Do you still remember Judas? Ken Levine reminded us about the game and once again announces a unique production that will delight with its extensive mechanics.
The creator of BioShock returns to the scene with something that… is expected to be his most “reactive” game of his career. Judas has been in development for years, we saw the first trailer a long time ago, but only now have we received really specific information from Ken Levine himself… and it seems that Ghost Story Games is aiming for a project that is supposed to bring the player’s choices to life on a level never seen before.
Levine explicitly emphasizes that Judas is supposed to let you decide not only how you move the story forward, but also who you trust and how you deal with the consequences. The key is that it is not supposed to be “another FPS with a plot”, but something like a “Judas simulator” – the game is supposed to put you in the shoes of the heroine and make you feel the pressure of the situation and the weight of decisions in a world where “the sun sets on humanity”.
The biggest catch? Reactivity doesn’t end with big, plot choices. Levine says characters will respond to your sequence of actions “down to the smallest detail.” In other words: not only “you chose A instead of B”, but also how it happened, what you did along the way, in what order, in what style. And that’s right this level of “macro and micro” decisions was to require as much as 5 years of research and development (R&D) on the system itself.
At the heart of this approach is the Villainy mechanics – and it sounds like something that’s meant to mess with your head, just like real relationships. Depending on how you treat key characters, they may like you, hate you, and then… change their mind again. It’s supposed to be a “plate juggling” where you keep your relationship moving at the risk of things starting to fall apart at some point. Levine clearly states that you can’t please everyone here – due to the Villainy system, one of the characters will become your antagonist at some point anyway. And this means that the “perfect run” in which everyone is happy simply does not exist.
The creators openly hope that players will start comparing their progress and checking who they have “made” an enemy, because it is supposed to result from their style and choices. Levine also emphasizes that the team is curious about which characters will become community favorites, precisely because of how different the relationships between you and the rest of the cast may be.
What about the state of production itself? According to Levine work is going well, the team is facing the next milestone and wants to let the community behind the scenes more often. The creators have recently posted a dev blog, there will be further updates, and we can expect trailers and further announcements closer to the premiere.