Nightmarchers - Interview

Farflame spotted some info given by game director Scott Brown about Nightmarchers on OnlySP:

A Tropical Apocalypse: Wyrmbyte Discusses the Making of Nightmarchers

Thanks to the influence of the mass media and word of mouth spread by travellers, Hawaii has the enviable reputation of a paradise: palm trees, beaches, laid-back locals, and spectacular waves. The volcanoes of the Ring of Fire add an element of danger that, to some, is even more alluring than the Edenic reputation. However, the islands are also home to a rich, ages-old culture and mythology.

As video games have traditionally drawn inspiration from more widely-known sources (such as Ancient Greece and the Norse religion) few projects have explored the possibilities offered by the Pacific islands. That tendency will change with Wyrmbyte’s Nighmarchers.

Brought to the public’s attention earlier this week via the commencement of its Fig-based crowdfunding campaign, Nightmarchers offers a tropical take on the increasingly tired genre of post-apocalyptic fiction. Set in Oahu, the game begins a century after a cataclysm has destroyed civilisation, dividing society into a series of splintered and disparate factions. At the same time, the Hawaiian boar god Kamapua’a has returned to Earth with an army to take control of what remains. Faced with this fearsome foe, players will step into the shoes of an ordinary man named Kai.

Unbeknownst to him, Kai is the descendant of kahuna who, since their deaths, have ascended to become Akua (deities). Kai’s quest begins when one of these Akua, Kū, wakens him to the threat posed by Kamapua’a and grants him access to the powers of a demigod.

Despite the inclusion of such abilities, the game’s director Scott Brown confirms that “action/shooter-styled gameplay certainly defines the genre [the team] is building towards.” The “supernatural Hawaiian abilities” act as an extra layer to give the player more options and diversify the core gameplay. “While there are some spells that are damage dealing, many deal with abilities outside the spectrum of a shooter, like taking bird form and flying or shark form and swimming.”

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