Angelic trend: in Russia they create an analogue of the cult "Worms"
In Russia, an analogue of the famous Worms series is being developed, the total sales of which have exceeded 75 million copies during the franchise's existence. The new project is called "Angel Power". At the same time, instead of the usual armed worms, players will be offered to manage teams of fairies, sorceresses and other fantastic heroines. Izvestia found out what other innovations the authors came up with to attract attention to the novelty.
Magic instead of worms
The Moscow studio SKIF Entertainment, known for the series "Petka and Vasily Ivanovich", is developing the project "Angel Power". This is a turn-based artillery game in the spirit of the cult Worms series and other classic representatives of the genre, such as Pocket Tanks and Scorched Earth. In the original projects of the genre, users control teams of characters who take turns attacking each other with a variety of weapons on destructible maps. The victory is won by the side that manages to disable all rivals.
In the new Russian project, the basic mechanics will remain, but instead of worms, players will be offered to control fairies, sorceresses, skeletons, necromancers and other fantastic characters. They will use magical abilities, spells, and various unusual artifacts as weapons and means of attack. According to the developers, special attention will be paid to the vivid visual style, humor and variety of characters.
— Our idea is simple: based on the genre popularized by Worms and Scorched Earth, we are creating a new international gaming brand. Instead of worms, we will have angelically beautiful witches. The first game will be dedicated to magic, and the mechanics themselves will only be the starting point for the further development of the project," Vyacheslav Pisny, the general producer of the project, told Izvestia.
According to him, the key difference from Worms will be full-fledged story campaigns, long scrollable levels and cooperative playthroughs. The developers also plan to introduce an in-game economy: for defeating opponents, players will receive gold, which can be spent on weapons, armor, first-aid kits and special abilities.
The general producer of the project is Vyacheslav Pisny
— In the original Worms, most of the battles take place on one screen. We want to make large levels with gradual progress on the map, a variety of opponents and story objectives. In addition, players will be able to campaign together against a computer opponent. This is one of the key elements of the project," Vyacheslav Pisny said.
The creators expect to turn Angel Power into a full-fledged franchise. In addition to the initial trilogy "Magic", "War" and "Aliens", additions dedicated to pirates, dinosaurs, ancient Greek myths, ninjas, policemen and other subjects are already being considered.
Will the game find its audience
Arkady Smirnov, a video game expert, believes that using a recognizable formula can help the project attract the attention of the audience at the start, but comparisons with the legendary series will be inevitable.
— Any project that is positioned as an heir or an analogue of Worms automatically comes under the close attention of players. On the one hand, it helps to gain recognition, on the other hand, it significantly increases the requirements for product quality. The players will not compare ideas on paper, but the ease of management, balance, physics and the overall level of execution. It is these parameters that will ultimately determine the fate of the project," he stressed.
The success of the project will depend not so much on the similarity with Worms, but on the quality of implementation and the ability to offer players new mechanics, added IT specialist Sergey Pomortsev.
— So far, it's more about the concept and presentation of a future project than a finished game. Dozens of ambitious game ideas regularly appear on the market, but not all of them get to release. Judging by the materials presented, the developers are still at the prototyping stage and searching for resources for full—fledged production," he said.
According to him, the main challenge for the team will not be finding ideas, but financing the development.
— Creating a modern cross-platform game requires serious investments, especially when it comes to its own graphic style, animation, programming, testing and subsequent promotion. The authors will have to attract investors or a publisher, and this is one of the most difficult tasks for independent studios. Therefore, it is premature to talk about competition with Worms now — first you need to turn the concept into a full—fledged product and bring it to release," the expert emphasized.
Arkady Smirnov noted that the genre of turn-based artillery games still has an audience, although it is much smaller today than it was 20 years ago. To do this, it is important for developers not just to reproduce a familiar formula, but to offer players something really new.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
