Interview | Neko Entertainment On Heracles Chariot Racing (WiiWare)

Cubed3's Mike Mason: Please introduce yourself and describe your role in the team.

Kevin Maitreheu, producer at Neko Entertainment: Hello, my name is Kevin Maitreheu and I have been working as a producer at Neko Entertainment for 3 years.

MM: Heracles Chariot Racing is set in times of Greek mythology. What made you choose this time period and setting?

KM: It's a period everyone knows and loves: it's got mighty heroes, ferocious monsters, whimsical gods wielding powerful magic... It's an ideal setting for a chariot racing game.

MM: The Mario Kart influence is quite apparent. What do you think sets Heracles apart?

KM: First, the setting: it's one thing to play as a mustachioed plumber; it's another to play the son of Zeus riding a thundering chariot, racing against Poseidon.

Also, when we made Heracles Chariot Racing, we fixed what we didn't like in Mario Kart: the computer won't cheat to miraculously come back when he is half a lap late, you won't get stuck because you keep hitting objects or getting targeted by attacks, etc..

MM: What other inspirations were there during development?

KM: We played to the classics of the genre (such as Diddy Kong Racing), extracted what we felt were the best parts, combined them and added our own touch to create Heracles Chariot Racing.

MM: Could you tell us about the multiplayer aspects of Heracles?

KM: There are two multiplayer modes: a Race Mode in which you race against your friends - while slowing them down with the bonuses and the powers you pick up - and a Battle Mode, in which you and your friends face each other, throwing fireballs and lightning bolts and using all sorts of godly powers until there only one left standing.

KM: Yes, the game wasn't originally made with online multiplayer in mind, so its program reflects that. Adding this feature would have meant re-doing a whole part of the game from scratch.

MM: The game was originally a Playstation 2 title, but it's now been translated to WiiWare. We've seen Neko do this previously with Cocoto Platform Jumper - can we expect any more to come over?

KM: No. We are now focused on creating new, original titles for the Wii (as well as other platforms).

MM: Was it challenging to squeeze a PS2 retail release within the WiiWare file size limitations? If so, was anything cut?

KM: Well, there were some difficulties, but we managed to compress the data to make it all fit in the WiiWare file size limitation. So, there wasn't anything cut.

MM: What about original Wii or WiiWare development?

KM: We have a lot of original Wii games. In addition to our wildly successful series Horse Life, we are currently working on new Cocoto titles. Cocoto Festival is the sequel to Cocoto Magic Circus and Cocoto Surprise is the first game using our new in-house game engine, with gameplay based on solid and fluid physics.

MM: Have you given any thought to translating any of your past projects to DS?

KM: No, the DS is a specific platform with unique features. We make DS games that are thought [up] and created purely for the DS.

MM: With Neko being a supporter of WiiWare, are you considering taking advantage of DSiWare?

KM: We are already working on a game for DSiWare that uses the features of the DSi in a way no other game has ever done.

MM: Finally, what is your personal favourite beast of Greek mythology?

KM: I would say it's the Minotaur: a giant carnivorous half-man half-bull is as awe-inspiring as it is terrifying.

MM: Thank you for your time!