Stygian Sentinel 6
Issue #6, July 20th 2015
Interview With a Returning Star[edit]
The Shadow Beast. One of the more memorable terrifying moments from the original Ultima Underworld was the encounter with one of these horrifying beasts on level 7. But what were these creatures? Where have they been since then? Our esteemed producer Chris sat down with one of the shadow beasts that are finally making a triumphant return in Underworld Ascendant.
Producer Chris Siegel (CS): Hey thanks for spending a few minutes with me before getting to work in the new Abyss. What should I call you?
Shadow Beast (SB): Shadow Beast is fine. We don’t like to reveal our real names to outsiders. This is why we always ask to get paid in cash, so we don’t have to reveal our personal information to…you people.
CS: I see. (Shifts in his seat) Let’s talk a bit about your history to get started. Even back in the original game you were mysterious. Let me read you the excerpt from the Memoirs of Sir Cabirus...
- ‘There is little we can say about this entity, or family of entities - we obviously cannot see that which is invisible, so we do not know how many there are. The Shadow Beast is thought to be immensely powerful, more than a match for any single warrior. When attacked by unseen adversary, first look up (for a flying attacker) and down (lest a small worm or other foe is striking) - if none of these be the case, then suspect the Shadow Beast and begin to strike in all directions!’
Not much to go on there. If I remember correctly you liked to sneak...
SB: Stalk.
CS: Excuse me…Stalk up on players when they entered your lair.
SB: Yeah. The reaction of those half a million humans screaming and running away still brings a smile to my face…
CS: But they kept coming to your lair, you owned one of the best weapons in the game isn’t that correct?
SB: Dirty thieves. That sword was a family heirloom. Same thing with the armor. Never ceases to amaze me on players thinking that everything is there for them. Smash the door, take the vase and break it on the ground, light bridges on fire, take the gold from the table and anything else that is not nailed down. Bunch of vandals is what they are. (Laughs)
CS: It’s been a long time since players have seen you in Ultima Underworld. What have you been doing since then?
SB: Finding a new lair after the end of UU was surprisingly difficult. I tried Hyrule, but they already had a Shadow Beast, same with Wizards 101. I tried to find a home with a pop band too, that also did not work out. I guess I don’t work well with others, and trying to play guitar with these hands is difficult. I was too late for the call for Brutal Legend, and Diablo II. I would have loved to move into one of Horny’s dungeons in Dungeon Keeper. We had a few lunches and some chats on the crystal balls, which would have been perfect situation. Alas, none of that worked out.
- Early version of the Shadow Beast head
CS: But now you are back! New and improved! Can you tell us a bit about how you fit into the new Stygian Abyss?
SB: Sure, I don’t want to give too much away of course. First let’s be clear about this. Shadow Beasts are smart. We are not really just apex predators, we have communities. We have a natural camouflage mechanism that causes us to take on the coloration of their surroundings. Moreover, we also have an innate magical ability that occludes us from easy detection (they appear dimly, if at all, under light or detect spells-Ed.). Lurking in the far corners of the Underworld, we use our stealth to waylay the unwary. We have been known to take contracts from other factions and races to…remove obstacles forcefully. (I think he means they hire out as assassins-Ed.)
CS: Interesting. Tell me more about your communities.
SB: We live in small familial communities in the darkest, most secluded parts of the Underworld. We don’t like visitors. No one has ever discovered a shadow beast clan home. Or at least none have lived to tell the tale. (Laughs) We usually build our clan homes in cool, dark and dry areas. But we are everywhere not just in the dry regions, and when hunting for food will range into other biomes of the Underworld, including hot caverns and the fungal forests. One thing we dislike is the stench of the Underswamp. (Makes face. Pinches nose).
- Visualization test of a Shadow Beast coming out of the darkness
CS: I see. How do you get along with other races of the Underworld?
SB: We are very territorial and clannish and live by an ‘eye for an eye’ credo, so sometimes a particular shadow beast group will take umbrage with one of the Underworld factions, or another shadow beast clan, sparking a short lived but violent dispute. If we are angry with a faction we do not attack outright, but from the shadows, always from the shadows.
CS: This seems very different than the brute from the old Abyss.
SB: We all have our roles to play. They hired me to be brutish, so I played brutish. There are a group of shadow beasts out there that have mutated and are mindless. Maybe there are some of those still lurking about. Those guys are brutish and not as cunning as us.
CS: What do you eat?
SB: We beasts live on a wide range of foodstuffs, and will eat most anything when times are tough. Our favorite is Earthclot, with a single one of these creatures being able to feed a clan for a week. We also hunt Rippers, and I think we may be the only ones tough enough to eat them.
- Earthclot
CS: Thanks again for sitting down with me and chatting. It was a ton of fun.
SB: Anytime. Speaking of food, I’m feeling a bit peckish… mind if we turn out that light?
Other News[edit]
Other news going on around these parts. The team is in the middle of Vertical Slice 1, which as Joe our Creative Director describes it as ‘building an airplane while flying it, with someone designing the wings and learning how to keep it in the air.’ This is oddly really what it feels like. Game design has so many pieces working in tandem all at the same time, it really does feel like building something that is already flying.
We did a twitch last week with the Magic Circle crew including BioShock series’ veterans Jordan Thomas and Stephen Alexander, playing their newly released game The Magic Circle. In video game design jargon, the magic circle is the barrier that protects the game world from our world. Obviously this barrier is broken all the time in modern games, and in the Magic Circle game in a very concrete and real way. If you are a fan of manipulating game environments and a game mechanic, you really should give it a shot. No right way to play is like a flame to a moth for us personally.
You can check out our twitch here. As usual there is a point where Will goes slightly mad and does things that surprise even the creators of the game. For more info on the game please check out their site.
Also, at this point all the Kickstarter Exclusive T-shirts have been shipped. If you did not get your T-shirt please contact us.
Until next time!
The OtherSide Team