We caught up with Luc and popped a few questions his way regarding this innovative platform adventure.
WW: Eternity's Child has a very unique visual style - what inspirations did you have from a design point of view?
Luc Bernard: Well this is how I see I see the world. I have depersonalization disorder so I think most of the time that I'm in dream that the world is not real. Let's put it this way - if I look up into the sky I won't see just clouds, I will imagine all sorts of other creatures instead, so I guess that is where the inspirations come from. I just honestly don't see the point in doing something that looks exactly like reality.
WW: Without giving too much away, could you tell us about the general storyline for the game?
LB: Well the game's story is an introduction to the world of Eternity's Child; it's preparing the way for the film version. A lot of questions will remain unanswered that will only be answered in the film version.
WW: Do you see yourself as a videogame creator or an artist, and do you think it's possible to be both without one area of expertise suffering?
LB: Videogames are entertainement, you just need to be good at entertaining. People should stop thinking that videogames should only be done by game designers. Now everyone plays games this industry needs more people from other areas in it. For example, one of my friends is a singer and she came up with the best gameplay ideas and she hardly ever touches videogames.
WW: Why did you switch development from XBLA to WiiWare?
LB: Many reasons. The Wii is also a better platform for Eternity's Child, it allows a different gameplay and also Nintendo fans like platform games. It's something that fits the Wii perfectly.
WW: Although Nintendo's "kiddy-friendly" stance has cooled over the past few years, EC is still a rather unusual game - it may have cartoon qualities but it appears to be aimed at a more mature audience than the likes of Super Paper Mario. Did Nintendo have any objections to any of your more outlandish ideas?
LB: Well, Eternity's Child is just weird but is for everyone. My next game, called Manufactured Beauty, is for adults however. I plan to do games for every kind of person, to touch as many people as possible. It doesn't feature any blood or anything like that, so I figure that children can play it also.
WW: The game is listed for release in Q2 2008 - are you fairly certain it will hit this date or is there more work to be done?
LB: I really hope it will hit this date and to be honest, I think it can.
WW: Is it true that you're planning to do a film version of EC?
LB: Yes I am, a hand drawn animated film like the old Disneys but a lot darker. It will be the direct sequel to the videogame, instead of doing a game sequel I would rather have a film one. However the film will be more mature than the game, so I don't know if young children will be able to watch it.
WW: Could you tell us how Sean Beeson became involved with the game?
LB: Well I've known Sean for a few years, and well he loved the art style of Eternity's Child and also the fact that I allowed him complete freedom on the soundtrack, and you must admit he's one of the best upcoming composers today. He managed to bring Eternity's Child to life with his music, I could not think of a better person for this soundtrack.
WW: How many hours of gameplay with EC contain?
LB: Since the game isn't retail anymore, less storage space means the game is shorter, but will still be a great experience. I will say that it depends on the how good the player is to finish the game.
WW: What part of the game are you most proud of?
LB: I'm a perfectionist so I think I can always do better, so once I finish a product I'm always like "I could of done better" so I'm rarely proud of what I do. I always try to do better.
WW: Do you have any other WiiWare projects in development?
LB: I have several other DS and Wii projects with Alten8, so be excited is all I can say! Other fairytales, but some are more mature. So the Wii will have other exclusive mature games. I don't plan to ever do a sequel to any games, but keep on renewing myself.
Comments 22
Now I'm kind of worried about the gameplay. A lot of people from movies and other areas of entertainment think that all it takes to make good games is to have good ideas, but that's often not the case. Not that I won't check it out, cause it's gonna look and sound incredible, but games are about gameplay. Who knows, it could turn out great anyways.
'LB: Since the game isn't retail anymore, less storage space means the game is shorter, but will still be a great experience. I will say that it depends on the how good the player is to finish the game.'
What was that, Atlantis?
I'm really looking forward to this one, looks quite unique. The style of it looks different to what's currently in the market, so I'll definitely get this when it comes out.
Great interview guys, you're really churning 'em out these days
Nice interview. I enjoy these. Anyway, the idea of a film serving to tie up loose ends is a little weird, but I guess it could turn out all right. I won't make my judgement yet.
Great interview! Do you guys have the ability to interview Nintendo if you could? If so, please try to get one as soon as you guys can! We would all love that!
@Boredom - I emailed Reggie the other day saying "Yo, what's the shizzle dizzle?" - As of yet I have had no reply! I'll have to try Miyamoto-san next
Reggie lives in a sky castle. You'll have to jump on a magical elevator cloud to visit him. Email is for us terrains
No Tim, he lives in the Cloud City and you have to use the hookshot to go into the cannon and then blast into the sky to find him. He doesn't use email, he uses Ooccoos.
Oops, make sure you blast your self out of a cannon Dazza. It's far less dangerous then my cloud elevator.
Game certainly looks interesting. I'll be keeping my eye on this.
This game looks unique and creative. I'm getting this game when it is released!
This game looks unique. What does he mean when he says his next game will be for adults? Like M rated or AO Rated?
Between this and Lost Winds, the latter sounds more interesting to me because of the game play mechanics involved. I'll be looking at the reaction to this game, though, and try it out if it's mostly positive.
What do you think, zeldafan? First of all, most publishers and console publishers, especially zelda, won't publish games/allow them on their system if they are AO. Second, why does it matter?
Great Interview, I didn't know there was going to be a film version.
The idea and art is cool but I hope the gameplay is exciting as well.
This interview leaves me with mixed feelings. I don't want to download a long advert for a movie; yet the game art looks amazing.
I don't know how I feel about his opinion regarding sequels. Sometimes a sequel is warranted! Either way I look forward to hearing more about this and his other projects in the future. Interesting interview!
@ Dazza, Good luck on contacting Miyamoto-san. If you want to impress him, i heard he likes the Beetles. You guys can talk about them if he wants to talk about something non Nintendo related. But first, you have to learn some Japanese. If you have itunes, there's a podcast that can help you learn Japanese. My long-term goal is to go to Japan one day so yeah. I know i went totally off topic, but i worship Shigeru Miyamoto!
I've got the new WiiWare hit. A new Bonk! It would be called "Bonk: You Could Have Had a v8"
...I'm waiting for the new Mario game announced...it's called : Mario Does The Weekly Shopping and you race a shopping cart through aisles collecting fruit and things on your shopping list...just kidding. Mario does so much these days...what sport doesn't he play? Cricket? Out of all the games with Mario in it, I've never seen him play Cricket! lmfao...falls asleep as cricket is on tv
@PoisonedV - Hahaha - You don't miss a beat! And I think this will become a statement commonly heard as a disclaimer for larger, and deeper gaming experiences. That having been said, my GOD does this game look/sound cool! LOOOOOVE the art! Just wish we could get downloadable content and the full experience. That's cool. I have games I still have to finish, so I can wait. Someday...
Super Mario Sweep, Viral?
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