Shadows of the Damned: Suda51 likes British sitcoms, thinks most publishers don't understand how to make horror

GR: Shadows has some brilliantly eclectic art direction, with influences seeming to range from grindhouse to olde worlde England to Tron. What was the core thinking behind the look and feel of your version of hell?

GS: I wanted to create a world that was normal, but also grotesque and alien to the players – a Hell that feels like its own society with urban life, economy, and the dichotomy of lawlessness and order. The colour design reflects that way of thinking. The blues evoke peach and earthiness, while the reds are about power. Colour allows you to create hierarchy and contrasts within the world.

GR: How do you feel about the state of modern horror games? The biggest stalwart horror franchises seem to have lost their focus over recent years.

GS: The definition of horror changes depending on what region of the world you’re in. I find that true in both games and horror movies. I think there’s a shift going on now in the industry for horror games, but I don’t consider it a bad thing. It’s a natural evolution for creators to want to experiment with different things within the genre.

GR: Western-style action-horror games seem to have increasingly replaced the pure, psychologically-driven survival horror approach, with Resident Evil now borrowing a lot from Gears of War. Is that a natural cross-pollination of ideas, or is there a serious issue of identity loss happening here?

GS: I think the influence goes both ways. If you look at games like Gears of War or Dead Space, they are influenced by Mikami-san’s Resident Evil 4 in the design and cinematic elements. And now in Japan you see many games that draw from the combat and controls of Gears. I think that mix of ideas is great for the genre. We’re witnessing the birth of a new identity for horror-action games.

GR: Having made both, would you say a pure horror game is harder to make and sell than an action-driven one? How do you approach each differently in terms of your design mind-set?

GS: While each genre has its own challenges, I’d have to say making a horror game is a little more difficult. The most difficult part about designing a horror game is precisely controlling the rhythm of the play. You must be incredibly calculating when designing the flow of the levels.It’s very important that the environment instils fear in the player. So it’s necessary to spend a significant amount of time designing levels and environments that accomplish that. I think there are very few publishers that understand that process.

GR: Shadows of the Damned is one of the most genuinely funny games I've played this year. What's the key to creating consistently effective comedy in a video game? So many games are really bad at it.

GS: I’m very honoured that you feel that way. Thank you! Making players laugh and smile is very important to me. I enjoy all types of comedy, from Japanese comedy shows to US sitcoms. Recently, I’ve been into the UK show, The IT Crowd. To put it simply, I really enjoy comedy and I think that comes through when I’m writing.

GR: Which person or thing in modern gaming would you send to hell if you could?

GS: Hmm… Recently, I’ve been into wild and extreme games. I’d like to see the characters from Mortal Kombat fighting in Hell like Garcia!

Jun 23, 2011