Interview: Fabian Akker (Swords & Soldiers)

Nintendo’s WiiWare service has given us quite a few different types of games, and Ronimo Games, based in Holland, is about to add another unique experience to the list. Fabian Akker, co-founder of Ronimo, has joined us for a few minutes to discuss the upcoming WiiWare real-time strategy (RTS) game Swords & Soldiers.


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Can you tell us a little about Ronimo Games? How did you get started working on WiiWare?

Ronimo Games is small developer in Holland. We started the company with 7 friends after completing our study Game Design and Development at the art academy. During our study we created the original version of de Blob, which was picked up by THQ a few years ago. Last year, after we got the license from Nintendo, we started to develop for WiiWare.

Swords & Soldiers definitely has a unique style. What inspired you to do this game?

We are all huge RTS gamers, and after seeing the animation short "Super Moine," we thought it would be cool to make a side-scrolling RTS.

We love the art style for Swords and Soldiers. Full 3D graphics, or three-quarter overhead views, are usually the standard presentation in RTS games. Why did you decide to go with a 2D side scrolling style instead?

We try to create games that are a bit different from other games; of course a 2D engine is also a lot cheaper and easier to build with only 1 full-time programmer :)

What types of game modes will be available in the game?

The game has a whole bunch of different modes and settings:

3 story campaigns, 1 for every faction, 30 levels in total (this is already 6-8 hours of game play, if you are an experienced gamer)
3 different challenges:
The survival challenge, in which you have to hold off waves of units and spells as long as possible.
Berserker-run, in which one berserker needs to get as far as possible with only using spells.
The last challenge is boulder, in which a large, Indiana Jones-inspired rolling stone rolls through the level and you need to kill all the Vikings and jump over your own Aztec units.
Skirmish, with 3 difficulties and different options
Multiplayer with 9 maps and all kinds of different settings
25 achievements

At the time of this interview, there have been 3 races announced for the game-- the Aztecs, Vikings, and a third mysterious race. Can you tell us a little about them and what makes them different from each other?

The Vikings are these brutal, strong fighters, and they really love their barbecues. The main guy in the story is Red Beard, and he is after Black Beard because he trashed his barbecue party, the bastard! The Aztecs are these evil vegetarians. They grow huge vegetables for their vegetable growing contests. Recently, Fullthrotl, one of the Aztec leaders, managed to grow a huge, mind-controlling pepper which the Vikings want to make it into barbecue sauce.

Every unit and spell is different in the game. The Vikings have slower and stronger units, while the Aztecs have fast units and rely heavily on magic and poison to kill their enemies.

How did you decide on the 3 races you have? Were there any others that you considered but left out of the game?

These were the coolest factions we could think of. We threw out some other factions, mostly because the three that we have now are so different from each other, and the units and spells could be as unique as possible. These factions will definitely see a return in a possible sequel, and maybe we'll give the Space Marines a second chance. :P (Ed.: the space marines were an April Fools joke from Ronimo)

Is this going to be the beginning of a franchise? Can we look forward to some downloadable content (DLC) for other races or modes?

We don't have any DLC on the menu yet. But we have a long list of features, units, spells and other cool stuff to make a sequel; it all depends on the success of this first game.

How has the experience been developing for the WiiWare platform?

WiiWare is really fun to develop for. It's easy and relatively cheap. It is nice that small developers get a chance to show the world some new and exciting games.

We're really looking forward to this game. When can we expect to see the game available for purchase and what kind of price are you looking at?

The game will be out in a few weeks and the price is around 1000 points.


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Addendum: Additional information was made available after our interview with Fabian-- the third race has been announced, and an excerpt from the developer's blog provides the details.

At long last the veil of our secrecy is lifted! Emerging as the third contender for world domination is the CHINESE EMPIRE! Ruled by their child emperor, the Chinese care little for Viking barbecue feasts, or Aztec Vegetable growing contests. The Child Emperor tasks his subjects with gathering the the most exquisite toys from the corners of the world. Of course this will lead the Chinese empire onto a collision course with the other two factions. The Child emperor's army consists of disciplined warriors, ranging from martial arts specialists and spiritual zen-masters to firework-strapped rocketeers, and will prove to be evenly matched to the brutish Vikings and insidious Aztecs!


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We sincerely thank Fabian for taking the time to answer our interview questions and can't wait to get our hands on the title.