If you know French developer Lexis Numérique – and many of you may not – you probably admire the combination of classic adventure gameplay and innovative elements that the company shoots for in its output. Now that their latest release, Red Johnson’s Chronicles: One Against All, is out on PSN, we had the chance to talk with the crew behind the sequel to the studio’s classy 2011 mystery game.
Although this interview was held before the game launched on PSN last week (priced at £6.49, €7.99), we nevertheless got some interesting insights from Djamil Kemal, spokesman at Lexis, about a game that is unlike almost any title you will have played this year. Enjoy!
A year ago we talked about Lexis Numérique‘s first steps on the PS3. With hindsight, was it a good decision to bring Johnson to the system?
Djamil Kemal: Definitely, yes. PSN was a very important step for us. Having such an experience is essential for any game developer who wants to overcome any early transitional phase in its career.
The original was one of our favourites of 2011. How have you changed things up for its successor?
Djamil Kemal: Thanks for your comments! Basically, we listened to the gamers. Most of the comments were quite positive. However, two elements came up in discussions – some of the animations and, more importantly, the help system. You’ll see that we really improved the animations using motion caption and lip-synch, and we also refined the help system. Last but not least, we believe the sequel’s plot is much darker and denser than in the first adventure. Red is personally involved this time – his brother has been kidnapped – and this changes a lot of things.
Can you tell us more about the changes to the help system?Djamil Kemal: The hints are now much more contextual and really linked to the exact situation where you could be blocked. They are also very progressive so that you can request help without being spoiled. From the tests and focus groups we carried, it seems that it works much better.
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Something we haven’t already talked about but that I really admired in the previous game are the visuals. Red Johnson has a very unique graphical style…
Djamil Kemal: Thanks a lot! We really appreciate the work of our art director. He built a world that is inspired by 1950s USA – just see the ads on the walls and the furnishings. And also TV shows of the ’70s and ’80s – the way the characters are dressed and talk. There are even some manga elements in the architecture and vehicle design. All in all, we really tried to create a unique and yet coherent world.
What other games have the team at Lexis been playing recently?Djamil Kemal: The team is very eclectic. Among the games we played and loved are: Journey, Professor Layton, Sky Realms, Arkham Asylum and Assassin’s Creed 2. We’ve also played L.A. Noire. We really liked it, but we would have preferred the investigation side to be more developed as opposed to being able to do almost anything in an open world.
