PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Soma Games, The Redwall Abbey Company Ltd. and Penguin Random House UK, released Act I of "The Scout," the first episode in the ongoing character-focused game series "The Lost Legends of REDWALL™," on Xbox One and PS4 in the summer of 2019. Following feedback from players about opportunities for enhancing game play, the developers have launched an updated version that players are calling, "a completely new game."
"The most important thing you can do is to listen to the fans and react," says Mark Soderwall of Soma Games, who brought his more than 43 game titles and 20 years experience earned at Lucas Arts, EA and Atari to Soma when they tapped him to help the team rework Act I plus lend his talents to the forthcoming Acts II and III of "The Scout". "You push the boundaries of what your team can do, you put it out there for the players, and the best developers take that feedback seriously. We're all working to make the best game but more importantly, in this case, to honor the legacy of the Redwall world. And I feel like what we've done with Act I and what we've got in the works for the next acts certainly does that."
Soderwall says updates, which automatically appear on a players platform if already purchased, include improvements to environmental visuals across the game, more depth and operation in the dialog system, on-screen objective markers, and a new interaction system for spatial positioning, facing sensitivity and clarity.
"It has been an honor to bring Brian's characters to life in a new setting," says John Bergquist of Soma Games, referencing the 22-novel REDWALL™ series, written by the late Brian Jacques, that has collectively sold more than 30 million copies worldwide since the original book was released in 1986, published by Penguin Random House. "We completely reworked game play as well as details, all the way down to the trees and underbrush, enhancing both visuals and performance and smoothed player control overall."
The Lost Legends of REDWALL™" is a collaboration years in the making, combining the efforts of Soma Games with rights owners and controllers The Redwall Abbey Company Ltd. and Penguin Random House UK. 'The Scout' is currently available on X with the intention to offer the episodes on more gaming platforms together episodic soundtracks. "Together we all nurtured a product that we believe captures the heart of Brian Jacques' masterpiece," says Chris Skaggs, Game Director and Principal at Soma Games. "Between authentic musical scores, digitally sculpted art and an inspired fresh and new narrative, the final missing piece of the puzzle for Act I of "The Scout" has been revamped with the updated technical game play enhancement." Skaggs says the technical upgrades to the current re-launch will reverberate throughout the additional five episodes, with each one building upon the upgrades.
"It was a tricky decision on whether or not to go back to Act I and update it, or just continue forward with these updates in Act II and beyond, which are coming out very soon," says Bergquist. "But we realized that we have so much support and input from our earliest adopters — support we deeply appreciate — that upgrading Act I was the only honorable thing to do. We hope the players like what we've done."
About Soma Games:
Oregon video game development company Soma Games has transformed a popular children's fantasy book series into playable adventures. Soma Games, located in Newberg. "The Lost Legends of REDWALL™: The Scout" and "The Lost Legends of REDWALL™: Escape the Gloomer" are the first two video episodes of the seven episodes Soma Games is set to develop with The Redwall Abbey Company and Penguin Random House UK. The games are family-friendly, so they can be played by people of all ages. For more information please visit https://legendsofredwall.com/
THE LOST LEGENDS OF REDWALL™: THE SCOUT © SOMA Games LLC, The Redwall Abbey Company Limited and The Random House Group Limited, 2018. All rights reserved.
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