DHGF: As a development team, what gave Laughing Jackal the idea to turn the Fighting Fantasy books into video games and how did you sell the idea?
AE: Our Head of Development, Steve Morgan, had been mad-keen on the idea of making our own Choose Your Own Adventure stories for ages and once he acquired the Fighting Fantasy license we were all totally on board. We’re all in our mid twenties or thirties here, so most of us have great memories of the FF books from childhood. Coupling the mighty Fighting Fantasy license with the flexibility of the minis platform just seemed a great combination. As you can imagine, we were over the moon when Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone said “Yes!”
Warlock of Firetop Mountain is a PC version of my favourite fantasy book, with dungeons, and combat that still keeps the feel and style of the original book.
HPP: When comes to video games, the term “role-playing game” has become synonymous with anything that involves a fantasy setting, experience, and leveling-up. It’s far removed from the tabletop systems that spawned the term. Sure, there were text adventures and MUDS/MOOS (look it up, kids) but outside of throwing dice around a table, video games haven’t managed to capture that feeling. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain manages to capture that feeling without having to find those pesky friend things people talk about.
BOUGHT!
Now Steve, please, please, please make Autoduel the game somehow someway.
I'm tired of all these combat vehicle games that THINK they are Autoduel but fail miserably.
Thank you.
Dan Miller writes: "A first-person shooter version of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was released on the Nintendo DS several years ago, but this new iteration promises to a far more faithful adaption. Your character progresses through the various dungeons and passageways, pausing every so often when a decision needs to be made. Combat takes place through the custom GridBluff fighting system with both you and your opponents making your moves at the same time – although it’s worth noting an alternative dice rolling combat system is available for purists."