Tomorrow Sobaka Studios will be unleashing their all-new top-down action story driven brawler REDEEMER, where players will be punching, hacking and blasting their way through enemies using fists, hammers, fire arms and even the environment at the brutal will of the games determined protagonist.
REDEEMER introduces intense action with an intoxicating mixture of brutal hand-to-hand combat while using your mercenary skills to beat down your opponents using a collection of brutal fighting moves, stealth kills. Thankfully at the heart of REDEEMER is a story driven single-player campaign where the star of the show is haunted by his past, which fuels the gameplay experience for a narrative journey of betrayal and redemption.
Recently we had a chance to speak with the talented development team behind the creation of REDEEMER to get a better understanding of the game, it’s purpose and what’s going on with the main character wearing a monk outfit with what looks like pair of converse, while killing everyone sight.
GI: How long has the creation of Redeemer been in development?
You can say that it all started off around fifteen years ago way back when me and Misha, our animator, were still in high school. We were trying to create our first game that was called “Survive Reason”. It was very different from Redeemer, and the only thing that didn’t really change with time is the protagonist. Around three years ago I decided to resurrect the project. We started working at nights combining the development with our day jobs and with time we were joined by a level designer, a 3D artist and another programmer. Exactly one year ago with the help of Gambitious we were able to launch a full-time development and been working non-stop ever since.
GI: Were there any games which inspired the idea and maybe some influence behind Redeemer?
There is no direct influence behind the idea of the game. But we were generally inspired by older beat’em ups – Battletoads, Double Dragon, TMNT, and by more recent games like Devil May Cry and God of War. Different people in the team like different games, from Darksiders and The Witcher to Dark Souls and Hotline Miami, and everyone tries to put in something that he likes more. Redeemer is really a mixture of the things we love.
GI: In what time period is Redeemer being presented from?
The game is set in 2050s in a more or less classic cyber-punk setting where big corporations wield too much power and can get away with just about anything.
GI: Based on the gameplay footage, the main character seems to be a brutal protagonist, hell bent on punishing anyone and anything in his path, can you tell us more about the games main character and his purpose within the story?
The protagonist’s name is Vasiliy, he is what we call a true sibiryak (literally, “a man from Siberia”). He’s very sturdy, stoic and resolute. A “no compromises” guy. Vasiliy once worked for one of these big corporations but after certain events took place he decided to quit and took shelter in a buddhist monastery. His story and relationships with other characters will be gradually revealed throughout the game, so we don’t want to spoiler too much just yet.
GI: The environments look quite dynamic and nicely varied, how many different areas are in game and are these locales broken up by the campaigns chapters?
We will have three main locations spread through more than fifteen levels. Two of these environments – the monastery and the laboratory – you can see in the trailers and another one when the game comes out!
GI: The main character’s choice of clothing stuck us as interestingly odd. Here we have what looks like a monk, with prayer beads, sporting what looks like appropriate attire until we get to his shoes, where we find him wearing basketball sneakers. Could you explain this choice of clothing?
A lot of jokes about that one! But actually, we can tell you from a first-hand experience that a lot of modern Shaolin monks do wear sneakers when they train. Aside from that we also wanted Vasiliy to stand out from the other monks (his beard helps with that too). To show that even that he looks like a buddhist monk he’s still a bit of an outsider. We also don’t want players to take the story and the character too serious. It’s a bit like action movies from the 90s.
GI: Gameplay footage revealed the use of a variety of weapons, from what looks like clubs and bats, the use of the environment as a weapon, as well as shotguns and assault rifles. How many weapons can we expect to put to good use and can you also elaborate on the games melee attacks?
There is around 25 different melee and ranged weapons: from shock batons and rifles to big fire axes and plasma guns. Their durability and ammo are limited and you can’t repair them or reload, only pick up another weapon. You can have one melee and one ranged weapon on you, and ultimately we want the players to switch between the two and fully use their arsenal. Vasiliy is also a master of hand-to-hand combat and you will often find yourself fighting with your bare hands, especially in the earlier parts of the game.
Punches are more effective against single targets, kicks are good when dealing with several enemies at once. There is also blocking, parrying and dashing to escape the incoming attacks. And finally we have the environment. Some objects like chairs or fire extinguishers you throw at your enemies. While others you use to throw your enemies against or on them: tables, refrigerators, ventilation fans and many many others. The environment can be used just for fun but it’s also a vital part of the combat system. In a lot of encounters you will actually need to use it or you will have a very hard time dealing with your opponents.
GI: Will there be cinematic bridges which tell the story as players progress through the campaign or will the game only support in-game assets while the narrative unfolds?
There will be bridges in the comics-like style between certain parts of the game. They will mostly tell the players about Vasiliy and how he came to be who he is. And then there will be in-level cutscenes throughout the game which will also move the story forward. All videos and cut-scenes will have voice-overs.
GI: With so much combative action going on, will there be empowering upgrades or a loot system, allowing players to find and acquire new items and equipment?
Not really. Redeemer is a fast paced game, you make all your decisions while in combat. We don’t want players to think too much between the fights, but rather to give them an action packed, non-stop fighting experience that will get their blood pumping and maybe cause a few controllers to be tossed in the air! Just pick up some weapon, push forward and don’t forget to use your environment!
GI: Will Redeemer offer varied difficulties or will the game be defaulted at a set difficulty?
The game will have a default difficulty intended for most players, and a “hardcore” difficulty for those who like extreme, borderline unfair challenges. There won’t be any easy mode.
GI: How long would you say it would take for an average gamer to complete the Redeemer campaign?
It really depends on your personal skill and difficulty level, but a very rough estimate would be 4-5 hours, maybe more.
GI: Does Redeemer offer a multiplayer mode or any form of cooperative gameplay?
The game will not include a co-op mode at launch, but that is something that we’ve thought about a lot and would like to add somewhere down the road if there will be a demand for it.
GI: When we learned that the team behind Redeemer consisted of only five developers based in Moscow, we were blown away, as the game already looks incredibly fun. As the game gets closer to launch do you intend on potentially bringing in more hands on deck, to fully hit your vision, or is that even necessary?
That’s great to hear, thank you! It’s the first major release for us as a team so we wanted to make sure that we made something memorable and fun for players. We’re a small indie studio though, so our game is not a direct competitor to AAA games. However where we can’t compete with them on scope or scale, we can definitely deliver on the fun gameplay front! Our core team consists of five people, but we also have a lot of help from our friends and partners with sounds and music, 2D and 3D art, UI, and other stuff.
GI: We know that game is coming to PC via Steam, is there a possibility that we could also see Redeemer arrive for the PS4 and Xbox One this year?
We definitely look forward to porting Redeemer on consoles, so this will probably be our goal number one after the release and first patches. But for now all our forces are focused on finishing the game for PC.
GI: When can our readers expect to get their hands on Redeemer?
Redeemer will be available on August 1st on PC for Steam.
