[GDN] With the game’s style and feel being linked to classics of the genre like R-Type and Gradius, do you feel this is a good thing to be compared to them, or would you rather have the game receive plaudits and recognition off it’s own back for being itself?

[SQS] I think it is quite common to be linked and compared with some of the leading and most popular series in the genre, so this surely does not hurt. When we gathered information for our project, we naturally also looked at what similar games had to offer.

However what we strongly avoided was simply being a knock-off of another shoot ’em up, so Soldner-X has its very own style and feel. A lot of elements found their way into the game that you cannot find at any other shmup so far.


[GDN] Usually, the sign to a good shooter is to have the weapons just about spot on in terms of power and accuracy. Do you feel this has been achieved with Soldner-X?

[SQS] Soldner-X has some quite unique features in terms of weapons, one of them is an affinity system. Depending on the enemy type, there are weapons that have a stronger impact and other that have less or almost no impact. When we finished the PC release, we thought that we found a very good balance for this, however it’s been one of the aspects that has been most misunderstood and criticized after all.

In order to make Soldner-X a bit easier, we have overhauled this system, which will all in all feel like more firepower added to the weapons.


[GDN] We know the game will be hitting the Networks of North America in October 2008. How soon after will it be before the rest of the world gets a chance to play it?

[SQS] We can’t really promise anything at the moment, but Eastasiasoft is taking all efforts on making the game available in most parts of the world at almost the same time.

[GDN] Thanks to Marcus and also to Eastasiasoft’s PR Catherine Ng for her help.