DmC Devil May Cry is looking better every time we see it in action, so we caught up with Ninja Theory and Capcom to discuss Dante’s latest outing.

DmC – Devil May Cry is bold project for both Ninja Theory and Capcom. The demon-slaying escapades of Dante hold a special place in the hearts of many gamers, and the fan base is so devoted, that any game attempting to reboot the franchise needs to be better than acceptable; it needs to exceed expectations.

No pressure then, but after chatting with Ninja Theory’s creative chief Tameem Antoniades and Capcom’s lead producer Alex Jones, it’s clear the studio is treating Capcom’s IP with the utmost care, and then some. Read on to discover why DmC could set a new benchmark for the series.

The specific plot of DmC has been shrouded in mystery so far. Would you consider the game to be a direct reboot, or does it fall in line with the series canon?

Tameem Antoniades: It’s a re-birth of the series that doesn’t adhere to the original canon but draws heavily from it. If you’ve never played a DMC game before, you can get stuck right in from the beginning with our game. If you have, then consider this an alternate take on the story.

Alex Jones: We’re essentially building on the gameplay foundations laid by the previous four games, whilst at the same time taking the series in a fresh direction.

We’ve seen a few instances of DmC’s younger Dante in combat. In an industry where intricate brawlers like Bayonetta exist, do you feel in any way pressured to match the intensity and depth of that game, or indeed the brutality of Devil May Cry 3?

TA: The short answer is “yes”. Intricate combat, depth, variety, and brutal challenges are the minimum we want to achieve. We also want to add new play styles in combat involving aerial combat and instant switching between several weapons.

I believe the combat should be a brutal expression of style so we are trying to give the player the tools and method to express themselves.

On top of those foundations, we are adding gameplay elements that complement combat such as elaborate traversal, a more dynamic world and a videogame story, which hopefully for once, treats us like sophisticated adults.

Can you give us an insight into how Dante handles in the game, and which of his previous Devil May Cry iterations he falls most closely in line with, and why?

AJ: We have of course taken inspiration from all of the previous games, but Dante in DmC has very much his own feel. Dante is young and relativity inexperienced in DmC, with a real anger and sense of rebellion about him. As a result Dante’s fighting style is more that of a street brawler than the choreographed fighter seen in previous games.

In the most recent trailer, we saw Dante reverting back into his ‘old Dante’ guise. In what ways can you give us an insight into this mechanic?

TA: What you’re referring to is Dante’s Devil Trigger. When Devil Trigger is activated in DmC, Dante gains in power and speed, while all of the Demons in the current encounter are lifted from the ground and suspended mid-air ready for some aerial pummeling. The longer you stay off the ground, the more damage and longer your Devil Trigger lasts. It’s a test of skill.

AJ: Visually what you’re seeing when Devil Trigger is activated is Dante tapping into his inner devil. Even though a large part of the DMC fan base are spitting blood and want clarification on the matter of hair colour, I don’t wish to give away any spoilers at this point.

We’ve also heard recently that DmC will take place across parallel worlds. What will this mean for the plot and gameplay? What freedom does this feature give you to explore characters and events from across the series?

TA: There is a parallel world behind the real world, a demon dimension called Limbo superimposed over our human one. From here, the demons are instigating an invasion, controlling all parts of society behind the scenes.

Dante is able to go into Limbo and see the truth behind the illusion. He can see the wretched, malignant version of our own world and take on the demons.

What specific qualities did Capcom see in Ninja Theory that might have landed you the DmC job? Did you have to produce a proof of concept, or prototype to seal the deal?

TA: I think one of the key factors that attracted Capcom to us was our experience in telling stories through games. They told us that they wanted to give Devil May Cry a refresh, a new lease of life and part of that was to give the series a more contemporary feel.

As a studio we have a real focus on narrative and a belief that you can create evermore immersive game experiences by pushing storytelling techniques. I also think our distinct art style was one of our attributes that Capcom could see fitting within the Devil May Cry franchise.

Bosses have always been such a huge part of Devil May Cry’s novelty. Can we get an insight into what you have done to ensure that these encounters will still in the mind?

AJ: We’re taking traditional Devil May Cry boss fights and thinking about them in the context of Dante’s new abilities and our dynamic, surrealistic world.

By doing this we’ve come up with new ways to think about boss battles, particularly in terms of what tactics are needed to succeed in them. This has been a particularly deep area of collaboration with Capcom.

Overall, what or who would you say have been your biggest influences when creating DmC, and why? How did these inspirations help guide the project?

TA: I’d actually say that the most powerful influence has come from the team at Capcom that we’ve been partnering with. Working with people like Hideaki Itsuno, Director of Devil May Cry 2, 3 and 4, has enabled us to tap into a real wealth of Devil May Cry knowledge and development experience, especially in combat.

On the story side, Alex Garland, who I worked with on Enslaved has really inspired me personally and has continued to mentor me through this game. On art, Alex Taini, our visual art director and Stuart Adcock our technical art director always inspire me with their bold vision.

Performance capture has become Ninja Theory’s bread and butter. In what ways has Capcom encouraged you to explore that side of things again in DmC?

TA: Performance capture is a technique that we really believe in and use to push the way we tell stories in our games. It’s the driving force behind the DmC narrative. By using our own techniques and technologies we’ve been able to take things a step further from Heavenly Sword and Enslaved.

We capture voice, face and body simultaneously, a technique we pioneered in gaming. In addition, we are also capturing all on-set camera motion for a more realistic feel.

This is also the first game I’ve written, cast and directed myself. If i do my job right, you should be seeing a story of Dante that breaks the myth that all videogame stories are trite and will never stand up to the best that theatre and film have to offer.

We shot DmC at Giant Studios in LA, where Avatar was shot, using a lot of the Avatar crew and similar technology. As you say, utilising performance capture is something that we’ve become known for, so Capcom were of course keen that we used our expertise in this area for DmC. They pretty much let us get on with it.

We’ve read that Capcom was prepared for a negative reaction to new Dante. Can we expect similar bold decisions to be made with other aspects of the game; narrative, gameplay, motion control and so on?

TA: We were all prepared for a negative reaction to an extent. Capcom moved one of their much-loved franchises to an external studio for it to be taken in a new direction. It would be naive to think that there wouldn’t be a reaction.

But we’re happy and we have the full support of Capcom with our chosen narrative and gameplay direction. This approval alone should assure people that although this is a re-birth, with some bold decisions being made, we are not just a bunch of monkeys.

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Enslaved: Odyssey to the West – Alex Garland and Tameem Antoniades

Some of the biggest developers and best games were recognised at the Develop awards. One of the biggest awards up for grabs was “Best New IP”. The game that took that accolade was Namco Bandai’s Enslaved: Odyssey to The West.

The incredible action adventure game released last year to great critical success but unfortunately never took off with consumers. You can now easily pick up this game for less than 20 Euro, and is honestly a steal at that price. It is one of the best and easily the most under-rated game last year. If you haven’t played it yet, you really need too. Congrats Enslaved.

Ninja Theory, the developer behind PlayStation 3 exclusive Heavenly Sword, has denied that they’re working on a sequel or anything related to the IP.

The denial comes via Twitter, after a rumour appeared in the latest edition of PlayGamer magazine Ninja Theory said: “We’re not currently developing HS2 or anything within the HS IP.”

Only E3 will show if the HS2 rumour is true.

It appears that Nariko and Kai may be reliving another adventure as UK gaming magazine PlayGamer has stated that developer Ninja Theory will be announcing Heavenly Sword 2 at this year’s E3 convention.

According to the publication, Heavenly Sword 2 will take place ten years after the events in the original, allowing gamers to travel a new open world.

Apparently, missions are constructed to be replayable within an interactive environment, rumored to feature deformable scenery and chances of finding makeshift weapons. The magazine also suggests that the legendary Heavenly Sword will not be attainable at the beginning of the game, coursing players to master a variety of martial arts before handling weaponry.

Last year, Ninja Theory’s Tameem Antoniades commented that a sequel was never out of the question, revealing ideas to have Nariko serve time in Hell, while Kai roamed the surface of the Earth trying to save her soul.

“I had this idea that you would play Nariko who finds herself trapped in Hell by the spirit of the sword,” said Antoniades.

“Kai would be playable in the real world and would communicate with Nariko and try and help rescue her soul.”

The original sold more than 1.5 million copies as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Since then, Ninja Theory has released Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and revealed their involvement working on a new Devil May Cry reboot for Capcom. If this rumor is true, expect to hear more on Heavenly Sword 2 at E3 this June.

We are currently looking for a talented and deadly Ninja (actual Ninja) to perform real Ninja activities in and around the studio. Responsibilities will include “taking out” the bad guys, espionage and sabotage.

To join as a Ninja you will need:

• In depth knowledge of the Ninja function

• Experience in using a range of bladed and non-bladed weapons

• Must demonstrate an extraordinary level of stealth

• A minimum of 5 years experience in high level assassination work

And whilst not essential it would be advantageous to see:

• A full, clean Ninja licence

• The ability to appear invisible / teleport

• A good working knowledge of Microsoft Office

To apply please send your CV and covering letter to info@ninjatheory.com quoting reference: NT/APR/FO/01. The closing date for applications is April 1st 2011

Cambridge-based Ninja Theory is offering six young aspiring developers the chance to work at its studio for half a year.

The award-winning studio, which among other projects is developing Devil May Cry for Capcom, wants new talent to join its cinematics team.

Those chosen will be given the CV-illuminating chance to work with performance capture data generated for Devil May Cry.

A basic salary is included, but so is the chance of a permanent position at the studio.

“Our intern program has worked really well in the past, so I’m very excited to be offering the opportunity to aspiring ninjas again” said studio co-founder Nina Kristensen.

“This is a great opportunity for any graduates or students part way through their course who want to learn what it is like working on a real triple-A title.”

The internship runs from July 2011.

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“I think relationships are what makes us who we are. It’s relationships that drive us to do amazing, or terrible, things. I think it’s a brilliant subject to explore,” Nina Kristensen told me. We’re talking about Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, one of my favorite games of last year, and the second game from Ninja Theory that focused on a relationship between two very different characters. The first game, Heavenly Sword, was one of the PlayStation 3′s early hits.

Kristensen holds the title of “Chief Development Ninja,” which is rather brilliant thing to be as an adult. After talking to her and Mike Ball, the “Chief Technology Ninja,” it’s clear that Ninja Theory is not like most developers in terms of tone and personality. This is a very good thing for the future of the Devil May Cry franchise.

The world was mapped out

The world of Enslaved looked like a painting, but one that was filled with sleeping technological terrors that came to life and fought you as you crossed the landscape. I asked how much of this world they had mapped out, and how much they knew about its history before development began.

“Masses!” Kristensen explained. “We did a complete history of the world, all sorts of plagues and financial crises, massive wars. We made up all sorts of stuff just to give us a back story. There are different types of mechs, some from wars that happened 50 years ago, some from wars that happened 100 years ago, there’s an evolution of those things sitting in the world.” She likens it to a beautiful landscape that has been filled with landmines, hinting at the social commentary under the surface of the title.

“Landmines currently maim or kill 10,000 people every year long after the wars that spawned them,” Ninja Theory co-founder Tameem Antoniades told Eurogamer in a 2009 interview. “In places like Afghanistan, where I originally come from, millions of colorful ‘butterfly’ landmines dropped by the Soviet forces continue to maim and kill children who mistake them for toys. Today we are witnessing the advent of drone warfare, the rise of despot nuclear nations and the possibilities of large-scale casualties in bio-terrorism. In the comfort of our privileged Western world, post-apocalypse equates to fantasy. In places like Afghanistan, people are living day-to-day in a post-apocalyptic nightmare.”

The story’s undercurrents and subtexts are interesting, and they help to explain the game’s grip on those that have played it. But the characters are what is truly exceptional, and that was due to how the game was put together.

Acting in person

The game was written by Alex Garland, the novelist who wrote The Beach, as well as the screenplays for 28 Days Later and Sunshine. It was brought to life by the actor Andy Serkis, who is perhaps best known for the voice and physical performance behind Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. When Hollywood and gaming mix, the results can be terrible; in this case, both men used their talents for the good of the medium.

“When you look at a lot of projects, you can tell the few that got the actors together to work, there are relatively few that do that,” Mike Ball told me, pointing out that Serkis also has a long history in theater. All the scenes in the game were workshopped with all the actors together in one room, and then shot that way. The performances were just that: performances.

This resulted in nuanced acting that is rare in the world of adventure games. In many games, the voice actors never meet each other, much less get to act together directly. It pays off.

The ending was also a major left turn, and I won’t ruin it for those that have yet to play the game—which should definitely be on your to-do list if you haven’t already. Kristensen said that they batted around a number of ideas on what should happen at the end. “As satisfying as a Hollywood ending can be, it’s only satisfying in that moment, it doesn’t give you anything to think about,” she told Ars. “The best movies have a somewhat ambiguous ending.”

Some people hated the ending, others loved it, but it was definitely something people discussed. It was also a major departure from the expected major boss encounter followed by the game wrapping itself up in a tight bow.

I asked if they were happy with the game’s sales performance. “Obviously not,” Kristensen said.

“I think the timing wasn’t awesome for a brand new IP, if you think about everything that came out in the last quarter of last year, we were up against every other big gun,” she explained. “Launching a big IP is hard, and you need it to be in the public’s eye and so forth, and you need a big push to get what you have out to people. I think getting lost in the mix was a bit of a shame.”

Enslaved is out now, and Ninja Theory is now hard at work on the Devil May Cry reboot.

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