Toonzone was recently able to speak over e-mail with Dominick Meissner (Creative Director) and Stephanie Marchand (Producer) of Behaviour Interactive, Inc., the studio behind Transformers: Dark of the Moon for the 3DS. The game will act as a prologue to the upcoming Transformers film and will feature vehicular combat, in the spirit of games such as Twisted Metal. The 3DS game will hit the streets June 14, 2011.
(Did you miss our preview of the Playstation 3/Xbox 360 game? Read it here.)
TZ: What influenced your decision to approach “Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Stealth Force Edition” as a prologue? What takes place in the game?
BI: We all (Hasbro, Activision and Behaviour) wanted to provide some insight into the events between Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the upcoming Dark of the Moon film. Thus, our adventure serves as the prologue to the events in the movie. We set up a lot of the action and foreshadow some of the secrets that will appear in Dark of the Moon. We also introduce a couple new characters!
TZ: It was mentioned previously that the gameplay of the Stealth Force Edition was influenced by classics such as Twisted Metal in that it’s focused on vehicular combat. What freedom did that decision give you and what possibilities did it allow you to explore?
BI: As big fans of the vehicular combat genre we were very excited to be able to work exclusively with the Stealth Force mode. This allowed us to be very focused but to also create some unique and new experiences for the Transformers faithful.
TZ: What were the challenges of adapting elements of the Transformers movie franchise to the Wii and 3DS platforms?
BI: Obviously the scale of what is done in the films is the biggest challenge. We worked very hard to deliver a true Transformers experience while working within the constraints of the 3DS and Wii platforms.
TZ: What are the differences in the game between the 3DS and Wii platforms?
BI: The 3DS is a fairly powerful device, so we were able to develop on 3DS and Wii in tandem. The games play virtually identically to each other; same levels, same enemies, same everything. The only changes to the 3DS are minor memory related items, such as reduced FX.
TZ: What characters and levels can gamers expect to see?
BI: We feature several expected characters such as Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee, Ironhide and Soundwave (plus more). But we have a couple surprises, Lockdown turned out to be one of our favorites, and he is exclusive to the Nintendo skus. And we will introduce Shockwave!
TZ: Were you able to include any characters that have not yet been seen in the films? Are there any characters exclusive to the game?
BI: Yes, the team’s favorite character is a special to our game, Lockdown. His vehicle form is so cool and he looks really tough.
TZ: What do you hope gamers will come away with after having completed the game?
BI: We want all Transformer fans to have a blast with the unique Stealth Force gameplay and get psyched up for the movie this summer.
TZ: Are there any additional features or missions that open up upon completion of the game?
BI: There are a couple of character related surprises, but you’ll be hearing about those a bit later. But these are not linked with the games completion.
TZ: What was the most fulfilling part of being able to work with the Transformers movie franchise?
BI: Many of us are big fans of the franchise, so it was great to explore the rich Transformers universe and bring some of our favorite characters to life in the games.
