Read our MC vs DCU Review Here
SPOnG: The gameplay looks similar to the accessible nature of older Mortal Kombat games. It seems like the game has turned to more of a ‘pick up and play’ ideal than the martial arts switching that we’ve seen in recent titles. Was it your intention to chop down some of these aspects to encourage accessible play?
Hans Lo: Yeah, I mean this game is a reboot, starting from scratch as it were – but that doesn’t mean we’ve ignored anything we’ve done in the past. A lot of this game has its roots in the earlier games, especially MKII, but at the same time we also looked at all the other games in the series and went through what worked, the stuff we and the fans really liked, what we didn’t like and the stuff that didn’t go as well as we thought.
So we took some of those features – there’s no way we could implement every single feature because then you’d just have a really confusing game – based on what made sense to keep. Because of that we went back and realised that MKII struck a chord with a lot of people and, like you said, there’s a certain level of accessibility that we were very conscious to implement into MK vs DC Universe.
Despite the ‘pick up and play’ nature of it, you’ll find as you play the game, you’ll discover that there is a deeper level. It’s almost a case of ‘easy to learn, difficult to master’, so the more advanced players can get in deep and start finding all these unique combinations where they can add all these combo links to create these super moves.
SPOnG: A lot of games in this day and age have retracted a bit from doing overly complex moves and features to appeal to what is being seen as an embracing of the ‘casual audience’. Would you say that the arrangement of different elements and accessibility of the game is an appeal to a similar wider audience?
Hans Lo: Yes and no, it’s a good question and it’s more complex than it appears on the surface. I think the game is simplified, but at the same time this game was made with the idea to appeal to another audience, so that’s why it’s easy to pick up and play. But like you say, we didn’t want to get to a point where it was just very simple. There is something nice about simplicity, but as you play the game and start digging deeper you’ll find levels of complexity that really are more for
the advanced players. But we didn’t want to scare off players, or make it so that only the true hardcore to really love this game. We want everyone to enjoy it and have fun, and I think we’ve found a good way to do this. It’s a good balance.
SPOnG: Thank you very much for your time.
Hans Lo: Thanks, my pleasure.
Hans Lo: Yeah, I mean this game is a reboot, starting from scratch as it were – but that doesn’t mean we’ve ignored anything we’ve done in the past. A lot of this game has its roots in the earlier games, especially MKII, but at the same time we also looked at all the other games in the series and went through what worked, the stuff we and the fans really liked, what we didn’t like and the stuff that didn’t go as well as we thought.
Despite the ‘pick up and play’ nature of it, you’ll find as you play the game, you’ll discover that there is a deeper level. It’s almost a case of ‘easy to learn, difficult to master’, so the more advanced players can get in deep and start finding all these unique combinations where they can add all these combo links to create these super moves.
Hans Lo: Yes and no, it’s a good question and it’s more complex than it appears on the surface. I think the game is simplified, but at the same time this game was made with the idea to appeal to another audience, so that’s why it’s easy to pick up and play. But like you say, we didn’t want to get to a point where it was just very simple. There is something nice about simplicity, but as you play the game and start digging deeper you’ll find levels of complexity that really are more for
SPOnG: Thank you very much for your time.
Hans Lo: Thanks, my pleasure.