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We spoke with co-founder and CEO, Javier Ramello, to learn more about the next project from the makers of Endling: Extinction is Forever, all during our time at London Games Fest's New Game Plus event.
"Hello everyone and welcome back to another interview at Gamereactor.
We're still at the London Games Fest, at the New Game Plus event, and I'm currently here with Javier from Herobeat Studios to talk a little bit about Rewilders."
"Now, you guys have previously made quite a well-known game in Endling Extinction is Forever, so tell me, how have we gone from Endling to Rewilders?
Well, we wanted all our players to have a different experience.
This is a completely different genre."
"We are working here on a Metroidvania game with a lot of exploration.
It's an open world. It's not side-scrolling as Endling.
So, yeah, it has been a challenge to create something new, something fresh, and still where we could deliver the same kind of emotional message, talking about the impact of the topic."
"So, yeah, it's been a great adventure so far.
And that environmental message, that drive to tell people environmental stories, that's still at the heart of this game?
Absolutely, yeah. In this game, you are rewilding."
"You are restoring different ecosystems.
You are bringing back biodiversity to a world which has been destroyed by human activity.
And at the same time, you are bringing back life to it.
You are bringing back little creatures, dwarfs of this world, and they help you."
"They become, let's say, your equipment.
They are your rooster, and with them, you will be able to defeat the enemies of nature.
So, have you tied this rewilding element to the Metroidvania approach?
Well, you have to defeat several bosses."
"It has also roguelike elements.
So, every time you defeat one of those bosses, they give you a blessing.
It's a traversal tool that you can use to explore further.
So, at the beginning, you kind of explore the basis of the world, but as you progress in the game, you get access to places that you couldn't reach before."
"Obviously, this has had much more of an action-packed element to it compared to Endling.
So, how have you adapted to that as a studio?
How have you gone from a more adventurous approach to this action-packed route?
I think that's something we really wanted to do."
"We wanted to explore different things.
Endling didn't have any combat.
It was just a survival game with little interaction with enemies.
But this time, we wanted to go full-on with combat, with skills, with a fantasy-themed game, which is very different to Endling, that was very realistic."
"But still, we managed to deliver the same kind of message.
So, I think it's a good change.
Metroidvania games, especially ones with roguelike elements to it, or roguelite elements, they can be quite challenging."
"So, what's your approach to difficulty then?
We're bringing here roguelike games to a very accessible target audience.
We are making the game very accessible.
We want it to be easy to play, still hard to master, but at the same time, we believe that this cartoonish style fits better with people that are used to playing more action-adventure games, a little bit more casual."
"So, don't expect a super hardcore game on Rewilders.
So, what's the timeline then you're looking for, release?
When can we expect to see more of Rewilders?
It will be later this year."
"So far, we cannot say a specific date, but it will be soon.
So, yeah, it will be great if everybody could wishlist the game and let us know that they are there, supporting us.
That's full for us."
"Relatively soon, you've got an opportunity for people to try the game.
Am I right in saying that?
Yeah, there will be playtests.
There will be a demo on Steam next Fest, crossing fingers."
"So, yeah, there will be opportunities for people to test it and to let us know what they think about it.
And what have you got in store for those parts of the game?
What can we expect from that part of the demo build?
The cool thing about Rewilders is that it's very modular."
"We are working on biomes, different biomes.
So, for each new playtest, we bring some biomes with new creatures, new enemies, new skills for the characters with improved VFX, like better combat skills."
"I think that there are a lot of cool things that people will be able to see in every playtest.
And then as a final question then for you, Javier, the game is still probably relatively fresh and people are probably still getting to grips with what to expect from it."
"But what's one thing that you perhaps look at and think, I really wish that people were talking about that more when it comes to Rewilders?
I would really like people to let me know what their favorite builds are because you have a lot of hand to those collectible creatures that are..."
"They replace the equipment of many games, you know, like RPG games.
And I would like people to let me know what combination of creatures are they using and how they are using their skills because there are synergies, there are many cool things that you can do with them."
"So, yeah, I'm excited to see how that generates commentaries and discussion in our community.
I'm going to throw one last cheeky question there.
We've gone from Endling, which is very adventurous focused, we're going to Rewilders, which is more action-packed."
"Are you going to continue to try and explore new things in the future over at Herobeat?
I think so. That's something we would like to do.
As an indie studio, we like to explore different games, different genres.
So, yeah, definitely one of the core pillars of Herobeat Studios is to talk about environmental topics and not only environmental but any kind of social impact issue."
"We would like to bring that into the narrative of the game, but we are not tied to one kind of genre.
So, yeah, we will try to explore different things.
Sounds good. For more on Rewilders, stay tuned."
"Otherwise, again, there's a playtest coming up very, very soon so you'll be able to go hands-on with the game yourself.
And, yeah, for more from Game Reactor and interviews, you know where to find us. Take care."
