Q&A: Tak and the Power of Juju
- September 05, 2003 14:18 PM PST
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THQ and Avalanche talk about animal instinct and their 3D platformer for PS2 and GameCube.
What chance does a little fellow named Tak have in the big wide scary world of platform games? GamePro recently had a chance to talk to Avalanche Software?s Stephen Jarrett, Creative Manager of the upcoming PS2 and GameCube title Tak & the Power of Juju. Here?s what he had to say about their character and what separates their 3D platformer from the rest of the herd.GamePro: Tak isn't "extreme" like so many other characters in the 3D platform genre...tell us a bit about the hero of your game.
 He doesn't have attitude, he doesn't crack wise... but he has a chicken. |
Stephen Jarrett: From the get go, Tak was created to NOT be your everyday, action/platform gaming hero. He is not your young, hip, attitude driven character. Instead, he is the unlikely hero. He is the shaman?s apprentice that has not yet refined his physical and magical abilities, but what he lacks in those areas, he makes up for in heart and determination. He makes his way through his quest with bumps and mishaps but that is how he gets things done - he fumbles his way through some obstacles but in the end, Tak IS the hero. In most action based platform games, the hero is the clear hero and has all the identifiable hero traits. Tak doesn?t necessarily give off that impression and that is what makes Tak different.
GP: 3D platformers aren't quite the draw they used to be?what approach did you take to try and make Tak something gamers will notice?
SJ: The unique gameplay elements and humor are what separates Tak from other platform titles. Tak has to think his way through some very compromising situations. For instance, Tak cannot just walk past an angry ram. Instead of just rewarding the player with a weapon to get rid of the ram with, we have Tak physically ?wearing? a near by sheep as a disguise and as a distraction to the angry ram. This is both a clever gameplay mechanic and a hilarious scene. Many gameplay mechanics like this actually make the player laugh out loud ?no other platformer is doing that.
 There's no crate-pushing, but there is an amorous ram. |
GP: What are all the animals in the game?
SJ: We have many different animals in Tak. We have the angry ram mentioned above, curious orangutans, helpless sheep, jumpy emus, threatened chickens, tough old rhinos, irate monkeys, and fish as well. The cool thing is that they all have there own unique personality to match. It really gives the game a glowing personality.
GP: Can you tell us about some of the different ways they interact?
SJ: Well Tak interacts with each animal differently and some animals interact with each other in peculiar ways as well. Orangutans could pull palm trees down and eat bananas all day long but when Tak bothers them, they can pack quite a punch. Bring a sheep near them however and they just love to catapult the sheep using a near-by palm tree. Monkeys are a strange bunch too. If you hit them with something they automatically blame the closest animal to them. So while they may think an orangutan hit them with a mango and fire a coconut back at them, they might also think it was Tak and go after him, depending on who is closest in proximity. You have to be careful how you treat the animals around you, it?s great fun.
GP: What's your favorite thing in the game?
SJ: The humor! No other game has this kind of clever humor that is driven by absolutely hilarious characters. The voices of all the characters are extremely well done, too. You?ll definitely have a favorite by the time you finish the game.
GP: How big a part does humor play in the game? What do you think are some of the funniest things in the game?
SJ: As I?ve said, humor plays a large role in the game. Not just from a comic relief point of view but from many necessary gameplay aspects throughout the game as well. I?d have to say the funniest thing to me is the character Lok. He is so naive and obnoxious that he reminds me of Tim Allen from Home Improvement. The Hannibal Lecter-like Caged Juju character is outstanding as well. Players will get a kick out this guy!
GP: What games out there now do you admire?
SJ: ICO as it had a unique atmosphere, wonderful relationship between the two main characters and very smart puzzles whereupon you would have to use the different characters' abilities together in order to find a solution. I?m proud to say that the puzzles in Tak take this style of problem solving one step further with multiple animal characters with multiple abilities. Mixing them all together has created some very interesting puzzle situations.
GP: If there's one thing you'd like to never ever see in a platformer again, what would it be?
SJ: Having meaningless collectible objects just for the sake of something to collect. In Tak, we have smart collectibles that are important to his quest. For example, Tak must collect a plant for a potion so rather than making the plant a simple collectible, we brought the plant to life as an enemy battle. Once defeated, the player can pull the ingredient from the plant?s head. There is no reason why collectibles can?t have some depth as opposed to being meaningless floating, spinning objects.
GP: How does the creative process (designing characters, coming up with plot elements) work with Nickelodeon?
SJ: It?s been a terrific learning experience. Nickelodeon is clearly one of the leading original content creators on the planet. We?ve worked with many of their production people on the TV side from the start. They helped us look at Tak and his world from the perspective of a television program. For example, Tak?s side-kick Flora is an idea that originally came through the Nick folks as an important element in developing characters for the Tak television property. You?ll find that Flora adds a fun, humorous element to the gameplay experience as well. Other Nick creative influences include deeper character development and the rich story.
Thanks to THQ and Avalanche?s Stephen Jarrett for their time.
