Roadie Eddie Riggs uses the power of rock to
defeat his enemies. Click the picture for details.
We recently had the chance to send a few questions to Brütal
Legend developer Tim Schafer, of Double Fine productions,
and quite frankly, his answers exuded such pure, unadulterated awesomeness, that we had to post
them here in their complete, unedited glory. Enjoy them and be enlightened by the power of rock.
GameStop: We've been waiting a long time for Brütal Legend. Was there ever a point you thought it wasn't going to materialize?
Tim Schafer: No, you can't kill the Metal! Brütal Legend is like an enormous, unstoppable freight train with flames coming out the sides and spikes on the front upon which the impaled bodies of our foes writhe in eternal agony. Oh, and in the very back there is a caboose with an open bar and free internet. It's an awesome train, and of course, the engine is a hard-working team who really believes in the game and never stopped working on it no matter how many washed-out bridges we had to jump. Do you have any idea how hard it is to jump a train?
GameStop: In an industry where sequels rule, was it hard to pitch an idea for an original game?
Tim Schafer: Publishers are actually always eager to talk about original games. They are always on the lookout for the next big hit, and they know that you can't live off sequels forever. And Brütal Legend practically pitches itself, with all the action, rock, and Jack Black.
GameStop: We've heard that you started developing the character of Eddie Riggs with the idea of having someone "like Jack Black” voice him. Once Jack Black agreed to voice the part, did that open up some new personality traits or affectations for Eddie?
Tim Schafer: Jack definitely takes the character of Eddie Riggs to a whole new level. He plays him both as a tough guy, but with a subtle, vulnerable side, and he makes the whole thing hilarious. He takes the role very seriously, doing many, many takes of every line you hear in the game. And sometimes, after 15 different takes, we'll say that's good enough, print it—and then he'll throw in just one more as a joke, and that turns out to be the crazy one that I never would have thought of writing but turns out to be brilliant and we'll use that one. He's awesome. He should star as every character in every game ever made, because then all games would be better.
GameStop: Eddie Riggs is an ordinary roadie who is thrown into an extraordinary situation. Why do you think the stories of the underdog who gets a chance to become a hero are the ones that stick with us?
Tim Schafer: I think a lot of people go about their everyday lives with the thought in the back of their head that if they ever had to, they could step up and be a hero. We like to imagine that we would know what to do if an emergency presented itself—say, if we walked by a burning house with a baby crying inside, or if we were transported back in time to a barbaric age where humanity is enslaved by demons. And a roadie is such a great representation of that because they aren't the ones who step on stage to take the bows and get the applause, they're just the dudes who know what to do and get the job done. Humble, but capable.
GameStop: We've also heard that you grew up as a Heavy Metal fan. What do you think it is about the Heavy Metal genre that grabs the attention of an adolescent youth and sticks with him well into his adult years?
Tim Schafer: As a teenager, it's natural to feel weird and alienated, and so here comes this music which is weird, with lyrics about darkness and alienation, but also incredible power. So it's easy to identify with it. But also, metal is a genre that takes musicianship and talent very seriously (well, except for a few bands, but we all know who they are). If it were just based on style, it would fade out like a short-lived fad. But because the people playing it actually have talent, the music they create is well-crafted and stands the test of time.
GameStop: Were you ever a member of the KISS Army, or was that a bit before your time?
Tim Schafer: I had all the albums but I kind of cheated on that one--My older sister put all her KISS albums into storage when she decided she was all about Peter Frampton. I dug them out years later and listened to them all, even though they all smelled like earwig poison from our storage unit. Kiss Alive II still had the rub-on tattoos, and Love Gun still had that paper snap gun, and they all had the application form for the Kiss Army but I never sent it in because I was like 10 and also lazy. To this day, the smell of Earwig poison makes me think of Gene Simmons.
GameStop: Is this game a compilation of all of the ideas, dreams or nightmares inspired by the album covers you saw in your youth? Do kids miss out today by not seeing those large, elaborate album covers?
Tim Schafer: When I was younger I wouldn't put on music as a backdrop to some other activity. I would put on music and then sit there and listening to it while pouring over the album art. I'd look at every little detail of the front cover, and the back, and if I was lucky, the art and liner notes on the gatefold or record sleeve. There would always be details hidden that were like the predecessors of Easter eggs—a reward for obsessive consumption. I remember how excited my friends and I were when we decoded the Germanic runes inside Diary of a Madman.
GameStop: Were you ever in a band yourself?
Tim Schafer: Calling it a band would be stretching it. I owned a drum set and I was learning how to play, and occasionally playing very badly with some friends in this one guy's kitchen. His neighbors were very understanding about it. They didn't say, "Hey, knock it off,” but they said something much worse that made me quit. They said, "Hey, we heard you practicing your drums the other night. You're…uh… getting better!"
GameStop: There are rumors that some of your old favorites are voicing parts and even contributing music to Brütal Legend. How did they react when you approached them about the game?
Tim Schafer: If I sat down and made a list of everyone I wanted to meet back when I was 15 years old it would be pretty much the same people I've been able to meet through Brütal Legend. It has been amazing. And they've all been such good sports about it. I think they like the fact that this game treats them the way they deserve to be treated—as Metal Gods.
GameStop: With Heavy Metal being such an over-the-top genre, how do you parody an industry that is almost a parody of itself? Were there any ideas that made you stop and say, "Wait, that's just too extreme?"
Tim Schafer: Well, that's the tricky thing--Brütal Legend is not a parody. If anything, it's a heartfelt love letter to Heavy Metal. But there are a lot of over-the-top elements of the genre that are inherently funny. So we just take it super seriously, and let the humor shine through naturally. If that makes any sense. Sometimes, though, I'll try to come up with a medieval sounding name for , say, a town in the game, and I'll think to myself, "Surely Doomslaughtyr-on-Shire is such a ridiculous name, no one will have used it before.” But then I’ll Google it and sure enough, someone's already used it for an Everquest guild.
GameStop: A game with a Rock-Opera feel to it might lend itself easily to a linear style of play. What made you choose the open-world environment?
Tim Schafer: We really wanted to create a living, breathing world for Brütal Legend. We wanted the sun to rise and set, and for animals and characters to be going about their business whether you were watching them or not. And we wanted the player to feel like they were free to discover all of the little hidden spots on the map on their own. That's something that I always strive for in games—a real sense of place. It's great to create a world that the player can get lost in, and have it be so immersive that when they're not playing the game they're thinking about that world in kind of a homesick way, wanting to return.
GameStop: Any plans for a game based on pre-teen pop music?
Tim Schafer: Yes, but we don't want to formally announce Precious Legends until we're 100% sure Miley is on board.
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