LEGO Indiana Jones Interview
With LucasArts Producer Shawn Storc
We never expected 2005's Lego Star Wars to be much more than another kiddie title that'd exist anonymously alongside developer Traveler's Tales Games' other family-friendly offerings (Toy Story Racer, Finding Nemo.) Sure, it was backed by the wildly successful sci-fi saga license, but it was also based on building blocks, and featured Jar Jar Binks as a playable character. However, despite having the demographic deck stacked against them, TT Games and publisher Eidos scored a Death Star-sized hit, killing with Lego and Star Wars fans of all ages. And, an equally successful sequel, as well as last year's content-packed The Complete Saga, has continued to keep us addicted to the block busting -- reducing Jar Jar to a pile of plastic never gets old -- stud collecting, character-unlocking fun long after "bigger" titles (read: Halo 3) have been retired from our disc trays.
As Lucas' other prized property preps for a big screen return, and next-gen gaming debut, TTG is at it again with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. Based on the first three Indy flicks, it promises to stick with the same parody-fueled formula--Indy trying to pass off a C-3PO head as the golden idol from Raiders, to rival spelunker Belloq, is priceless--and pick-up-and-play accessibility that made the SW titles simple, yet endlessly satisfying, while also forging its own whip-cracking identity. We recently spoke with LucasArts’ producer Shawn Storc to discover how the publisher plans on making Lego Indy more than just "Lego Star Wars with a whip and fedora", what surprises the plastic, platforming archaeologist might have in store for us, and how Short Round can possibly be a cool playable character.
AtomicGamer: How similar an experience will Lego Indy be to the Lego SW titles? How does Lego Indy separate itself from Lego SW, or is it more or less Lego SW with an Indy paint job?
Shawn Storc: The two products share some elements, particularly some control elements and an overall ease of use. However, the characters in Lego Indy are much more in tune with their environment insofar as the level designs incorporate a wider variety of puzzles, traps and challenges as well as expanded abilities such as being able to pick up, throw, move and assemble objects, picking up weapons, climbing, swimming and shimmying along ledges. The player interaction with the puzzles and environment really stand to differentiate Lego Indy from LSW. This relates directly to the on-screen experience you get when viewing any of the Indiana Jones films.
AG: How is Indy's whip used in the game?
SS: I like to say the whip is Indy’s multi function tool. Players can use the whip to do a number of exciting things in the game, for example, disarming enemies, smashing objects, swinging across gaps, stunning enemies as well as grabbing and pulling objects.
AG: From horses to motorcycles, tanks to boats, Indy is often aided by some mode of transportation. Does this aspect make it into the game at all?
SS: Definitely! We are very excited to be able to offer players the ability to live the films and battle enemies on moving vehicles.
AG: We're assuming the trademark humor will be part of the experience. Can you give us an example of a famous scene from the movies and how it's been altered for the game? Maybe the Cairo swordsman encounter, or when Indy nearly eats a poisoned date?
SS: Humor is definitely part and parcel of the experience with this game, as it was for LSW. A great example of the use of humor is when Indy is retrieving the Idol from the Lost Temple. He rummages through his bag to find an object of similar weight to offset the removal of the Idol from the pressure pad and pulls out several humorous and out of context objects before settling on a stack of Lego studs.
AG: Indy does a lot of brawling in the films. Can you talk about his fighting style in the game?
SS: Fisticuffs are definitely one of Indy’s main courses of action when the going gets tough, and the team has aspired to provide the player with a wide range of animations to showcase variety in those circumstances.
AG: In Lego SW players had the ability to collect tons of items to unlock bonus content and build their ship collection outside of the diner. Does Lego Indy have this same emphasis on collecting? What does he collect, and what can be unlocked?
SS: Being an archaeologist, Indiana Jones is more about collecting than any character in LSW.
AG: Is anything in the game based on the new movie? Any call-outs or nods to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
SS: We chose to stick with the three fantastic original films in order to really give players and those not already familiar with Indy a compelling, first rate experience.
AG: Last Crusade and television's Young Indy featured the famous archaeologist as a boy and as a teenager. Will we see any references to young Indy in the game?
SS: We are always looking for ways to give players a first rate story and gameplay experience, so keep an eye out for references to Indy’s past exploits!
AG: Is Short Round a playable character? How about Mola Ram? If so, how do you make these and other side characters cool to play?
SS: Absolutely, there are approximately 60 playable characters in the game and while Mola Ram is not playable in story mode, he can be unlocked for freeplay. The different character abilities are what make them fun to play, for example we have characters that can excavate, translate, repair machinery and of course get around phobic elements like snakes, rats and insects, which torment Indy, Indy Sr. and Willie Scott.
AG: Outside of Indy, do you have a favorite playable character in the game? And why?
SS: Marion Ravenwood is a really fun character to play, she has a double jump ability to reach places Indy can’t get to, as well as the ability to use a monkey to reach even more challenging destinations throughout the levels.
AG: Do all three movies get equal attention in the game?
SS: Yes, we didn’t want to play favorites so we split up the three films equally in terms of level content, just as was done in LSW.
AG: Why are you guys so damn generous? You could easily make a separate game for all three movies and make triple the money--isn't it all about the fortune and glory?
SS: Thanks for the compliment; hopefully everyone who picks up the game will feel the same way!
AG: Can we expect additional Lego SW and Lego Indy games in the future?
SS: We are very fortunate to be working with the incredibly creative and passionate team at TT Games and it would be a shame to let players down by not making any more of these games!
We'd like to thank Shawn Storc at LucasArts and the crew at Traveler's Tales for the interview and for the great games. LEGO Indiana Jones is set for release later this year.
