An Inteview With Death's Hand

Interview by Kevin Martens
September, 2004

When we set out to make Jade Empire the best RPG that we've produced, we knew that the road would be long and hard. We didn't expect to become literally enslaved to the project.

Death's Hand, formidable right arm of the Emperor and scourge of the Jade Empire, joins us today to explain his management approach. With his leave, we will touch on combat and story design in Jade Empire and how these two features are shaping up as the game progresses.

Kevin Martens [KM]: Thank you for joining us. First of all, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Death's Hand [DH]: Save your vacuous pleasantries. I am the most powerful servant of our glorious Emperor Sun! I am the head of the Lotus Assassins--the personal guard of the Emperor--who, under my directive, seek out, and destroy any whom I deem to be traitors. I came to power during a campaign against the Spirit Monks in the Land of Howling spirits and have crushed all enemies of the Jade Empire beneath my mailed fist ever since. Currently, I ensure that you and your pathetic ilk make a game that is worthy of my master.

KM: Uh, I'm not sure if you're aware of Canadian labor law, but threats and insults are generally frowned upon.

DH: I would crush you like an insect before HR ever got your complaint.

KM: Point taken. Let's move on. What can you tell us about Jade Empire the game?

DH: Thanks to my iron-fisted leadership, it is shaping up nicely. Jade Empire is an action RPG that puts the player in the role of a martial arts master. Something is clearly wrong in the land from the outset: spirits and ghosts are being sighted more and more and are even attacking people in outlying villages. The player must investigate this threat and eventually uncover the dark cause behind it. This tiny thread is just part of an epic story in the grand BioWare RPG tradition of games like Baldur's Gate I and II, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

KM: Can you give us an overview of the combat system in Jade Empire?

DH: You have already felt the sting of my backhand, whelp, but I shall explain for the benefit of your readers. Jade Empire combat represents a perfect fusion of BioWare game standards: a huge variety of actions and tactical choices within a fast-paced action system. I would allow nothing less. As players journey through the game, they can upgrade their starting combat style or learn entirely new styles, depending on how they prefer to play. There are dozens of fighting styles, each with unique strengths and weaknesses, including martial arts styles (Leaping Tiger, Legendary Strike), magic styles (Tempest, Dire Flame), and weapon styles (Twin Axes, Staff, and improvised weapons like Twin Hams). Each style has its own tactical role and attacks that range from punches and kicks to weapon strikes, mystical powers, and even transformations into supernatural monsters! You can focus on a narrow channel of styles and become dominant in these forms or broaden your area of study to include a wide variety of styles adaptable to many combat situations. Combat is fast-paced martial arts action, and it is exciting and tactical as you rapidly switch fighting styles to meet diverse challenges.

KM: How do you think the combat is shaping up?

DH: This concept is transferring very well into gameplay. A typical combat might involve the player encountering one of my Lotus Assassin and his Rat Demon minions. The player might choose to rain magical fire down with his Dire Flame style, causing the Rat Demons to turn away in fear. He could then switch to his Iron Palm style to crush them into the dirt. If the Lotus Assassin draws a sword, the player may retaliate by drawing Fortune's Favorite, his magical long sword, one of many weapons in the game. Of course, if the Lotus Assassin allows himself to be beaten, not even the cold embrace of death will save him from my wrath.

The tactical choices available to players make them very formidable, and they are not limited to the battlefield. Alternatively, the player may unlock the secrets of his damnable artifact, the Dragon Amulet, and find gems that increase his Body. These and many more choices are open to the player, allowing combat to be as intense or as strategic as he or she wants it to be.

In fact, I want to address just how powerful you have allowed the players to become. They begin to rival my abilities, and you know how that displeases me. Perhaps I should intensify the morning beatings so your department heads follow my instructions properly. You... you Canadians just don't respect force the way you should. I swear, if it wasn't for my influence, you'd be making a game about flowers and sharing instead of the epic that Jade Empire is destined to become.

KM: Hey, I still maintain that a puppy petting simulator would be a blockbuster. Maybe we could sit down and calmly discuss our differences over some warm maple syrup in a hockey rink?

DH: You sicken me.

KM: Tell us a bit about story design in Jade Empire.

DH: In the tradition of the Baldur's Gate series or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire is a story about choices. The player finds him/herself having to survive in a time of great upheaval. Little is as it seems, and as the player uncovers more of the Empire's dark history, he or she will have to decide what kind of person they want to be. Does the player strive for honor and virtue, freeing the land from the scourge of restless spirits, or capitalize on the turmoil, carving a path to personal power? Needless to say, I prefer and applaud all efforts to achieve the latter.

The story is filled with many thrilling moments: massive sieges, intense battles, epic romances, tragic deaths, great villainy, and even greater heroism. The player will explore the depths of the Necropolis, ancient burial ground of emperors and tyrants; battle in the skies against fearsome magical flying machines of the Imperial army; or journey to the heart of a dark and twisted forest and uncover the insidious evil that lies within. The player will be helped by a band of heroes and villains including such notable warriors as the Black Whirlwind, whose twin axes and fearsome battle cries have made his opponents quail in terror for years, or the demonic Ya Zhen, a malevolent being trapped in the mortal world until he can trick and murder his way back into the Underworld. The player will face enemies such as the dwellers, ghosts of the damned who desire nothing less than the destruction of every living thing, or my Lotus Assassins, feared for their black sorcery and bloody rituals. These and many more adventures await the player in the Jade Empire.

KM: What are the Jade Empire designers up to now?

DH: Beneath my whip and all-knowing gaze, the designers have finished writing the story and are hard at work making the many areas of the game come together as a cohesive whole. Translation of the game's intricate story has begun, and my minions have set upon the task of finding the proper thralls through which to give the game's characters a voice. BioWare's animators are bringing life to the Jade Empire's inhabitants with both motion-captured and carefully hand-crafted scenes, if only so that I and my Lotus Assassins might remove that life when they're done. I am continually impressed with the quality and vision of the art and animation departments, and all around the production values are the highest that BioWare has yet achieved. The game is only getting better as time goes on, proving the effectiveness of my management style despite how they whine about the bruising.

KM: In closing, thanks for your time! Could I have a day off, or at least have my chains loosened?

DH: Worm! Get back to work or I shall invent an entirely new fighting style to beat you with. I have over thirty at my command as it is! They'll have to start focusing on single body parts soon. Perhaps: Seven Paths to Wearing Your Ass for a Shoe. Ah, better get the writers to look at that one.

Seeing that he's a fictional character, Death's Hand shouldn't be able to whip me each morning and evening, and yet, he does. I find that it is best not to think about it. Regardless, he's right in that the game is truly coming together. The combat is really exciting, and we look forward to showing off more of it to you soon. We want to make the best RPG that we can and bring a new gaming experience to both action and RPG gamers. Like every BioWare game, we strive to make a better and more polished experience every time we ship a title, and Jade Empire seems to be on track to be our best game yet!

Kevin Martens
Lead Designer of Jade Empire
BioWare

Death's Hand
Scourge and Scythe of the Land
Imperial Palace, Jade Empire

Special thanks to Lukas Kristjanson, Jay Turner, and Mike Laidlaw, who truly know the Seven Paths to Wearing Their Asses for Shoes.

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