Remember XEL, the Zelda-inspired action-adventure game that was announced for Switch this summer? Well, developer Tiny Roar has shared new details on its gameplay and development in a series of behind-the-scenes videos.
In the three clips below, Game Director Maurice Hagelstein and Game Designer Tom Erenstein give us an insight into the game's character creation process and how the studio arrived at the style present in the final build. They also discuss their gameplay design philosophy, giving us a glimpse of what players can expect to enjoy when XEL launches next year.
Check them out:
"We’re really proud of XEL; we set out to create a game that hits all the beats of a classic action-adventure title, like exploring a mysterious world with an eccentric protagonist," Hagelstein says. "We’ve innovated a lot on the typical formula and can’t wait for players to dive in and start digging into the story of Reid and her journey."
XEL is launching for Switch in summer 2022, with Xbox and PlayStation versions coming later. Let us know if you're intrigued by this one with a comment below.
Comments 21
Hmm, It has potential but right now it looks like a mediocre top down Immortals Fenyx Rising, even the voice-acting ain't great, we'll see but I'll probably pass
Also lol the guardian weaponry and the laser machine at the end
The phrase ‘Zelda-like’ is starting to lose its impact
I'm not so sure why we need a talkative character, why does she need to comment on everything? People will just find it annoying, if you want to be 'zelda-like' have a silent protagonist. Or at the very least, be able to turn it off. Gameplay looks quite fun though.
I'm gonna be honest, I'm not too keen on a protagonist that comments on everything happening around them. Sometimes the joy of gaming is asking those questions yourself and maybe coming to your own conclusions. So far I think what they've shown off makes the character a little too talkative.
I think "Zelda-like" is overselling it.
Is there a genre for "I grew up playing Zelda and now I'm attempting to recreate it in Unreal/Unity"?
It's not as catchy but it's a popular category.
Looks a tad generic, hope they can give it more of an identity moving forward. Totally straight landscapes bug the hell out of me too... after BOTW, you'd think devs would be trying much harder at environment design than this.
I think it's hilarious that the first few seconds fake you out with a behind-the-shoulder camera angle, only to slowly pan out into a generic top-down pov.
I also find the voice acting very grating. Zelda and other Japanese games execute it much better by filtering the constant dialogue through a sidekick. Portal is a good example of translating that trope well into a Western game. There's something uncomfortable about hearing your own player character constantly spit out corny one-liners for every little action, especially if you do not like what you're hearing.
More specifically, I'm sick of this style of self-aware dialogue, proliferated by Marvel films. It was novel in the first couple of movies, but after hearing it for the 20th time, it's just cringey.
"I'm kicking an alien in the face!!"
"No death trap? I'm almost a lil' bummed out right now."
If it's as good then I will welcome it.
@Ulysses What I think is hilarious is the fact that you think an top-down camera angle is generic but a behind the shoulder is not. They're both generic lol
But I totally agree with you on the self aware dialogue, very unnecessary and distracting.
@Mattock1987
I wanted to say exactly the same lol.
I dont like the term "zelda like" it sets the bar wayyy to high, calling it like that.
@The-Chosen-one and it’s clickbait. That I always fall for.
@Mattock1987 some folks still won't get the memo that "Zelda-likes" have been a whole damn genre since the late 1980s. And most people already refer to this genre by a different name.
@Mattock1987 one could say its losing its 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯 impact. heh?? anyone???
There will never be a true Zelda clone. It may have been one of the first video game franchises to use cel-shading, but it's certainly not the one that sets a classification.
@6FtTurkey
Dang it, you stole my joke!
@6FtTurkey go and stand in the corner and think about what you’ve done.
@Ulysses 100% agree. Not every game needs to be a comedy
'Rogue-like' as a descriptor makes sense because it can be easily defined and even though they may share the same 'Rogue-like' nature, each game can still be vastly different.
If a game lets you traverse an open world where you can commit crimes, steal cars, and kill people freely, it's dubbed a 'GTA-Clone' because they weren't creative enough to come up with something new.
But to call your game a 'Zelda-like' is just ... well, come up with your own thing, you know?
Zelda didn't invent pleasant yet simple graphics, top-down camera angles, and puzzles. If they're going to be 'inspired' by Zelda, at least take a page from the book of Zelda and make the protagonist silent.
Looks like Hob with bad art. I'll wait for reviews.
This reminds me of Hob. But Hob was a little nicer to look at...
Dang, they used Marks insight. This should make for some good dungeon designs if they really understood him!
This feels a lot like Hob.
As long as this gets a Physical option I will pickup the game.
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