The Inspiration behind Extinction

In Extinction, you'll fight as part of the Sentinel order to defeat the Ravenii, huge, monstrous ogres. We spent some time with the developers at Iron Galaxy to understand what drove them to create the world of Extinction. Watch the trailer below to learn about the unique combat and what core gameplay mechanics drive their game.

Q: Most of Extinction revolves around fighting giant ogres known as Ravenii. Why were ogres chosen specifically as the main enemy of the game?

A: We needed a villain class that was brutish, but not completely stupid…cultured, but likely to show up in patchwork armor. Ogres were a natural fit. In order to provide gameplay variety, we wanted different armor sets to behave really differently; so for example, the spiked armor can hurt you, the iron armor has dangling locks on it, and the bone armor has flaming skulls you have to put out. The Ogres can wear various combinations of different types of armor, as well as carry weapons. They aren’t just pure brutes – they do have some culture, as well as some level of technology, and their own language, all of which are facts that feature prominently in the story.

Q: What were the inspirations for the vulture and jackal minions that follow the Ravenii and why do they do so?

A: They are some of the lesser races that have been enslaved by the Ravenii. As far as what gameplay purpose they serve - even though all the terrain is destructible, there are still places the Ravenii (being 150ft tall) can’t really go… for example, inside of caves. The Jackals and other enemies provide a constant and immediate threat that Avil has to deal with, while the Ravenii are slower, implacable, and much harder to handle.

Q: The main character Avil is said to be the last of the Sentinels, due to the order degrading over time. What can you tell us about how or why this happened?

A: The main factor in the decline of the Sentinels is that the Ravenii have been absent for many generations. As the threat grew more distant, people began to forget, and the need for the order seemed less pressing.

Q: What are the main gameplay mechanics that define the game?

A: The game is actually fairly difficult, but it’s not because it’s hard to play. The controls are very straight-forward, and most of the individual systems (like climbing, wall running, saving people, combat, etc.) are easy to get into and manipulate. The difficulty comes when trying to combine everything together seamlessly. Ogres are assaulting the city from all sides; a group of people close to you are being eaten by Jackals; your health is running out, and you’re failing the mission objective. What do you prioritize? Can you do it fast enough to save them all?  If not, what do you sacrifice? And can you make those decisions on the fly, while trying to avoid imminent death from a huge monster trying to stomp you? 

Q: We know there are various techniques Avil can use in combat. Are there extra benefits and rewards to gain from using a variety of techniques?

A: Doing well in combat earns you SP, which you can use to upgrade Avil. But the main reward for mastering the combat system is doing better at the missions, having more time to save more people (which also earns you more SP), and making you look like a total bad-ass.