Private Division’s new title ” Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey ” is scheduled for release in December. I had the opportunity to talk to its developer, Patrice Desilets of Panache Digital Games.
This time Desile answered the interview while playing “Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey”. The save data he is promoting has been playing since the start of Tokyo Game Show 2019, and it is said that the family still exists.
The game starts in the African jungle about 10 million years ago. Players control monkeys, gain various experiences, and aim for early humanity through repeated generation changes.
Because the game is designed to move forward with the curiosity of the player, the UI is displayed only to the minimum necessary, and the amount of information displayed on the screen is overwhelmingly small compared to recent games. There is only a minimum of tutorials available. Even if poisoning or laceration could lead to a life-threatening situation, you would not be able to teach me how to recover, and I would have to find my own way to detoxify and stop bleeding.
The same goes for the food, and the fruits and mushrooms that you see for the first time are poisoned until you eat them. However, what you eat for the first time cannot be digested well and can even hurt your stomach. According to Desile, he will be able to digest it over successive generations and not break his stomach.
The jungle is home to several dangerous enemy animals. Monkeys are basically prey, not predators, but hunters. It does not have sharp claws or fangs like a beast, so it is necessary to make tools and arm it. Desire cut down tree branches with stones, formed primitive spears, and returned to attack the large carnivore Golden Macaillodus. He seems to have been able to defeat him for the first time in this play
Developer Interview
It’s been about two weeks since the PC version was released. How are your players reacting?
The reputation of the players is pretty good, and the players on YouTube and Twitch are picking up and trending.
Is the CS version different from the PC version?
It is a game with a difficult theme of “Evolution of Mankind”, but it does not change the game. However, it is often said that it is difficult, so I would like to incorporate feedback from players and add support functions such as what to do next. Just last Tuesday, we delivered an update patch for balancing. I want to release the PS4 version and XBOX version making use of the feedback of the PC version.
Why is the progress of time not constant or slow every time I am attacked?
When the robot is left unattended, it progresses in real time, but when it moves, the time advances quickly, and when sleeping, the time advances very quickly. This expresses the sensation that time goes faster if you are doing something in reality. Slowing in combat mimics the feeling of athletes entering the zone.
Do you have any difficulties in development?
With a small team of 35 people, the biggest challenge was how to accomplish what I wanted to do with this resource. Because this game does not provide information in the game and is a game that proceeds with the curiosity of the player, some people may feel unkind, so it was hard to balance. It was tough, but it was also the most fun thing, and I felt a sense of accomplishment in terms of creating a game like never before.
Please give a message to players who are waiting for the CS version.
We will adjust the PC version in 3 months and release the PS4 version in the best condition. This is a unique game, the only one that allows you to experience the epic theme of human evolution. I think the CS version will be an interesting game to play with friends in the same room.
PS4 version, XBOX version “Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey” will be released in December 2019. The PC version is now on sale from Epic Games.
Official site: https://ancestorsgame.com/en/
Epic Games: https://www.epicgames.com/store/ja/product/ancestors/home