversal sequence,
then we recreate it on stage and have Molina,
our superb actress, truly make her means by means of that
and file that as a sequence, after which
that is what we use within the recreation.
So you actually have that constancy of efficiency
that provides to the immersion.
We now have a very, actually proficient workforce
of people that make that occur.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah, and it was so evident.
As we’re going, we have solely talked about one location,
however I feel one factor that perhaps gamers
have seen from the trailers and simply from the gameplay,
usually, is simply the mastery, the extent of mastery
that you simply all have in constructing these.
The eye to element is simply spectacular.
However I wish to transfer on to the second location,
and assist me with this title pronunciation.
I’m a metropolis boy, bear in mind.
Reykjanes?
Yeah, fairly shut.
Fairly shut?
OK, cool.
Cool.
I am going to take that.
How would you say it?
In order that particular space, Reykjanestá.
MALIK PRINCE: Reykjanestá.
DAN ATTWELL: There you go.
MALIK PRINCE: So I wasn’t that shut,
however I respect you giving me credit score.
That is the place we went on day two.
There’s a lot to speak about in that area,
however I feel you probably did an awesome job of establishing
that that is Senua’s touchdown level as she’s coming
to the southern tip of Iceland.
What’s the different significance of that location for Senua?
LARA DERHAM: It is the primary time she
encounters this unusual island that she’s come to.
She does not know the place she’s going.
She does not know what that is.
So she turns up and, effectively, you’ve got seen it.
We had good sunshine once we had been there,
however should you think about an evening thunderstorm
with driving rain and a livid sea,
you may see how imposing and terrifying that might really feel.
So it is actually fairly a confronting and–
what is the phrase I would like– like dynamic scene for her
to come upon.
MALIK PRINCE: And I feel on this recreation,
gamers will discover a whole lot of these conditions
the place you thought Senua had gone by means of every little thing she might
probably undergo after which this is
this new expertise for her.
And that is so cool.
After which, Dan, out of your perspective,
once I went to that location, there
had been like pops of inexperienced on among the rocks after which the ocean
moss.
However that place additionally had what appeared just like the lava rocks that
had been extra not too long ago positioned there as a result of it is like extra lively,
volcanic-wise.
As you are constructing every location,
what are among the issues that you are looking at
to construct out that spot to provide it its personal id,
clearly, outdoors of the inspiration that is there?
DAN ATTWELL: Yeah.
Nicely, I imply, the places that we have picked
are all fairly distinct anyway.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah.
DAN ATTWELL: After which we lean into these,
when it comes to the lighting and the climate
and issues that we put within the first stage.
It’s totally a lot consultant of Senua’s psychological state
at that time and it pushes the narrative
in a sure route.
So while you’re going by means of that,
we needed it to be oppressive.
We needed to extend the bleakness of it
to actually hammer residence what–
it is sort of dawned on her that she did not
know the place she was going.
She does not know the place she is.
It is simply all fairly overwhelming at that time.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah.
It was simply beautiful.
I really feel like I am operating out of adjectives to explain
the scenes in Iceland.
I am similar to, persons are going to assume I am a damaged file.
However it’s simply so overwhelmingly lovely
that you simply simply can not help however be awestruck.
Our subsequent cease was Krysuvik.
And Lara, you instructed an awesome story.
And I feel one of many issues that I discussed
on the very starting of this complete expertise
was the choice to go to Iceland appeared multifaceted.
And it’s the lovely location,
however it’s additionally it is lore.
And he or she instructed an awesome lore story about Krysuvik,
should you do not thoughts sharing with the viewers.
No, I can.
So the title Krysuvik comes from, it means “Kyrsa’s Bay.”
MALIK PRINCE: I see.
LARA DERHAM: Krysa was supposedly
a witch who lived there.
And her sister, in some variations of the story, who was called–
I’d pronounce this mistaken.
I’ve solely seen it written down–
Herdis.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah.
LARA DERHAM: She lived close by in what’s now Herdisarvik.
And so they had a bit of dispute over the place
the boundary between their two settlements was,
and every of the settlements had excellent fishing spots.
So in the future they met.
And so they’re nonetheless indignant with one another as a result of
of this boundary dispute and so they began buying and selling insults,
and people insults become curses.
So Krysa would say I’ll curse your fishing grounds so
that each one your trouts flip into fir trout
and develop fir and develop into inedible.
And Herdis would say, I curse your fishing spot in order that
all of your trouts into anglerfish.
And so they obtained angrier and angrier with one another
till the craze was so overwhelming that they exploded.
And so they additionally took out a shepherd
simply haplessly wandering by.
Someplace round there– I have not
been capable of finding it– however someplace round there,
there are three piles of stones that symbolize.
I discovered them.
No, I did not.
[LAUGHTER]
So while you hear these tales, what
do you pull from that to use to Senua’s Saga?
LARA DERHAM: We have tried with each location
to floor what we’re doing with it in some sort of connection
again to the folklore and again to the land.
Possibly in an summary means.
It could be in a particular means.
However we all the time needed it to have that sort of hyperlink to the land.
So we took that determine of Krysa and we
took female, monstrous power from that,
after which we used that to create the settlement of Freyslake.
Frey comes from Freya, the goddess, female goddess
of Norse mythology.
After which the [NON-ENGLISH] refers back to the scorching springs that
are in that space.
And so the sort of effervescent fury of the new springs,
the craze of the witches, and the female power
turns into very slick.
In order that was how we sort of got here up with the title.
And once more, to not give an excessive amount of away, however there
are different hyperlinks to the narrative.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah, 100%.
After which, Dan, there have been a number of issues
that I seen about that place.
The scent was one.
Very sulfuric, which is ok.
It was nice, you understand, the steam coming from that place.
While you’re constructing a recreation, particularly from an setting
perspective, do you see locations like that
which might be up to now totally different than every other place
as moments to be like, OK, I am going
to take a bit of little bit of artistic freedom?
or do you simply go straight ahead
and say, this place is so vastly totally different from some
of the opposite locations that we visited that we wish to keep
true to the essence of it?
DAN ATTWELL: A little bit of each, actually.
I imply, yeah, as a result of we needed to take some creative liberties
within the format of that anyway, as a result of sticking a settlement
proper on high of it, it is a bit of a bizarre place
to place a settlement.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah, a bit of bit.
Yeah.
DAN ATTWELL: But it surely feeds off what you had been simply saying
in regards to the concepts behind it.
After which, yeah, we have accentuated
a few of that that was there, with the effervescent mud and issues
like that.
We have areas inside it which might be much more sort of risky
and issues.
We dial some stuff up.
We dial some stuff down.
Yeah.
Will gamers, in the event that they contact the water, will they like get burned
or one thing.
As a result of we had been warned by the bus driver,
don’t take a look at out the water.
It’s scorching.
No, you may’t.
OK.
That is confirmed.
Confirmed.
What are among the encounters that Senua
was going to have in Krysuvik?
LARA DERHAM: So Krysuvik is the place we first
encounter the droga.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah.
LARA DERHAM: Which you should have seen in among the trailers.
They’re based mostly actually strongly on the droga
from the Icelandic sagas, specifically– sorry
to get a bit particular, however there’s
a saga referred to as The Story of Grettir The Robust.
And in that, Grettir fights a droga.
And the Norse concept of the undead was actually, actually compelling
to us.
For them, the those that got here again from the lifeless
weren’t spirits.
Not ethereal, ghostly spirits.
They’re very, very actual, very bodily, and really violent
and really harmful.
So on this saga, the shepherd who comes again from the lifeless,
he roams round attacking livestock, attacking folks,
and killing them.
And those that he kills, they flip into droga, too.
So there’s a component of contagion
to it, in addition to this actually violent bodily presence.
So that is what informs our depiction of the droga
and crucifix, the place you’ll first,
and Senua will first, encounter them.
MALIK PRINCE: All proper, subsequent up on the journey was Rauðhólar.
I do not know what I considered that place within the sense of it
was very clear, the placing crimson on these rocks.
And truly, Dan, I am going to begin with you on this one.
As you understand, we’re in 2024.
You see this location.
You are like, I wish to put this within the recreation.
However you notice the sport is ready in tenth century Iceland.
And once more, going again to the very fact
that it’s a must to make a recreation, what are components there
that you simply change and also you say, let’s go and–
how do you make it a recreation?
DAN ATTWELL: Yeah.
Nicely, primary is the vista that you simply
can see while you’re there, as a result of clearly, should you look
out past it, you may see Reykjavik
and there is a motorway entrance and stuff like that.
MALIK PRINCE: It would not work.
DAN ATTWELL: Yeah, precisely.
So then and clearly, once more, it is
about dialing every little thing up.
So we needed to develop that out.
We have accentuated numerous it.
We have modified the elevation.
It is going to offer you a very cool opening shot as you are available in
after which offer you that sense of being misplaced inside it when
you get to the opposite finish.
Yeah, there’s numerous issues that you simply
must tweak, undoubtedly, to make it really feel
compelling as a gameplay area.
I’ve beloved this.
And like I discussed, this complete expertise in Iceland
has been actually eye-opening.
I am glad that we have gotten to take the viewers alongside
for this as a result of I do not know that folks fairly perceive
what it takes to make a recreation.
However not solely make a recreation, however make
a recreation that takes a location and builds upon it,
takes its affect and plenty of factors of references
and builds it into the sport.
After which to what you’re employed on, which is script and every little thing,
you even have to contemplate how a personality grows
in that area and their encounters, and all of it is
been nice.
After which Lara, I wish to pose this query to you.
As a result of as you construct this recreation, as I discussed on the high,
with the mastery that you simply all have gone by means of in lots of
totally different facets– we have not even gotten to how nice
the sport seems to be or the sound design, the binaural audio,
all of these elements–
what do you hope gamers take away from this?
LARA DERHAM: What I really need is
for individuals who love cinema, who performed the primary recreation
and perhaps noticed one thing of themselves in her,
I would like them to really feel that we have continued
her journey in a means that makes them really feel as immersed and as
invested in Senua as they did from the primary recreation.
However I’d additionally like individuals who have not performed the primary recreation
to develop into invested in Senua’s journey, develop into
immersed in her world.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah, and I feel they’re going to do exactly that.
Simply once more, from the trailers, we have
seen that stage of dedication to her character,
and I do know once we get to play the complete factor,
it may be much more evident.
After which, Dan, what do you hope that gamers take away from what
you’ve got constructed off of Iceland?
It’s a lovely land and also you all went to excessive lengths
to verify it was trustworthy, but additionally tweaked it in a means
that it is sensible for a recreation.
What do you hope gamers can perceive
from this complete video or the method of constructing that?
DAN ATTWELL: Nicely, I imply, yeah.
So the sense of journey was actually vital for us to have
that starting, center and finish, have that actual curler coaster
of feelings and places.
I might hope that when folks come away from it,
they really feel like they’ve sort of gone on a journey,
too, like they’ve skilled it.
It is nonetheless fairly intimate.
The primary recreation was tremendous sort of insular, like we talked about,
and really introspective.
And clearly, this one, she’s following different folks
and he or she’s assembly different folks and stuff like that.
But it surely’s nonetheless very, very private,
and I feel that the best way that we have
tried to symbolize the places hopefully amplifies that.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah.
I feel gamers will certainly acknowledge and respect
that cohesion between supply of inspiration and the sport,
the way it performs with Senua, and all these components collectively.
Simply from this journey alone, I’ve a brand new appreciation for what
it takes to make a recreation.
I’ve a brand new appreciation for what
it takes to construct a personality that has depth.
And I do know that the gamers in all places, after they expertise
it, they will stroll away saying that that is one thing
particular and it is one thing that, fairly frankly,
if we’re being trustworthy, solely a workforce like Ninja Idea
can construct.
You all have finished superb work and I
cannot await gamers to play.
So as soon as once more, a reminder that Senua’s Saga–
Hellblade II is out on Might twenty first on Xbox and PC, and naturally,
Day One on Xbox Recreation Move.
Thanks a lot, Lara and Dan.
Thanks for stopping by.
Really, thank me for stopping by in Iceland,
I assume we’d say.
[LAUGHS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[XBOX SOUND]
