It's been about a month since the launch of RWBY: Arrowfell. Have you had a chance to play it yet?
I’m WayForward director and designer James Montagna, back with one more developer diary for RWBY: Arrowfell. Previously I shared a bit about our team’s fanaticism in creating a game for RWBY, as well as a bit about what it means to make a story canonical with the rich world of the show itself. However, there’s times where we have to rely on our own creativity and intuition as designers to flesh out the sides of Remnant that everyone has yet to see. What’s that like? Allow me to tell you more!
The way I’ll phrase this may seem like an unusual way of looking at things, but I believe it’s more fun to share really honest insights into what development is like, so I’ll go ahead and say it: The truth is, since we love RWBY too, making a game like RWBY: Arrowfell is sort of like creating fan art and fan fiction! Except it becomes official since we have the backing of the show creators to help guide things to full authenticity. That particular aspect is not only a great honor, but pretty thrilling since we learn what sort of thought has gone into establishing RWBY as we know it, and incorporate it into our approach for creating the game. As a result, we are able to present unseen Grimm, new characters, and untold plotlines.
When all of the original content is put together, RWBY: Arrowfell expands the world of our favorite Huntresses with fresh experiences, and the format of a video game means you’ll be able to discover it all for yourself! However, creating something in this format also comes with unique challenges where WayForward must rely on our expertise and capabilities as a development studio. This is especially seen in designing what we refer to as the “game flow.” In the game, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang use their individual Semblances for both combat and navigation. These Semblances can also be enhanced by certain characters you’ll encounter on your quest; for instance, Ruby’s enhanced Petal Burst allows her to air dash across wider gaps! Part of our design process is then to plot out the locations that can be visited, and all potential routes players can take to accomplish quest objectives. Each time a new enhancement is granted, more of the world opens up to explore. However, we have to be careful to make sure necessary “keys” to progress are all available with the Semblance enhancements players have at any given moment. This is just one small example of how game flow works, however. Building out the game is really like an elaborate logic puzzle at times!
Technical stuff aside, I’d like to close out this developer diary by sharing the attributes I find most special about RWBY: Arrowfell. The quest of this game will see Team RWBY meeting all-new faces such as Lieutenant Colonel Olive Harper and the mysterious and powerful Team BRIR, to name a few. These characters all have their own distinct personalities, motives, and ambitions, each making for a unique contribution to the narrative. There’s also heartfelt, intense, and even humorous moments. (Penny Polendina’s are some of my favorites!) Finally, I really enjoy the sensation of each individual Team RWBY member becoming more powerful as you assign Skill Points and enhance their Semblances, and even learn how to pair abilities together to accomplish more. The development team has given our all to create a thrilling RWBY game experience, and you now have the chance to play it and see for yourself. On behalf of WayForward, thanks for your patience and excitement. We all hope you enjoy your mission with Team RWBY through the frozen tundra of Solitas!
P.S. I’d love to hear about your favorite moments, so please feel free to reach out to @WayForward and @JamesPopStar on Twitter and lemme know about your time playing RWBY: Arrowfell! Okay, byeeeee!