PALGN: To start off can you tell us a little about yourself and what your role with Golden Axe: Beast Rider is?
Mike Boccieri: My name is Mike Boccieri, Producer on Golden Axe: Beast Rider. I’ve been with SEGA and Secret Level since 2007, with the primary responsibility of leading the development team to complete Golden Axe: Beast Rider and bring it to release.
PALGN: Excluding spin-off games, the last Golden Axe title to be released was Golden Axe III in 1993, which unfortunately never made it to Western regions (unless you include the Sega Channel release). Why after over a decade did Sega finally decided to revive the series?
MB: I actually was personally involved with bringing GAIII to the West in 2006 with the Sega Genesis Collection for PS2/PSP, so it’s funny you mention that!
It really was a collaboration between SEGA and Secret Level back in the early days of development that brought the classic franchise back into the mainstream. In reviewing SEGA’s back catalogue, the development team at Secret Level was asked which games or franchises appealed the most to them, and which best fit the team’s vision and overall development direction. Golden Axe seemed like the best fit at the time, and concept development began shortly thereafter. Uchida-san, the creator of the original Golden Axe series, was asked to review and approve the proposed direction for Beast Rider, and proved to be a valuable asset in forging a direction for the new game. Development began shortly thereafter.
PALGN: Where does Beast Rider fall in the Golden Axe timeline? What issues will the story explore?
MB: Without giving too much of the plot away, Beast Rider has been fashioned as a soft prequel to the Golden Axe saga that players are familiar with from the original games. However the story is also a re-imagining of the origins of the heroes Tyris Flare, Gilius Thunderhead, and Ax Battler; expect some surprising and interesting changes to the world of Yuria since last we visited it as players! As Tyris quests to retrieve the pieces of the legendary Golden Axe, she must avenge herself upon the demon Death Adder and save Yuria from impending doom. This opening chapter sets the stage with a bloody tale of revenge and sacrifice.
Time to make that face even uglier.
PALGN: Other than Tyris Flare, will there be any other playable characters in the game? If so, how will they differ from each other?
MB: While our heroine Tyris Flare remains the only playable humanoid character in the game, she is aided in her quest for revenge by five powerful beasts and their variants. Each beast has unique gameplay and mechanics that differ both from Tyris’ abilities and the abilities of the other beasts. For example, the Mirigore is a powerful brawler who can grapple other beasts and enemies into submission. The Lynth, by contrast, is a quick and agile hunter with a Predator-like stealth ability which he can use at any time to sneak past unsuspecting foes. With different areas of the game tailored to the mastery of each beast type as well as Tyris’ own variety of abilities and powers, the player continues to be surprised with unique gameplay and setups from the moment they press start.
PALGN: Arguably, one of the most memorable features of the original Golden Axe games was that you had the option to play co-operatively with another player. Why did the development team choose to make Beast Rider a solo experience only?
MB: What surprises me most about questions regarding the exclusion of multiplayer in Beast Rider is often the lack of the follow-up question, “What did the team hope to gain by removing co-op play from the title?” While I was not working at SEGA at the time when the decision was made, I stand by the team’s decision to make Beast Rider a single player experience. What has been gained by doing so is the creation of a melee combat system that is unique to the current generation of action games: the development team refers to it as the Active Defence System. While games like Ninja Gaiden or God of War use a system of defence windows during combat, Tyris Flare is equipped with an ‘always on’ defensive capability: players can either Parry or Evade enemy attacks, and can do so at any time during their combat chains. This creates a fast and fluid melee experience that rivals other games in the genre for the player willing to invest the time and effort necessary to master the system. Coupled with depth of our magic and beast gameplay, we feel that the player who is willing to give Beast Rider some face-time will not be disappointed, and will quickly find themselves coming back for a second helping.
PALGN: It’s been boasted that Beast Rider will feature a huge and ravaged world that players must explore and survive in. What sort of environments will players encounter, will there be any revamped locations from previous games?
MB: The levels in Beast Rider are quite large, yes! As Tyris travels across Yuria on her quest to re-forge the Golden Axe, she will encounter a variety of enemies and beasts in several unique environments. Her quest takes her from the Island of Axir – her Mediterranean-inspired homeland – to the Highlands of Diyar, the Wasteland graveyard of the Titans, and finally to Death Adder’s den itself. The Great Turtle makes an appearance from the classic arcade game, as does the Fiend’s Path - the long road leading to Tyris’ encounter with Death Adder and her final destiny. Each level offers several hours of gameplay for the first-time player, and each level is divided into special “Challenge” sections that advanced players can replay for better ranking and greater Tribute – the currency of the realm.
PALGN: Describe some of the weapons and magic spells. How do players upgrade them? What sort of effects will they have on enemies?
MB: Classic players will be happy to learn that Tyris retains the fire-based magic system they are familiar with from the classic games. Gnomes make a return appearance throughout the game to drop health, loot, and potions. Potions can then be used in different combinations and amounts for a series of increasingly powerful magical attacks. The acquisition of higher level magic spells, as well as new weapons with unique combat benefits, is all tied into the Tribute reward system. As players progress through the game, the loot they acquire from fallen enemies, gnomes, and treasure chests throughout the land is converted to Tribute for the Titan gods. Once satisfied, the gods grant Tyris with more powerful weapons that she can take into battle – either in Challenge Mode or in the Trials of Tyris, a harrowing series of gladiator-inspired arena battles. Turning loot into massive Tribute is no easy task, however – the amount of damage the player sustains, the speed in which players complete challenges, and the savagery with which Tyris destroys her foes are all calculated into multipliers that can lead to huge rewards, or epic fails!
PALGN: One of the most anticipated features in the game is that players will be able to ride different beasts and use them to conquer the battlefield. Can you describe some of the beasts that players will be able to command? Which one is your most favourite and why?
MB: As players progress through Beast Rider they will encounter not only increasingly powerful and imposing beasts, but also armoured variants of the same with massive increases to their damage taking-abilities. To that end one of my favourite beasts is the armoured Krommath, a massive rhinocerous-like tank that can take out an entire horde of enemies simultaneously with his powerful ground-pound attacks. If you can keep on top of your beast – and that really is the trick of it, staying mounted and staying alive – then the Krommath is a formidable war mount capable of taking you deep into the level on his back. But even the Krommath quails to the might of the giant Megabrax, a Tyrannosaurus-like behemoth that can – and will – swallow the massive Krommath whole! From the Megabrax down to the first Abrax you mount in the game, each beast has unique special abilities and projectile attacks to master, and moreover strategise against as Death Adder’s minions attempt to dismount Tyris and turn her own beasts against her!
The environments are just incredibly huge.
PALGN: What sort of unlockable content can players expect in the final build?
MB: Besides the aforementioned magic and weapon upgrades, players will also be able to unlock the Trials of Tyris and Challenge Modes. These additional areas offer unique arenas not found in the game's main story mode, with challenging new encounters and gameplay associated with them. Additionally, completing the main story unlocks the hardest difficulty mode which offers its own unique challenges beyond a simple re-balancing of damage values: even experts who master the Active Defence System will find new challenges await them there.
PALGN: If Golden Axe: Beast Rider is successful once released, will Secret Level be developing another entry for the series?
MB: Secret Level is already hard at work on several new SEGA projects; should SEGA decide to continue development of the Golden Axe series in the future, we would love to continue the adventures of Tyris, Gilius, and Ax if our schedule permits.
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PALGN would like to thank Mike Boccieri and Sega for taking the time to answer these questions. Golden Axe: Beast Rider is scheduled to be released in Australia on October 16th.
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