Interview: Chris Palu of Krome Studios

head_swcwrh
Contributed by: Toby Davis

With the recent Star Wars®: The Clone Warsâ„¢ television series a hit on Cartoon Network in the US LucasArts decided it was time for a game based on the Republic Heroes, bridging the gap between seasons 1 and 2 of the show.  Today we had a chance to speak with Lead Designer Chris Palu from developer Krome Studios about the game and how it fits into the Star Wars universe.  Don’t worry, this will be a no Jar-Jar interview.


Toby , What were some of the reactions when you received the rights to make a Star Wars game?

Chris – As you might imagine, there are more than a few Star Wars fans here at Krome. After our work on the Wii, PS2 and PSP versions of Star Wars®: The Force Unleashedâ„¢, and then our introduction to the Clone Wars universe with the Wii’s Star Wars® The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duelsâ„¢, we were excited to take the series to a bigger canvas, and were particularly interested in getting to play with the multiple Jedi and Clone partnerships that form the heart of the show.

Toby , The Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 2 starts in October around the release date of the game. Does the story of this take place between Seasons 1 & 2 or does it drift off on another story arc? Also what importance does the story and continuity in this game hold?

Chris – Time wise, the game does take place between season’s 1 and 2. Rather than leading directly into any specific stories in season two, however, the game is more thematic in the way it ties in to the second season. One key feature is the inclusion of characters outside of the typical Republic and Separatist factions, from bounty hunters to mercenary scientists. Cad Bane — a major character in season two , was a great addition to the game, especially as we see him forced to interact with the Jedi and clones in ways we haven’t before.

Toby , Can you go over some of the characters you can play as? And can you go over some of the weapons they can use?

Chris – In Republic Heroes, you get to play both Jedi and clones. We have eight Jedi from the series, including Anakin and his padawan Ahsoka along with fan favourites like Kit Fisto and Mace Windu. We also feature a number of clones from the show along with a couple created especially for the game. Each clone has their own primary weapon, from Rex’s twin pistols to Cody’s rifle, but can also pick-up special secondary weapons like rocket launchers and mini-guns as they go through different levels.

Toby , While making this game did LucasArts allow you to put your own personal flair into it? If so what was it and how was it incorporated into the game?

Chris – Over the course of a number of Star Wars projects, I think we’ve demonstrated to LucasArts that we have both a passion and respect for the universe. As a result, we had a very creative relationship with them, where we were able to introduce new characters (including our main villain), new droids and of course some wholly new Jedi abilities, like hijacking droids and riding them around.

Toby – What type of genre is the game? Also, why did you choose this genre of game play over all the others?

Chris – The game is a co-operative action-adventure, focusing on story and variety. Together with LucasArts, we wanted the game to be both accessible and social, so we worked from the ground up to ensure that it supports two players at all times, sitting right next to each other on the couch, as well as online. The audience for the show is so broad, it was important that it offered an intuitive kind of fun that anyone could get into, and that it was always fresh — that’s why we feature different vehicles and characters, as well as a bunch of interconnecting stories that keep you jumping from location to location.

Toby – During the making of this game what would you say have been some of the best moments for the development team?

Chris – Two moments stand out. The first is the usual kind of thing you get in game development, where a new feature gets in and everyone gets to check it out for the first time. When we first jumped Anakin up onto a Super Battle Droid’s shoulders and started guiding him around our test level, blasting away at other droids, we all knew we were heading in the right direction for the tone of the game. The other moment is when we saw some of the videos of one of our last play tests, watching the kids enjoying our game and enjoying themselves was awesome!

Special thanks to LucasArts & Krome Studios for a look inside Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes. The game is available now for virtually all gaming systems and PCs.

Visit LucasArt’s dedicated website here.