So many swords and sorcery games to come along in the last while may have been jam-packed with adventure, quests, and glory, but they could often times be rather dower affairs. Every now and then the world needs laughter, even if it is facing an eminent threat from some mad wizard, ancient god, or evil empire. The folks at Triumph Studios appear to feel the same way, and are adding liberal doses of comedic flair to their upcoming action adventure title Overlord due out on the PC and Xbox 360 later this year. We recently had the chance to ask Rhianna Pratchett, writer and co-story designer on Overlord, a few questions about the game, shedding more light on it.

Thanks for your time, Rhianna!

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Overlord Q&A

Armchair Empire (AE): To what extent will Overlord be embracing humor? Are we talking Leisure Suit Larry-esque levels of wall-to-wall laughs, or something a little subtler?

Rhianna Pratchett (RP) - Overlord hasn’t been design specifically as a comedy title in the same way as Leisure Suit Larry, but there’s a lot of contextual humour in the game. This is down to many different aspects, including the actions and reactions of your Minions, the various characters you meet, the performances of the voice actors (particularly Gnarl the Minion Master who is your continual companion in Evil throughout the game) and, of course, a few good old-fashioned jokes!

AE: Do you find that there is a difference in the writing process when approaching comedy in a game as opposed to, say, film or literature?

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RP - Comedy is pretty hard to pull off anyway – even more so in games because you’re not in control of the player’s every movement. Therefore timing and sequence-based comedy (outside of cut-scenes) is pretty tricky, unless you spend a lot of time anticipating what the player *might* do.

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But because of this unique position of the player, a bit of humour can go a long way. They’re not just watching the comedy, they’re experiencing it. In Overlord I think we’ve hit upon a style and tone that really works for the game. It’s fairly satirical, as we’ve taken great pleasure in twisting a few well-known fantasy clichés – so now you have things like lustful paladins, lazy elves and corrupted unicorns.

It certainly helps that the gameplay in Overlord is pretty amusing in itself… who doesn’t love watching an army of rabid Minions looting a village, urinating sporadically and wearing pumpkin helmets?

AE: Are there any games, books, or films in particular that have influenced you while creating Overlord?

RP - Nothing specifically, although I watch all kinds of movies voraciously. There’s a certain amount of Monty Python-esque humour in there, although maybe that’s a British thing. You’re not allowed into this country unless you can prove you know all the words to the Dead Parrot sketch.

AE: Can you describe the dynamics between the Overlord and his gremlin-like minions? To what extent can players control the minions?

RP - The player is the Overlord, so naturally the Minions must obey their master’s every command! The Overlord has full control over his Minions, and unless the Minions are under the influence of a spell, then they’ll do whatever they’re told unquestioningly…even if it means their certain death! They’re very loyal.

The Minions can be controlled as a group, called sweeping. This is done with the right analogue stick or the mouse and shows off some of the swarm dynamics in the game.

Minions can also be controlled individually, rather like guided bullets. Once they are sent off, their little Minion brain takes over. If you happen to send them to an enemy they will automatically start attacking it and when they are done they’ll return to your side with any goodies they’ve found.

AE: Beyond controlling minions, what sorts of special abilities will players have in the game?

RP - The player/Overlord will have their own upgradeable weapons and armour, so they’ll be able to attack creatures independently of their Minions - although their Minion horde is their most powerful weapon.

They will have their own set of spells too. Some of the higher level spell will vary dependent on how evil…or how really evil they’ve been during the game. Some spells will affect their Minions, such as giving them temporary buffs, whilst others will slow down on-coming enemies, or bring a whole lot of mass flaming destruction to the game world!

AE: What sorts of missions will players find themselves going on in Overlord? Can you give an example?

RP - Your ultimate goal is to track down the so-called heroes who looted and wrecked your tower and teach them a suitably fatal lesson in manners. And then there is the whole World Domination thing – a must for every aspiring Overlord! However, in tracking down the heroes the Overlord will traverse through several domains, each beset with their own problems and pesky inhabitants to suppress. So the player might have to find out why the Elf forest of Evernight has become corrupted, or what lurks in the heart of the Halfway to Heaven Inn…or why a farmer is being terrorised by his own vegetables.

AE: Are there any plans for multiplayer?

RP – There are three multiplayer modes in the game, so plenty of Minion versus Minion carnage! There’s Slaughter (death-match), Pillage (whoever gathers the most loot wins) and Survival (where two Overlords need to work together and stay alive as long as possible).

May 3, 2007


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