Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Developer Q&A

We talk to Matt Vella producer at LucasArts about the upcoming Wii version of Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings due out June 17th in Australia.

A little background: Step into the shoes of the legendary hero, Indiana Jones, in an all new epic adventure! Set in the year 1939, Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings follows the rogue archaeologist on an all new globe-trotting quest.

From San Francisco’s Chinatown to the lush jungles of Panama, Indy must use his whip, fists and wits to fight through ruthless opposition as he spars with his nemesis, Magnus Völler, in a race for a relic of biblical proportions – the Staff of Moses.

Onto the questions!

When is the game set in relation to the films?

This story takes place in 1939 – after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, just before the onset of WWII.

With game on four different consoles, how does the Wii version differentiate itself from the rest?

This game was built from the ground up for the Wii with the motion sensitive controls figuring very prominently in the overall design. Most gamers who own or want to own the Wii think of two things – swinging the Wi Remote like a lightsaber and of course swinging it like Indy’s signature whip.

How will the gameplay work on the Wii? We’ve all seen the trailer with the Wiimote Whip, what unique uses can we expect from the Wii Remote?

Wii Remote – don’t let Nintendo hear you call it Wiimote! 🙂 The whip can be used in a variety of ways. In hand to hand combat it can be used to disarm an enemy. Depending on three different gestures (down, side and upswing) players can grab enemies with the whip in different locations (legs, waist and neck respectively). Based on gestures after the whip grab, there are different payoffs for each attach location.

Players will also use the whip in various aspects of navigation (whip swinging, etc.) and puzzle solving.

The Indiana Jones movies are known for their iconic theme. That will be in the game of course but how is the rest of the music coming along?

The music came along great! We have a very talented staff here at LucasArts that helped create some original pieces for the game that fit right in with the original Indiana Jones themes that people are familiar with.

Indiana Jones takes place in some far off and exotic places, what are some of the places we’ll be seeing?

Players will explore all across the globe, from San Francisco’s China Town to the jungles of Panama and beyond.

The games single player adventure will no doubt be the main feature, but are there any multiplayer modes or incentives to play through the game again once the story is done?

There are a variety of unlockable features that are accessed by finding artifacts in the game, as well as by achieving certain things in game. There is a cooperative play story mode, a 4 player competitive mode where players can fly planes or drive tanks, combat arenas and more. This game has a lot to offer!

Is Harrison Ford lending his voice to the game?

No, getting his time is incredibly tough. We have a soundalike that does an amazing job and we think you’ll agree.

What has been the team’s favourite part of the game to develop?

That’s a hard question as there is so much to do in this game – from solving puzzles in temples to riding a stampeding elephant through the streets of Istanbul, from flying a plane in a wild escape from the Sudan to shooting it out with Nazis.

Overall the most fun has been in figuring out how to give the players a rich Wii experience using the motion sensitive controls while delivering a game that puts you in the hat and jacket of Indiana Jones himself! I think we did a damn good job of it.

The Wii version will have the classic Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis bundled in with it exclusively; could we see more classic adventures on the Wii?

We’re so excited to get Fate of Atlantis out there with Staff of Kings. We think it’ll be a great added bonus for fans out there. We’re always looking at ways to expand our properties, so you never know, but there are no announcements at this time.

Thanks to Matt for taking the time to answer our questions! Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings is due out June 17th in Australia and as well as being on the Wii is also on the NintendoDS, PSP and PS2.