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After previewing ENDLESS Dungeon at SEGA Summer Festival, I had a chance to chat with Jean-Maxime Moris, Chief Creative Officer at Amplitude Studios. Though my time with the game was brief, I’m a sucker for a good Roguelite, and this game sure fits the bill. The combination of the twin-stick, Smash TV movement, and sharp gameplay make it a joy, but there’s still some time to go before it launches.
During my chat with Amplitude Studios, I learned a great deal about this upcoming roguelite. Jean-Maxime Moris and I spoke about ENDLESS Dungeon’s roots, the endgame, and unlocking characters.
The topic of unlocking characters in a game, in particular, can be a sticky situation. Especially in the modern era of “Games as a Service”, many gamers are worried they’re going to always pay money for unlocks. Increasing your cast of playable characters via gameplay is the right choice.
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Jean-Maxime Moris speaks about ENDLESS Dungeon's past and future
Q. First of all, thanks for taking the time to chat! The Endless franchise has a wide assortment of games - what led to the decision of making a Roguelite?
Jean-Maxime Moris: It’s our pleasure – we are always happy to talk ENDLESS Universe and about ENDLESS Dungeon.
Technically, the first rogue-like game we ever made in the ENDLESS Universe was Dungeon of the ENDLESS (DOTE) back in 2013. It was a crazy idea that came to us on a night out and turned into a development adventure that took off beyond our wildest dreams. It was a project that the team loved and, more importantly, that the community really loved, so revisiting it felt like a no-brainer.
ENDLESS Dungeon is a spiritual successor to DOTE – so it still has those rogue-lite and tactical strategy elements – but we’ve changed the formula with ENDLESS Dungeon, adding twin-stick action and making co-op multiplayer a key feature.
Q. On that note, there are so many different ways to make a Roguelite these days, but you guys went the twin-stick route, akin to games like Smash TV. Was that always the plan, or were there other designs you contemplated?
Jean-Maxime Moris: It was always the plan. We wanted to spice up the formula with more action and bring the experience to console, as well as PC, with direct control over the characters. So, from the beginning of development, ENDLESS Dungeon was a twin-stick shooter!
Q. One of the great things about a Roguelite is getting a little stronger and a little better each time. How do players grow more powerful in Endless Dungeon?
Jean-Maxime Moris: There are many ways to progress in ENDLESS Dungeon. Heroes are a big part of that: they grow stronger over time, or rather, they are gradually given more and more options to try out in combat through meta progression.
You can purchase items and upgrades in the saloon at various stands/shops using two meta currencies that you earn from run to run – scrap and cells.
For instance, at the saloon bar, you can buy beverages: passive upgrades that you get to equip for a run. If you collect blueprints in the station, you can give them to the Gunsmith, who will turn them into new weapon attachments or new hero upgrades. You’ll be able to carry more and more upgrades as you continue to progress.
There are also upgrades that you gain during a run: the hero upgrades you buy with the Food resource or the Crystal upgrades you get spending Crystal Shards. You also meet the good old Merchant who will sell you weapons and devices that will, in turn, level up in combat!
Q. I know that the title says “Endless”, but is there an endgame in mind? Can a player completely solve/complete the abandoned ship in one run, in theory?
Jean-Maxime Moris: The player’s goal is to get to the center (or “core”) of the station and escape. We would tell you more, but we don’t want to create any spoilers.
It will take a good player about 20-30 hours to fully complete the game. It won't be possible to complete the game in one run either since not all districts will be unlocked. Players will first need to find and collect keys that unlock the different districts while exploring the derelict station. A full run with a friend in co-op would take around two to four hours.
Q. During the SEGA Summer Showcase, we got to experience quite a few members of the Endless Dungeon cast. How many are planned to drop with the game’s full release?
Jean-Maxime Moris: There will be eight heroes at release :)
Q. Will everyone be unlocked automatically, or will there be some manner of grind to get the additional cast members?
Jean-Maxime Moris: Players will start out with just a few characters and can unlock the rest in several ways – some are unlocked by progressing through the station, for example, and others can be unlocked via quests.
Q. Does Endless Dungeon connect to the rest of the Endless franchise? Will familiar characters perhaps be making an appearance?
Jean-Maxime Moris: All the ENDLESS games take place in the same science-fantasy universe. They are far enough apart in terms of timeline that we don’t necessarily see specific characters appear in multiple games, but astute players will notice familiar factions and species from other games.
For example, Fassie, the bartender in ENDLESS Dungeon, is a Drakken, a species that is also one of the 13 main playable factions in ENDLESS Legend. Another hero, Comrade, belongs to the Remnants, a minor faction that appears in ENDLESS Space 2. While these examples are pretty obvious, there are, of course, other connections and easter eggs that fans of the ENDLESS series can discover while playing the game.
We still consider DOTE and ENDLESS Dungeon to be a bit apart from the other ENDLESS games such as ENDLESS Space and ENDLESS Legend our 4x series games. The tone and the style of Dungeon of the ENDLESS and ENDLESS Dungeon are more humorous and off-the-wall rather than dramatic.
Q. On the topic of characters, there are some pretty wild designs, with Zed being the character I liked the most. Does the team have any favorites, when it comes to designs and abilities?
Jean-Maxime Moris: It’s so hard to pick a favorite – it’s like picking your favorite child. When making ENDLESS Dungeon, we made sure the heroes were all top-notch in terms of design and gameplay! Personally, I find Cartie to be quite the most interesting hero. First of all, she’s adorable, and her backstory is great. I don’t want to give away too much, but she was the only Hero born on the station.
Some of her skills are a lot of fun, too! For example, with her Ultimate Skill, she becomes an energy ball, but I don’t want to give away too much yet. This skill might remind you of another well-known SEGA character.
Q. When I played the game briefly during SEGA Summer Festival, it wasn’t always very clear what to do to progress through a section of the station. Will the full game have a tutorial or be able to make gameplay a bit clearer?
Jean-Maxime Moris: Yes, the first time you load into ENDLESS Dungeon, you are met with a tutorial and instructions that explain the game systems and progression. We are working very hard to ensure that everything is clear for players both in-game and out with comprehensive tutorials and a more in-depth Wiki!
Q. Endless Dungeon is intended to be a three-player co-op, but how is the single-player balancing? Will solo players have a greater struggle?
Jean-Maxime Moris: It is true that the single-player experience and the multiplayer experiences are different. Single-player is more cerebral and challenging from the point of view of tactics and planning as you are not working with individual players. You have more command over how you want to approach your game while battling waves of monsters. Another challenge is what Meta-progression elements to work on, weapons to upgrade, and turrets to place.
But multiplayer brings a lot to the table, as you need to work as a team with your two other players. There is a lot to discuss and agree upon when playing in co-op multiplayer, such as what doors to open, when they should be opened, how to spend resources, where to set up defenses, etc. For the best chance of survival, it’s truly best to work and coordinate all efforts with your other team members.
So single-player and multiplayer co-op offer two different experiences. It’s really the player's choice in what kind of experience they want with Endless Dungeon.
Q. Has there been any talk of AI/NPCs helping solo players get through floors, or would that be a little on the complicated side to design?
Jean-Maxime Moris: When playing in single-player, you can have up to two AI companions, and you can command them to stay put or follow you. Beyond that, the characters you’ll meet in the saloon are helpful in other ways, whether it’s the Gunsmith selling you upgrades for your weapons or the Bartender handing out special “beverages” to modify your style of gameplay.
Q. Though Endless Dungeon isn’t out yet, what do you think the future holds for it? Has there been talk of extra content, updates, or things of that nature?
Jean-Maxime Moris: In many ways, release day is just the beginning for a game like ENDLESS Dungeon. We do have some fun ideas for post-launch content but are not quite ready to share those details, so stay tuned for more exciting news to come!
Jean-Maxime Moris is the Chief Creative Officer at Amplitude and is one of the people tirelessly working on ENDLESS Dungeon. It is the latest game in the ENDLESS franchise.
It releases on October 19 for PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The Nintendo Switch version's release date will be announced later.
It will offer players incredible roguelite action and a wide cast of characters to play as. While it can be played solo, it’s meant to be a multiplayer experience.
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