Recently we were able to speak with Ian Stevens, who was the Lead Designer/Studio Manager at Starbreeze, about the upcoming release ‘Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.’

What made you guys decide to include Escape from Butcher Bay in the Dark Athena game?

Including Escape from Butcher Bay was important to us for several reasons.  We were all really disappointed that it couldn’t be backwards compatible on the 360.  The opportunity to expose the PlayStation audience to our game was also in the back of our minds.  So outright remaking that game and including it in a bigger package seemed like a great way to do both of those things in style and really give gamers some value for their money as well.

There are a lot of fans of Escape From Butcher Bay, what can they expect from Assault on Dark Athena?

The short answer is – if you liked Escape from Butcher Bay, you’re going to love Assault on Dark Athena.  Same team – both games – it’s got that pace, that feel, the atmosphere, the tone – it’s going to feel like a reunion with an old friend.  Beyond that, we’ve done a lot within Assault on Dark Athena to continue to push the genre hybrid.  You’ll find some new gameplay elements in there that we continue to blend into everything else in the most seamless way possible and we’re really looking forward to the reaction from gamers.

About how many gameplay hours can we expect from Assault on Dark Athena?

Depends on how badass you are.  If you’re hardcore, 10 hours on average – same length as Escape from Butcher Bay.  If you’re more casual, probably closer to 14.  If you’re an achievement or trophy whore – even more.  And let’s not forget the infinite realm of multiplayer.

How does the time breakdown between Escape From Butcher Bay and the new Dark Athena story?

Dark Athena starts immediately after Escape from Butcher Bay ends.  The two narratives connect seamlessly to each other, so Dark Athena is still a prequel to Pitch Black.

What kind of multiplayer modes will we be seeing in the game?

We approached the Multiplayer for Assault on Dark Athena with a real interest in the classic feel and style of FPS multiplayer gaming – the type of design that was really popular in the mid ‘90s.  We feel like that’s kind of been forgotten in the rush to try new and different things in the genre, and our hope is that as people experiment, that they don’t forget about the type of gameplay that started it all – I guess we feel that there will always be a place for that classic experience.  So our Multiplayer in Assault on Dark Athena is very much a homage to that style of play, and then of course we add our spin to it.

We include Death Match, Team Deathmatch, CTF, and so on. But two modes that have us really excited are Pitch Black and Butcher Bay Riot. With Butcher Bay Riot mode, there are three teams of four players – Prisoners, Mercs, and Guards. Each faction plays against another: Prisoners hate Guards, Guards hate Mercs, and Mercs hate Prisoners. As a team you fight for a central power cell to plant in your enemy’s base. It’s best of three or five rounds, and you have the chance to score UD money (Riddick currency).  You can then use that money to buy better gear.  This mode is surprisingly flexible; it can be very strategic or simply run and gun – all depends on you and the people you’re playing with.

Pitch Black places Riddick against six other players (Mercs) in an environment that’s completely dark – properly pitch black. The Riddick character is faster with more health and carries only melee weapons (Ulaks – the curved blades) – he can also use his eyeshine to see in the dark. The Mercs have big guns and flashlights.  It’s kill or be killed and if you kill Riddick, you get to play as Riddick in the next round. Audio plays a big part in this mode.

The Riddick universe is pretty interesting, what kind of environments will people experience?

The Dark Athena is a pretty stark contrast to some of the other places you’ve seen/visited throughout the Chronicles of Riddick.  Whereas we tend to explore worlds and environments that are seemingly low-tech and clunky and grounded in this sort of industrial/heavy feel, the Dark Athena is a more sleek and technically grand place, and we make it a very cold and uninviting, very horrific place to be.  In many ways, it feels a lot like you’ve been swallowed by a million-pound whale that’s made of a billion pieces of cold, jagged, shiny steel and the blood of a thousand dead sailors.  How does that sound? It’s meant to be a place where you feel threatened and uneasy at all times.

Escape from Butcher Bay served as a prequel to the Riddick movies, what is the approximate time gap between the end of Dark Athena and the beginning of the movies?

We don’t say. Probably best not to say because there’s still story to tell in-between those two and I’d prefer not to rule out any possibilities.

Will we be seeing any more characters that players will recognize from the movie franchise?

Other major voice talent in Dark Athena sees Lance Henriksen as Dacher, Michelle Forbes as Revas, and Wade Williams as Spinner. And of course Vin as Riddick.

We’d like to thank Ian Stevens for taking the time to answer a couple of our questions and want to encourage everybody to check out the demo, available now on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. ‘Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena’ releases April 7th on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

[Official Game Site]