“We’ve designed our multiplayer around one of the most unique aspects of Legendary, which is the three way battle that happens between the monsters, the Black Order, and you.”
There will be several battles fought this year, but only one of them will be Legendary. Legendary's world is turned upside down after Charles Deckard, a talented art thief, is duped into stealing and opening Pandora's Box. "To Deckard, his mission is to simply sneak into the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and use the key he's been given to open up a box that they have in storage," said John Garcia-Shelton, Producer of Legendary. "Seemingly, it's just another job. He has no idea that what he's opening is Pandora's Box, nor what will happen when he does open it.
"On the flip side, those that hired him (a group known as the Black Order) don't know exactly what will happen either, but they do expect Deckard to die when it's opened. Obviously, this doesn't happen, and it's the signet that's branded on Deckard's hand when he opens the box that becomes a key plot point in the game."
After Deckard endangers the world (accidentally), how does he come to realize that he's the only one who can right this wrong? Or is it a matter of redemption: he feels he must be the one to fix it?
John Garcia-Shelton: With Deckard having the signet on his hand, he gets mixed up in an secret war that's been waged behind the scenes for thousands of years. The war is between the Black Order, who have always believed that opening Pandora's Box represents a new power for mankind to control, and the Council of 98, who have vowed to keep Pandora's Box and the horrors within contained forever. It's members of the Council of 98 who inform Deckard of the role in this battle that he's been inadvertently thrown into, and he is the only one who can fix it.
How will Deckard's skills as an art thief affect the gameplay?
JGS: There's many points in the game where gates and doors will be locked, and Deckard has to use his skills to get through. For the most part, though, Deckard's life as an art thief is put behind him the second he opens the box. He's got a new mission ahead of him as a solider and a savior. Plus, there's not much call for an art thief when the world is going through an apocalypse.
Does he have any special abilities or powers?
JGS: He does, and these come from the signet that gets branded on his hand. Right away, players learn how to use the signet to absorb animus from creatures. Animus is the life energy of the mythical beasts, and Deckard can use absorbed animus to heal himself. Later on, he learns how to emit an animus pulse - which is a force that can shove enemies back, as well as do some other special things which I'll let players discover for themselves.
Can you detail the weapons lineup?
JGS: I absolutely can. We wanted to get a good mix of weapons in, with each having its own unique place in the game. For example, weapons that deliver a solid punch such as a shotgun or heavy machine gun are more useful against the creatures, but assault rifles and SMGs are more effective against the human opponents you'll face. There's also a flamethrower that's good at burning up everyone and everything, and a high caliber pistol which is very powerful at short ranges. And of course, whenever you're out of ammo or in a tight place, you'll always have your trusty fire axe to do some chopping.
Gryphons and werewolves are among the creatures you'll battle in the game. What else will we encounter?
JGS: Players will face off against a pretty big array of mythical monsters – some of which they might not have heard of. In addition to gryphons and werewolves, you'll battle Minotaurs, Nari (demonic babies with wings), Echidna (a huge creature which lives below the earth that uses its tentacles to attack things on the surface), Firedrakes (huge lizards that can breathe fire), and a lot more.
Will there be any boss battles or boss battle equivalents?
JGS: You bet. The two that come immediately to mind are the golem and the Kraken. The golem is a mindless creature of destruction the size of a building that's formed from cars, rubble and other non-living debris. The Kraken is a creature known for dragging huge ships underneath the water, and when Deckard crosses paths with it, it's dragging national landmarks beneath the waves. Both these creatures can't be defeated by conventional methods, but if I say any more than that I'll be ruining surprises!
Tell us about the level architecture. What kinds of worlds/environments will we battle through?
JGS: Most of the game takes place in either New York City or London. There are parts where you'll be in more remote areas, but we wanted to project to players the apocalyptic changes that opening Pandora's Box has had on the world. There's no better place to show this than a big city.
A couple of the screenshots remind me of the movie Cloverfield. Coincidence? Or was this movie or others inspiring?
JGS: It is a coincidence. When I went to see the movie, I was thinking how Legendary-esque it was. Great minds think alike, I guess! We did watch a lot of monster movies and disaster movies when we were putting together the ideas and storyboards for Legendary, so I can see how there's similarities between the two.
How will Legendary's multiplayer mode fit the unique situation Deckard caused, and what multiplayer types can we expect?
JGS: We’ve designed our multiplayer around one of the most unique aspects of Legendary, which is the three way battle that happens between the monsters, the Black Order, and you. While playing through single player, you’ll constantly be asking yourself, should I go after the monsters for some animus or the people for some ammo. With multiplayer, each team has to collect animus from wandering beasts that are more than happy to rip your throat out, and use it to fill containers. The first team to fill their container wins. However, each team can also attack the other, stealing animus for their own containers. It can turn into quite the heated brawl.
