We recently had a chance to talk with the lead designer from Vicarious Visions about the company’s upcoming game Shrek The Third. Shrek The Third is giving me a Lost Viking vibe so far. Impressions of the game are on their way, but until then check out what Jorge Diaz has to say.

Hi, tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Jorge Diaz and I worked as the Lead Designer for the Nintendo DS version of Shrek the Third. Here at Vicarious Visions, we work on a lot of animated movie games and over the years I have been able to work on several, including Shrek 2 for the Game Boy Advance. When I was growing up I was a really big NES and SNES fan so I really like working on both Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance systems.

Can you tell our readers more about the gameplay of Shrek the Third on the DS?
Shrek the Third is an amalgaman of various gameplay aesthetics that the entire production team developed as a group. The core gameplay requires the player to alternate between Shrek, Artie, Puss-in-Boots and Donkey as they explore the levels looking for the Golden Fairies that will break the spell on Merlin. Each character has a set of specialized skills which you’ll need to use in order to solve the various puzzles and fight off Prince Charming’s minions.

Shrek’s specialty is fighting and breaking things. Puss-in-Boots can fight too but he is better at jumping and getting into small spaces. Artie wields a magic shield that serves as a projectile weapon, lets him block enemy attacks and also gives him special abilities like surfing on water. Donkey is ever present as both the narrator and base commander of the group. He uses magic to help the three characters along their way. When the player holds the shoulder buttons, he can have Donkey cast a spell on objects by touching them on the screen. At this time, the player can also blow air on the DS Microphone to make the wind blow inside the level.

This is a handheld port of a movie aimed at kids. What is there to interest older gamers in this title?
I would hope that people don’t make the mistake of judging Shrek the Third as a “kid’s only game” or a port because they will miss out on some really unique gameplay mechanics. The game is unique to the DS, it incorporates touch screen controls, dual 3D, microphone and full co-op gameplay. The graphics are some of the best 3D graphics on the system and you get full voice over and narration by Donkey. There is also an entire Hard Mode setting that, when unlocked, modifies every existing level with more complex puzzles and more challenging situations.

I’ve read about co-op play on the DS version, can you tell us more about this mode? Is it different than the single-player game?
Up to three players can play the entire Shrek the Third DS game in local multiplayer cooperative mode. The game will track each individual’s progress so any progress made in co-op mode will be saved in the individual game slots and be available when playing a single player session later on.

Within co-op mode, players will be able to perform something we’ve called “Spectator Mode” which is unique to multiplayer. In DS games you often want to see what other people are up to without looking over their shoulder and this is especially true if each person can take their own path in the game. When you toggle on “Spectator Mode” you can look at what your friend is doing whenever you want and while doing so you can help him out by casting spells using the DS touch screen and the microphone.

Co-op mode is probably my favorite feature in the game. Whenever we played in the office it got very loud and hectic! While playing co-op, the unpredictability of the other players makes it feel like you’re playing completely different games. Based on who your team mates are you may feel anxiety or a sense of fellowship. But it’s incredibly fun to collaborate on each level to solve the puzzles and defeat all the enemies!

Will the game support single-cart play or multi-cart only? Any online modes?
The game engine pushes the hardware very hard so single cart full co-op mode was not possible. However as an added feature, Shrek the Third DS offers a single player demo that can be uploaded to people without the game. This demo allows players to get a taste of what the game is about.

How closely does the game follow the movie scenario?
In the movie, Shrek, Puss-in-Boots and Donkey set out on a journey to find Fiona’s cousin Artie and bring him back to Far Far Away. Along the way, they get a bit sidetracked and that’s where the DS takes a detour. Shrek the Third for the DS takes place in the middle of the movie’s story just as they meet Merlin the Wizard but before they go back to Far Far Away. The complete story is narrated by Donkey, who naturally puts his own spin on all the events, regardless of what is written on the story book. According to Donkey’s recollection he was looking for something to eat in Merlin’s house when he accidentally turned the Wizard into a talking parfait using an old magic wand. Before they can go back to Far Far Away, the heroes have to locate the Golden Fairies that will turn Merlin back to his normal self. This is made all the more difficult because Prince Charming’s minions are out to capture Shrek and the gang.

Is there any advantage from working on a licensed game instead of an original IP?
Game licenses have a mass appeal that allows our ideas to reach a bigger audience. They often provide us with more realized conceptualizations for the story, the characters and the visual style of the world.

Why did you decide to make the game 3D instead of 2D? Are you satisfied with the DS’s 3D capability?
The Nintendo DS is a great system to develop for. It is not an Xbox 360 in terms of 3D capability but here at Vicarious Visions we have been able to make the most out of what this system can offer. For Shrek the Third, we came up with a game design that we knew would be best served by using 3D game levels that were rendered on both screens. Our levels are fully explorable both horizontally and vertically, so using the dual screen to create a sense of height and scale to the levels was a key goal. We think the levels look amazing on the DS and we’re completely satisfied with the DS graphical capabilities.

Which DS hardware features does the game use?
For starters you will notice that Shrek the Third uses a dual 3D rendering system. Controlling the characters will require the use of stylus strokes and taps, face buttons and as well as the DS microphone. Controls are set up so you can play left handed or right handed and as we mentioned before you can play the entire game in co-op multiplayer using local wireless connection.

What other non-licensed games did you draw inspiration from when designing this title?
We look at everything for inspiration and it’s hard to define “non-licensed games” since every game has a license the moment someone owns the rights to it. That said, non-movie based games we can mention as inspiration would be Lost Vikings 2 for the SNES. That game was an inspiration for Shrek 2 at the time. The control scheme was inspired by the work done on Ultimate Spider-Man DS which is a comic licensed game we developed a few years back. I kept thinking of Donkey’s role in the game as something out of the god-mode in Actraiser (SNES), the Mickey Mouse character in Fantasia sequence “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and that Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs gets a magic wand and starts making up magic words like “hocus-kadabra” to enchant a Vampire.

As developers, you must be aware that there is a segment of hardcore gamers that have strong distrust for licensed games. Is this a trap that is possible to break out of?
What have you done to do so? Or is the product tightly targeted to the non hardcore? It’s unfortunate that some people might distrust Shrek the Third because it’s based on an animated movie. But hopefully, they’ll stop and take a minute to realize that “hardcore gamers” are the people who make those games and they have to play them over and over for months on end. Developers don’t enjoy making a poor quality game any more than they like to play one!

We really try to come up with game designs that will appeal to a wide range of players. We’re not just focused on fans of the movie – we want all gamers to have fun playing our games. I think you can see that in the way we designed the controls and the levels for Shrek the Third. We focused on making a unique game that uses the DS hardware to its fullest.

Thanks for your time.