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 wonderful individuals who labored on the sport
right here to assist me by way 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, discuss what we
skilled right here in Iceland, and really simply be the consultants.
How are you all doing as we speak, 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 wonderful.
And I bought to start out with you, Lara.
I feel that this has been an incredible journey.
And so I am curious, what’s your position right here at Ninja Concept?
So I used to be the scriptwriter for Senua’s Saga–
Hellblade II, and I additionally did directed the efficiency
seize.
We now have plenty of questions posed to you
as a result of this recreation is like such a story expertise
that we will come to you about plenty of that stuff.
Effectively, sure, however you possibly can come to Dan as effectively.
MALIK PRINCE: OK.
[LAUGHS]
As a result of all people on the crew is
concerned in telling that story, so everyone knows.
Yeah, you are in there.
Effectively, talking of you, Dan, what’s
your position right here at Ninja Concept?
DAN ATTWELL: So I am Setting Artwork Director.
I am additionally one of many artistic route crew as effectively.
MALIK PRINCE: Superior.
And it’s totally 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 folk 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 slightly bit about Senua’s journey
within the first recreation and the place that leads us within the sequel?
ANNOUNCER: Sure, after all.
So Senua is a Pictish warrior from Orkney,
and she or he 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 in addition taught her the right way 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 form 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 have been like “by the point we get to the second
recreation.”
How essential is it to have that character arc and that character
improvement, the place you are constructing a narrative?
It is actually essential 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 vary.
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 she or he’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 plenty 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 important to think about?
DAN ATTWELL: Yeah, so basing on actual places
and capturing these actual places
form of gives us the chance
to extend immersion.
As a result of we’re utilizing actual world reference and issues
like that, actual world places, it
implies that you form 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 have been really speaking the primary evening
at dinner about how precisely what you mentioned
is true of so many video games, even among the largest
video games on the earth.
In the event you suppose GTA V, which isn’t essentially
Los Angeles, however the cause 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 in addition simply how true to every location and the weather
that you simply stored from every location as we went by way 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 bought there.
It was form 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 discuss how stunning the sport is, simply
typically talking, however I feel within the rain and every part.
However yeah, that location, are you able to inform us
slightly 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 reveals Senua’s encounter with the ocean big.
MALIK PRINCE: Sure.
LARA DERHAM: So we wished to take everybody there,
simply to indicate how we have created recreated that location in recreation.
It is a massively essential 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 essential to her.
That location, I feel going there actually
impressed the creation of the ocean big and that encounter.
As a result of once you go there and it is such a stark panorama.
There’s all these large 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 keep in mind the reveal of that.
Everybody remembers the place they have been when
they noticed that gameplay trailer.
And I simply suppose there’s a lot going
on from the graphical constancy of that second
to the urgency of that second for Senua making an attempt to run away.
The whole lot 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 nearly 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 seashore
and also you see all of those completely different parts,
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]
Effectively, yeah, principally that.
How are we going to do that?
Effectively, yeah, when it comes to the process–
as a result of we knew we wished to have
a illustration of the placement as trustworthy as potential,
so we used satellite tv for pc knowledge to get the topology of the land.
After which we ultimately used drone-based photogrammetry
on high of that to get a better decision.
After which we went in there and we took
scans of all of the completely different rocks and issues like that
and form of recreated them again within the recreation engine.
Yeah.
So it was a multi-layered factor.
And that location, normally, was one of many first check 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 have been a few of the–
you are making a recreation, proper?
So you may have this place that you take inspiration from
after which it’s important to take it and make a recreation.
So I am assuming that cave got here into it,
like, how can we make it in order that the participant walks into it
and finds one thing?
I imply, in case you have a look at the realm that we positioned it,
you possibly can form of think about how that headland was
linked 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 form of a sea cave there,
and we used that as an inspiration.
We scanned that, as effectively, and we form 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 now have to take away.
There’s issues that we now have so as to add.
However then in essence, we wish to hold the sensation of the placement
to be fairly trustworthy, although.
MALIK PRINCE: 100%, and I feel you all did an awesome job simply
from that gameplay trailer.
I am unable to wait to truly soar in.
However Lara, from the angle of somebody
who clearly is a scriptwriter, but in addition,
you oversaw the movement seize, we bought the prospect
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 stored pondering in my head is like,
not solely is Senua battling any foes that she might come throughout,
nevertheless it’s actually she’s battling the terrain,
and there is the bodily, I suppose,
fortitude wanted to recover from the terrain.
What was it like capturing these sorts of scenes, I suppose?
So we tried to be as 1:1 as potential with our movement
seize.
So meaning if we now have to do a difficult traversal sequence,
then we recreate it on stage and have Molina,
our wonderful actress, really make her approach by way of that
and report 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 extremely, actually gifted crew
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,
normally, 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 identify pronunciation.
I’m a metropolis boy, keep 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 admire 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 have been there,
however in case you think about an evening thunderstorm
with driving rain and a livid sea,
you possibly can see how imposing and terrifying that will really feel.
So it is actually fairly a confronting and–
what is the phrase I need– like dynamic scene for her
to come upon.
MALIK PRINCE: And I feel on this recreation,
gamers will discover plenty of these conditions
the place you thought Senua had gone by way of every part she might
presumably undergo after which here 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
have 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
have been extra just lately 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 identification,
clearly, outdoors of the inspiration that is there?
DAN ATTWELL: Yeah.
Effectively, 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 degree.
It’s totally a lot consultant of Senua’s psychological state
at that time and it pushes the narrative
in a sure route.
So once you’re going by way of that,
we wished it to be oppressive.
We wished to extend the bleakness of it
to essentially hammer house what–
it is form 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 gorgeous.
I really feel like I am working out of adjectives to explain
the scenes in Iceland.
I am similar to, individuals are going to suppose I am a damaged report.
However it’s simply so overwhelmingly stunning
that you simply simply can not help however be awestruck.
Our subsequent cease was Krysuvik.
And Lara, you advised 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 stunning location,
nevertheless it’s additionally it is lore.
And he or she advised an awesome lore story about Krysuvik,
in case you do not thoughts sharing with the viewers.
No, I can.
So the identify 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 would pronounce this incorrect.
I’ve solely seen it written down–
Herdis.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah.
LARA DERHAM: She lived close by in what’s now Herdisarvik.
They usually had slightly dispute over the place
the boundary between their two settlements was,
and every of the settlements had superb fishing spots.
So in the future they met.
They usually’re nonetheless offended with one another as a result of
of this boundary dispute they usually began buying and selling insults,
and people insults was 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 change into inedible.
And Herdis would say, I curse your fishing spot in order that
all of your trouts into anglerfish.
They usually bought angrier and angrier with one another
till the craze was so overwhelming that they exploded.
They usually additionally took out a shepherd
simply haplessly wandering by.
Someplace round there– I have never
been capable of finding it– however someplace round there,
there are three piles of stones that characterize.
I discovered them.
No, I did not.
[LAUGHTER]
So once 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 form of connection
again to the folklore and again to the land.
Possibly in an summary approach.
It might be in a particular approach.
However we at all times wished it to have that form 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 form 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 form of got here up with the identify.
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 okay.
It was nice, you understand, the steam coming from that place.
Once you’re constructing a recreation, particularly from an atmosphere
perspective, do you see locations like that
which might be to this point completely different than another place
as moments to be like, OK, I am going
to take slightly little bit of artistic freedom?
or do you simply go straight ahead
and say, this place is so vastly completely 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 inventive liberties
within the structure 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, slightly bit.
Yeah.
DAN ATTWELL: But it surely feeds off what you have 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 form 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 have been warned by the bus driver,
don’t check out the water.
It’s scorching.
No, you possibly can’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’ll 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 Sturdy.
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 useless
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 useless,
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 putting crimson on these rocks.
And really, 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 understand the sport is about in tenth century Iceland.
And once more, going again to the actual fact
that it’s important to make a recreation, what are parts there
that you simply change and also you say, let’s go and–
how do you make it a recreation?
DAN ATTWELL: Yeah.
Effectively, primary is the vista that you simply
can see once you’re there, as a result of clearly, in case you look
out past it, you possibly can 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 part up.
So we wished to broaden that out.
We have accentuated plenty of it.
We have modified the elevation.
It may provide you with a extremely cool opening shot as you are available
after which provide you with that sense of being misplaced inside it when
you get to the opposite finish.
Yeah, there’s plenty of issues that you simply
should tweak, positively, to make it really feel
compelling as a gameplay area.
I’ve liked 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 many factors of references
and builds it into the sport.
After which to what you’re employed on, which is script and every part,
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 way of in lots of
completely different facets– we’ve not even gotten to how nice
the sport appears or the sound design, the binaural audio,
all of these elements–
what do you hope gamers take away from this?
LARA DERHAM: What I actually need is
for individuals who love cinema, who performed the primary recreation
and perhaps noticed one thing of themselves in her,
I need them to really feel that we have continued
her journey in a approach 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 change into invested in Senua’s journey, change 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 degree of dedication to her character,
and I do know once we get to play the total factor,
it will 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 stunning land and also you all went to excessive lengths
to verify it was trustworthy, but in addition tweaked it in a approach
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: Effectively, I imply, yeah.
So the sense of journey was actually essential 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 form of gone on a journey,
too, like they’ve skilled it.
It is nonetheless fairly intimate.
The primary recreation was tremendous form of insular, like we talked about,
and really introspective.
And clearly, this one, she’s following different folks
and she or he’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 characterize the places hopefully amplifies that.
MALIK PRINCE: Yeah.
I feel gamers will certainly acknowledge and admire
that cohesion between supply of inspiration and the sport,
the way it performs with Senua, and all these parts 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 all over the place, 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 crew like Ninja Concept
can construct.
You all have finished wonderful work and I
cannot look ahead to gamers to play.
So as soon as once more, a reminder that Senua’s Saga–
Hellblade II is out on Could twenty first on Xbox and PC, and naturally,
Day One on Xbox Recreation Cross.
Thanks a lot, Lara and Dan.
Thanks for stopping by.
Truly, thank me for stopping by in Iceland,
I suppose we’d say.
[LAUGHS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[XBOX SOUND]
