GZ Interview
10/2/02

Go inside BloodRayne’s dark world with Majesco’s David Elmekies
By Michael Lafferty

The year is 1932. An American teen-age girl has been arrested in connection with a series of devastation and death. She explains that those she killed, and the one she really seeks ­ her father ­ were all vampires.

And then, she is gone. A top-secret underground organization has taken her in. You see, they can use her, because she is a Dhampir, the offspring of the rape of a human by a vampire. She lacks the weakness of a vampire, though her health does rely on her taste for blood and she hungers for vengeance.

Once known as Rayne, she is now Agent BloodRayne, a member of the society that hunts down supernatural and evil forces before they can be unleashed on the human civilization.

Two mission, separated by five years, have one focal point ­ a man searching the world for powerful artifacts for his Nazi Party. World War II is upon the world, and BloodRayne stands between the occult forces and Nazis, and the rest of the world.

Majesco will be unleashing BloodRayne at Halloween ­ an appropriate time ­ and the game promises to be fraught with action and adventure as the sensual Dhampir carves her way through an army intent on world domination. This is the type of game geared for players who want a little ‘bite’ in their horror/action game.

But the fun just doesn’t stop with the pending release of the game. Majesco has partnered with Playboy.com to award some lucky contestant a trip with a Playboy Playmate to tour the haunted graveyards of Louisiana ( http://xbox.gamezone.com/news/10_01_02_02_53PM.htm ).

David Elmekies, vice president of Game Development for Majesco, took time to talk with GameZone about this upcoming title.

Question: First, nice touch incorporating Hitler’s obsession with the occult and the storyline for BloodRayne. Can you explain how that came about?

David: "Our goal was to juxtapose two very popular themes that usually aren't seen in the same context: vampires and World War II. When you look at WWII from a supernatural perspective, Hitler's fascination with the occult immediately comes to mind."

Q: Rayne, now known as Agent BloodRayne, is a Dhampir. Where did that idea originate? Press information states that a Dhampir is a vampire without the weaknesses of the latter. If that is so, what are Rayne’s weaknesses? Does she crave blood as a vampire would or can she survive without it?

David: "Rayne's father was a vampire, her mother human. She inherited most of the vampire's strengths and weaknesses, but her human half tames those traits. She doesn't immediately vaporize when hit by sunlight or submerged in moving water. She has no real aversion to holy relics. She can restore her health by drinking blood; working for the Brimstone Society puts her into circumstances where she often needs a quick boost to her health."

Q: Her costume isn’t exactly what one would term en vogue for that period in history. Can you explain a bit about its origin? The whole look, and seemingly the personality, of the character oozes sensuality coupled with deadliness. Is there some sort of Freudian message going on here?

David: "She had to be sexy. There's no point in making a frumpy-looking hero, so we made her sexy. The actual costume design came from Feng Zhu, then at Blur Studios. We were blown away by his interpretation of our original design and immediately implemented the costume he designed."

Q: Her quest to kill her biological father (if a vampire can be so termed) is interrupted by WWII and her contact with the Brimstone Society. Is it natural to assume that her father will reappear somewhere down the line?

David: "We've got some ideas lined up for the future."

Q: Is this a linear story? Are there side quests in addition to main theme? Is there a more insidious storyline beneath the main plot?

David: "The plot in BloodRayne is fairly straightforward, though we did seed many of the cutscenes with hints of additional information. Attentive players will gain additional insight to the underlying story. Since BloodRayne is primarily an action game, we didn't want to hammer a long-winded story into the players' heads, disrupting the action. But we slip a few extra lines in here and there to offer extra depth to those who are interested and paying attention."

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the combat system in the game? Rayne is armed with ferocious weaponry, but is that all she uses?

David: "The primary weapons are the four-foot long blades hinged at her wrists and her bladed boots. She also uses any conventional gun or grenade she finds in the world. Her most characteristic attack is the feed attack in which she latches on with her fangs to drain the lifeblood from her victim. Coupled with this attack is her harpoon knife that she can throw to drag a distant victim close enough to bite."

Q: Tell us a bit about the engine the game incorporates? What does it allow you to that really boosts the game’s look?

David: "The Infernal Engine allows us to do some things that no other engine can accomplish. Along with the lightmapped shadows and bump/specular mapping that a few other console games are already using, we also incorporate a debris/gore system that allows us to permanently leave severed limbs and broken pieces of the environment lying around. Often, you'll return to a room and realize that you'd already been there because the floor is littered with shattered boxes, spent machine guns and arms, legs, heads and other various body parts. Blood streaks on the floor and walls remain as permanent indicators that Rayne has been there.

Q: What platform was it hardest to design this game for and why?

David: "The Infernal Engine is modular and runs across all three platforms identically. We didn't have to design the game differently per platform. It's the same art, scripting and level design across the board."

Q: What aspects of this game do you think will impress gamers the most and why? To whom do you think this game will appeal?

David: "The action junkies will love the non-stop, ever-varied slaughter that Rayne produces. There's no telling what chunks of your enemies will fly off when you swing your blade or fire your shotgun. The enemies can be pretty sneaky, too. Or just downright cowardly. If a soldier sees you dismember one of his comrades, he might panic and run to the nearest alarm, bringing in reinforcements. Or he might just freak out, drop his gun and back away from you begging for his life. You'll never have the exact same experience twice.

Q: Having seen a model of BloodRayne at E3, this question may be a no-brainer, but what do you think will be the biggest appeal of this character and game? And, are there currently plans for, or has the door been left wide open for a sequel (or sequels)?

David: "Rayne is more than just a competent, hot-looking chick. Other games have featured bad-ass girls as the hero, but Rayne goes a step beyond. She's practically a monster. She eats people, for God's sake! She barely qualifies as ‘not evil.’ Yet she chooses to consume the blood of those more evil than she is, so in a way that makes her a ‘good guy.’ But there's no denying that Rayne is a bad girl, through and through, a sleek, sexy antihero."

BloodRayne is schedule to be released on the PlayStation, PlayStation2, Xbox, GameCube and PC platforms.

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