Bringing a story-driven shooter to life with Xsolla Accelerator

Magic Hazard's founder and CEO Sergei Kuznetsov talks to us about the challenges of making a story-driven top-down shooter [View this email in your browser]( You have been sent a sponsored message via GamesIndustry.biz, in association with Xsolla Magic Hazard's Journey: Bringing a story-driven shooter to life with Xsolla Accelerator Studio founder and CEO Sergei Kuznetsov talks to us about the challenges of making a story-driven top-down shooter With more games in the market than ever, it’s important to bring new ideas to stand out. That’s something Magic Hazard has at its core for its debut game Memory Lost. Set in the dystopian cyberpunk-inspired metropolis of Detraxis, it’s a top-down action shooter where you play as an AI, the Neural Network, implanted into the body of an assassin robot who’s fighting for their freedom and destiny. What makes it unique from other games in the genre is that you can change how you play by capturing the memories of your enemies and gaining their abilities. This results in diverse and adaptable gameplay where over time players can master a wide range of mechanics without the need to create and level up a new character repeatedly. Speaking to studio founder and CEO Sergei Kuznetsov, the idea came one cold February morning as he and a few friends sat around a kitchen table talking about the types of games they enjoyed playing from their childhood, and what they felt was missing. “After five hours of discussions, we all agreed: since childhood, we've wanted to play as the enemies we fight against. Not just outwardly, but inwardly as well - using their weapons and abilities,” says Kuznetsov. While some games like Halo allow players to acquire enemy weapons, these inexperienced but passionate young developers wanted to take the idea further by actually shifting and taking over a defeated enemy’s body, claiming their abilities for yourself. "We spent around two years only developing four hours of gameplay.” “You can find different types of enemies, providing new possibilities to control them,” he explains. That’s not just limited to weapon types but also different playstyles. “You can decide to capture someone who's got a melee ability, and you can upgrade your skill to improve your melee.” But Kuznetsov was also interested in not just the mechanical possibilities but what this meant narratively. “If you inhabit an enemy's body, you copy his life. You travel in his skin, encounter his environment, and see significant memories,” he explains. “Will this make you view the enemy differently? Possibly. Maybe not sympathize, but at least understand the motivation.” Of course, the game has also been balanced to ensure players are always adapting. “Our game designer did a lot of work to balance everything,” Kuznetsov explains. “So if you use up all your ammo and can't use your gun, you will need to find a new enemy to mind-capture.” You can even shift to a larger enemy who has more maximum health with strong melee, though they’re also slower moving, and as they’re a rarer enemy type it’s not easy to capture another replacement if you decide to shift to another body. [To read the full article, click here]( [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Copyright (C) 2024 ReedPop. All rights reserved. You got this email because you signed up to an account on GamesIndustry.biz and agreed to receive promotional emails from our partners. Our mailing address is: ReedPop 1-6 Grand ParadeBrighton, East Sussex BN2 9QB United Kingdom [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookie Policy](