MyGaming caught up with American McGee (Alice, Quake II) to ask a few questions about Akaneiro: Demon Hunters – a twisted version of Little Red Riding Hood told as a dungeon crawl ‘em up set in post-feudal Japan.
The blood-soaked take on a classic fairy tale (something McGee has become known for) is a point of interest, and the man himself gave some insight into what inspired Akaneiro.
“The original idea for Akaneiro came from my reading of a book called “The Lost Wolves of Japan,” which details the destruction of wolves in Northern Japan around 100 years ago,” said McGee.
McGee explained that the extermination of the wolves came at the hands of Western cattlemen who had introduced beef consumption and cattle ranching to a people who were vegetarian – and who lived in relative balance with nature.
“This history seemed to invite further exploration and expansion – with my idea being to illuminate the man vs. nature aspects present in the reality and fairy tales we create,” McGee added.
The famed game designer went on to say that during the development of the Alice sequel, the team learnt a few tricks that could help bring the stylistic story to life.
“While we were working on ‘Alice: Madness Returns’ our tech and art team developed some techniques for rendering an Asian Domain.”
McGee went on to say that the design team found a balance of familiar gameplay features, with a unique look and style, in order to create something relatable, but fresh.
“The design team combined many best-in-class features from the genre to present the ARPG game play you’ll find in Akaneiro. The core gameplay elements are those that most fans of the ARPG genre will be familiar with,” McGee explained.
“Many players have described the resulting balance and flow as being very “streamlined.” That means if you’re a fan of the genre then Akaneiro is definitely worth checking out,” said McGee.
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, has now hit its Kickstarter goal of $200,000. Asked what the Kickstarter initiative was focusing on, McGee said that it was to “accelerate delivery of key features and platforms – like adding co-op multiplayer or bringing the game to Linux.”
McGee also said that the success of the Kickstarter campaign now allows for “the core development team [to be] focused on Akaneiro longer while they work to deliver the new platforms, devices and features outlined in the campaign.”
A beta of Akaneiro: Demon Hunters is currently free to play on the Spicy Horse website, with the game set to arrive on Steam after being Greenlit by the community.
More gaming news related to American McGee
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters reaches Kickstarter goal
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