Developer Interview: Renegade Kid talks about The Ward

Portable Video Gamer recently had the opportunity to chat with Renegade Kid, the developers responsible for the upcoming Nintendo DS game, The Ward. We spoke with owner and Creative Director Jools Watsham and co-owner and Art Director Gregg Hargrove about their experiences working on this title. Renegade Kid is currently seeking a publisher for their first effort on the Nintendo DS.

PVG: What attracted you to the survival-horror genre, and what made you decide to focus on the Nintendo DS for this title?

Jools: There were two things that attracted me to the survival-horror genre for the Nintendo DS; it is different, and it is difficult. Not many developers are creating this type of content for the Nintendo DS right now, and I believe there is a substantial audience out there of young adults who want an engaging and scary experience for their Nintendo DS. Renegade Kid intends to help fill that void. The survival-horror genre is a challenging genre to tackle, and we like challenges.

Gregg: I’ve always liked the “horror” genre (barring that little “Exorcist” mishap when I was little) but have never had a chance professionally to work on that kind of content. So when it came up as a possible road to take, I personally jumped at the chance. As far as the DS is concerned, I like my DS and want to play games like this on it!

PVG: The screenshots we have seen so far look fantastic. How have you managed to squeeze so much out of the DS? What has been the biggest challenge in terms of bringing your vision to life on this platform?

Jools: Thank you PVG! Aside from the fact that we have an experienced and talented Art Director and Technical Director, we are able to squeeze so much out of the Nintendo DS because we have studied the Nintendo DS hardware and we respect it. The Nintendo DS is a very powerful platform, but like every platform, it has limits. It is our job at Renegade Kid to know the limits of the Nintendo DS and design a game that fits within those limits. It is an easy theory, which is difficult in practice; it takes discipline. The Ward is tailor-designed for the Nintendo DS; every step you take in Redmoor Hospital maximizes on the capabilities of the hardware. If we were developing The Ward for a different platform, the game would be very different. The biggest challenge in developing The Ward for the Nintendo DS was creating the creepy atmosphere.

Gregg: Thanks a lot! My whole career up to this point, if nothing else, has been dedicated to trying to get the most out of whatever system I was working with. The trick is making it look like you’re doing more than you are and that’s true for every system but it takes a lot of planning and forethought. It also helps to have a great Technical Director doing the kinds of things he’s doing with the system. I’m consistently surprised at what we can do with it.

PVG: Has your team considered producing a game for the PSP? Some of our readers would like to know, because they are still waiting for a solid FPS on their system. In a broader sense, what sort of future do you see for handheld gaming?

Jools: We are currently focusing all of our efforts towards the development of Nintendo DS games. However, the PSP is a great candidate for a solid FPS, and should an opportunity to develop a FPS for the PSP arise we would certainly consider it.

Gregg: We are definitely focusing on the DS for now but we’re always interested in exploring the challenges of working with the different systems. I think that hand-held gaming will continue to evolve and will coexist nicely with the home console market. There is a need for portability and affordability that I don’t believe will ever really change. It’s just another aspect of a gaming society.

PVG: Lets talk plot line (if you can). All that we know so far is that our character awakes to find themselves trapped in some sort of insane asylum. Can you share anything else about the story, such as what we might have been doing in an abandoned mental hospital in the first place?

Jools: You’re better off not knowing. One of the important aspects of the survival-horror genre is suspense and the unknown.

Gregg: I’m disappointed that I know! I like being terrified to turn the next corner or that the next room I enter may be the death of me. Discovering what’s going on is the whole point and we’re trying our best to make it worth the ride.

PVG: Can you tell us a little bit about the experience of finding a publisher for your title? I know that you had a positive response at this year’s GDC, but what is the next step in terms of getting your game on the shelves?

Jools: I met with 13 publishers at GDC, and each of them were very positive and helpful with their feedback. There is a lot of interest in seeing The Ward published for the Nintendo DS, which I am very grateful for. The next step is for the publishers to get a hold of the current “build” of The Ward and scrutinize it. They’ll be looking at it from a gameplay perspective as well as from a marketing and cost perspective. When they tally the numbers and see that there’s a market for this type of game on the Nintendo DS we’ll all be getting our Mont Blanc’s out and signing contracts.

Gregg: All that stuff Jools just said and we just keep moving forward.

We were happy for the chance to talk to Gregg and Jools, and we wish both of them and the rest of Renegade Kid success with The Ward. Keep an eye on Portable Video Gamer for more coverage of this promising title in the coming months.

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