Bartski
Gold Member
While Bloober Team unveiled its new horror game, Cronos: The New Dawn, last month, it didn’t exactly give us an in-depth look at the gameplay, as the reveal mostly focused on building the atmosphere and its theme more than anything else. As it turns out, players who dig the combat in the Resident Evil and Dead Space games will find the combat in Cronos to their liking.
Speaking to MP1st in an exclusive interview, Cronos: The New Dawn’s Game Director, Wojciech Piejko, confirmed to us that the upcoming horror game’s combat will “lean” towards Resident Evil and Dead Space. Not only that, but Bloober will implement a combat mechanic that will “spice” things up, though refrained from stating just what it is exactly. Piejko gave Dead Space’s limb-cutting, and Alan Wake 2’s flashlight-on-enemies combat mechanics as examples of what they’re going for.
MP1st: Often, I’ll play survival horror games with the avoidance of using guns because I feel they can come off as more of a distraction and work better when as a last resort thing. I think that’s sort of a common belief that having a gun sort of lessens the scariness of a game because of the safe distance and power they give a player, though there are some examples out (Dead Space) that prove otherwise. What are the team’s thoughts about guns in survival horror, and how are they approaching them with Cronos?
Piejko: I totally agree that it’s easier to get scared while feeling vulnerable because of a lack of means to deal with monsters but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible – the game “just” needs a different design. You need to know how to control the tension and understand that when the monsters appear on the screen and the combat starts, the player feels relief. The player no longer thinks about what is lurking in the shadows, and the survival instinct takes over. The key to success in this case is to create a great atmosphere and build-ups before combat encounters, or even trick the player into thinking that they will be attacked and not do it. Example scenario: Imagine you are looking for a key. You enter a new area and hear the rhythmic sound of something hitting the wall. Finally, you see a monster banging its head against the wall. It doesn’t see you; you have already fought this type of monster, and it’s strong and challenging, so you sneak behind its back. You search the rooms and find the key—now it’s time to go back and pass the monster again. On your way back, you hear the banging again, but it suddenly stops. You check the corridor, and the monster is gone. Where is it? Will it jump out at you from another room? It’s only an example but games with combat may also be really scary if you play your cards right.
Overall, combat in Cronos is leaning towards RE and Dead Space areas but we are still storytellers at heart, so please also expect a strong emphasis on story and atmospheric exploration. The Traveler relies on suit, weapons and abilities, but is still very vulnerable to the monstrosities lurking in the ruins of an old world. You will be outnumbered, and you need to be careful to stay alive. Resources are limited and the monsters hit hard. We’ve also prepared something special to spice up and increase the tension of combat. I can’t reveal much right now but in Dead Space you need to cut-off Necromorphs limbs, in Alan Wake you need to use a flashlight on enemies, and in Cronos you will need to.. wait to see it ;]
While Bloober won’t say what this combat mechanic is, it should help in keeping things fresh, instead of just pointing your gun at enemies and shooting them like your standard third-person shooter.
MP1st: Bloober has been working on both Silent Hill 2 and Cronos simultaneously. Now that Silent Hill 2 is out, is the studio working on two projects at the same time again?
Piejko: Within the Bloober Team, we have two production teams. Both teams operate independently, however the whole team is sharing the experience of working on previous projects like Medium, Observer, Layers of Fear, Silent Hill 2, Blair Witch etc. And all I can say today is that after the completion of work on Silent Hill 2, the team will conduct the pre-production work on a new project.
In the same interview, Piejko confirmed that the audio team who worked on the Silent Hill 2 remake has now moved to Cronos, which should be good news for horror fans.
MP1st: We’d imagine working on Silent Hill 2 Remake was such a massive learning experience that undoubtedly will have some reflection on the development of Cronos. Though if there’s one thing we could pick that could be “carried over,” I think it would have to be the incredible sound work that was done on the Silent Hill 2 remake. With Cronos being more in the sci-fi genre, the sound team is probably getting all kinds of creative with the different types of noises we’ll hear in the game. Anything you can tell us or tease us about with that?
Piejko: Sound is one of the most important ingredients of horror and we are super privileged to have an amazing Artists and Composer here at Bloober Team to take care of it. I’m really proud of what the audio team accomplished in SH2 Remake and I can confirm that the same team is now working on Cronos and we can’t wait to share more about the sound of Cronos in the future.
It’s also not known if this pre-production project is related to “Project R,” a title previously confirmed by Bloober in collaboration with Skybound Entertainment that’s targeting a 2025 release. Of course, there is a chance that this project won’t be released in 2025, and with Cronos: The New Dawn scheduled for release sometime next year, it might seem a bit odd for the studio to release two horror games based on new IPs in the same year.
source:
Bloober's Cronos: The New Dawn Combat Will Lean Towards Resident Evil & Dead Space; Will Feature a Special Mechanic to Spice Things Up
Cronos: The New Dawn combat to feature something special, sort of like how Alan Wake uses flashlights, or Dead Space has dismemberments.
mp1st.com
Bloober's Silent Hill 2 Team to Start Pre-Production on New Project; Audio Team Moving to Cronos: The New Dawn
Bloober's Silent Hill 2 remake team has pre-production on a new project, confirming that the studio has multiple projects in the works.
mp1st.com
