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00:01Un braw is absolutely bigger, bolder, and bloodier this time around.
00:06It does feel a lot more alive.
00:10Making sure that it feels, you know, gory and scary and dangerous.
00:14We want to make that creepy. We want to make it freaky.
00:24Welcome back to Lifting the Veil, our monthly dev series on Lords of the Fallen 2.
00:30Today we have a biggie. We will be discussing all things Umbrell.
00:35And joining me for that is Dan Regan, lead systems designer, James Lowe, game director, and Alex Harkin, producer.
00:46So, getting straight into it.
00:49Umbrell, one of the defining characteristics of Lords of the Fallen.
00:54But I think it's probably fair to say that that was probably Umbrell 1.0, right?
01:02There was a lot that we wanted to do that we didn't.
01:05And a lot of that we're doing this time around.
01:08So, let's just kick things off with, you know, what can players expect from Umbrell in Lords of the Fallen
01:162?
01:16I think what you said about Umbrell 1.0 is a really good way to think about it.
01:20And that's because when we're looking at a feature as complex and as vast and as integral to Lords of
01:26the Fallen,
01:27it's a life cycle that has to go on.
01:29So, definitely, Umbrell 1.0 found its space in the last game.
01:33We're definitely into 2.0 territory.
01:36And this means, you know, more opportunities open up for us, not only as developers,
01:41but also in terms of giving players different experiences in Umbrell and how can we play with it.
01:45And also, really important to say, technology has got better.
01:48So, we can do a lot more there.
01:50So, as all of these doors are opening, it's kind of realizing what Umbrell can actually do.
01:55but I won't steal it all.
01:57This is fine.
01:58Yeah, it's an incredibly vast subject, the company,
02:02and it's really stunned me since joining the company just how broad it is.
02:07We have a lot of producers that handle individual disciplines,
02:10like you've got your enemies, characters, environment, that kind of thing.
02:14But then for me, if you look me up in the company charts we have on Confluence,
02:18it just says, Alex Harkin, Umbrell, which is okay.
02:23And I remember when I took the role, I was a little bit scared by that,
02:28but now I've got into it, it makes a lot more sense.
02:30We have such a vast area of the game that is just comprised of systems design,
02:37environmental aspects, just the raw gameplay mechanics.
02:40So much of it coalesces into the Umbrell space
02:43that we have to have just one guy that focuses on it and his team.
02:47So I think that immediately speaks to how much bigger it is this time around.
02:53First time a player transports to Umbrell this time around,
02:58what are they going to immediately feel that, like, you know,
03:02is it going to feel completely different to the last one?
03:05I mean, you'll have some callbacks for sure.
03:07Some of the environmental aspects we have enhanced and expanded on,
03:11but I think the bigger thing for me, if we go back to the three Bs,
03:15you know, Umbrell is absolutely bigger, bolder, and bloodier this time around.
03:19We experimented with a lot of different visuals
03:23as we came into Lords of the Fallen 2.
03:26We had ideas like it would look like a toxic garden or something
03:30because we wanted to evoke the theme of, yeah, of how it would evolve and grow,
03:34but under all this realm of the dead, you know,
03:38we wanted something that really evoked something a little nastier,
03:42to be more in line.
03:44So whereas players in Lords 23 kind of came to this sterile world
03:48that evoked, like, very cold, very quiet,
03:50almost like a desiccated carcass, a skeleton.
03:54This time around, we are seeing it begin to flourish, to come to life.
03:59We all must say it's gone from realm of the dead to realm of the undead.
04:03Yes, absolutely.
04:04And as it reflects...
04:07Get that down.
04:09But, yeah, as it's kind of come alive,
04:12this horrible parallel reality, of course,
04:15is not going to come alive in a way that would be considered beautiful.
04:19It's horrifying and visceral and, you know, makes your skin crawl.
04:24It looks vaguely akin to something you might see on the back floor of a butcher's.
04:29It's pretty gnarly.
04:31Yeah, it's such a fun topic to play with, like,
04:33especially with Lords 23 being the base
04:35and this, like, progression of realm of the dead.
04:38Like, you exposed some explorations there.
04:41It's so fun to go how far can you actually pull it in.
04:45And what does it even mean?
04:46Like, Umbraal is now alive as much as it can be, right?
04:51What would that evoke visually?
04:54What would that evoke mechanically?
04:55And it feels like it's some, yeah, festering hellhole,
05:00which is pretty much I'm brief on what we tried.
05:02It is weird to say that it feels much more lived in in Lords 2 and Lords 23,
05:07despite being the realm of the dead.
05:09Yeah.
05:10Well, I remember asking you what would Umbraal smell like.
05:13Ah, yeah.
05:14Yeah.
05:15And I think you mentioned, like, if you had some meat,
05:17like, mince meat in your bag and left it.
05:20Yeah.
05:21And it's probably now even worse from,
05:23so imagine the smell I described last time.
05:26Add a month onto it.
05:29It's just going to get worse.
05:30So by the time it gets to players,
05:32we don't have smell, any smell elements in the game.
05:35Might be a good thing.
05:35Might be a good thing, yeah.
05:37But, you know, technology for the future.
05:38Next DualSense control.
05:41Yeah, let's take it to Sony.
05:43So how closely did this Umbraal visual and mechanical evolution tie to the story?
05:51We'll talk about the ending, I'm sure.
05:54But, you know, Umbraal is an ever-presence within the Lords of the Fallen universe,
05:58especially, and it's very integral to what the player's mission is within this game.
06:05So really trying how to, I would say, evoke that feeling through not only the narrative,
06:11but also through the systems was a massive conversation with our book.
06:14Again, I'll hand it over to Mr. Umbraal.
06:17I mean, in terms of how we go hand-in-hand with the story,
06:20there's only so much I can say without...
06:22Yeah, yeah, we have to be somewhat careful.
06:24We have to be very careful.
06:26But, yeah, I mean, this time around, one of the things...
06:29I remember when you and I first sat down and we began to look at the narrative
06:34and the way that the player character interacts with it,
06:38that we wanted to have more of a synchronicity between the player and Umbraal this time around.
06:43I think the way we described it was kind of in Lords of the Fallen 2023,
06:48that the player was more of a passive passenger,
06:50but we wanted to evoke something that would make the player feel more of an active participant,
06:56and an active user of Umbraal, so less passive and more involved
07:00in what's actually going on inside that world.
07:02And as, of course, the player progresses through this world
07:05that is being somewhat affected by Umbraal,
07:11there's going to be a lot of that influence, yeah.
07:14This whole, like I think Dan mentioned it in a previous episode,
07:18this whole wielding Umbraal, right, is very important.
07:22And again, to kind of progress from the last game,
07:25and, you know, you don't just enter Umbraal this time,
07:28you rip into Umbraal, and you rip right out of it,
07:31and it's a lot more, I would say, yeah, it's just more brutal.
07:35And it matches what Umbraal is.
07:37Umbraal isn't somewhere you go chilling on a picnic,
07:39it's you get in, you get scared, you get out,
07:41and that's started to really come through
07:44in how the player really engages with the future.
07:47It does feel a lot more alive this time.
07:49It does, yeah.
07:50Um, Umbraal in the last game,
07:53it's sort of the same from beginning to end,
07:56you know, very similar encounters,
07:58similar enemies,
08:00similar gameplay mechanic.
08:03Whereas, like, the moment I was talking about in the church,
08:07Umbraal has these very defined moments this time around.
08:12Yeah, and that's something super important to us,
08:15is to give Umbraal its time in the sun.
08:18Like, um, it's always there,
08:20it's an ever-presence in the game and in the player journey,
08:23and, you know, we want to show this off.
08:26So having these moments that are only in Umbraal,
08:29um, it's really, really big for us and as players,
08:32um, of the game.
08:33Um, you know, we don't want players just to go in,
08:36get something, go out,
08:37we want them to go in, have an experience,
08:39and want to get out.
08:40Like, that's the whole idea about it.
08:42Yeah, we paid a lot of, uh, attention
08:45to the, the way we built the Umbraal environments.
08:49In L23, uh, players who have played
08:51Lords of the Fallen in 2023,
08:53uh, three, I was about to say two, sorry.
08:55Um, they'll know that we had a number of, uh,
08:58sculptures and structures that we made,
09:00especially for the Umbraal space,
09:02and we've continued on that this time
09:03to try and tell little pocket stories
09:06in the environments,
09:07little reflections of some of the events
09:09that would have taken place there.
09:10Uh, so, our environment artists,
09:14um, they're a fantastic team
09:15and they've done a really good job
09:16and been really heavily creative with this
09:18to create some just mad set pieces.
09:20The one we were talking about earlier,
09:22I'm not going to spoil it.
09:24But, um, that's a very standout one.
09:27Uh, big shout out to Manu.
09:30Yeah.
09:30And some of the stuff you're going to enter
09:32into some of these Umbraal spaces
09:34and really question what the fuck is happening.
09:36Yeah.
09:37It is wild.
09:38Some of the, there's one particular one.
09:41I won't say the name,
09:42but I'll say the code name so you guys know it.
09:44But, you know, um, in the second level,
09:46you have like that Vista point
09:47that overlooks the storm thing.
09:50and then the Umbraal set with the back.
09:53It's, it's wild.
09:54It's impressive.
09:54Really, really wild.
09:56So, it's bigger,
09:57a lot bigger and badder this time.
09:58Yeah, and I think it's fair to say as well
10:00that Umbraal is bleeding into Axiom
10:03this time around as well.
10:04They're much less so two distinct realms
10:07that you choose,
10:08but pretty much when to go in and out of.
10:10Yeah, pretty much.
10:11Like, um, I think the, I mean,
10:15that's the whole idea of this,
10:17this kind of feature
10:18and where it's progressed now
10:19is it's like what Alex was saying earlier.
10:21It's an invasive force.
10:23We want it to feel like that.
10:24Um, so things you'll see in Axiom,
10:27if it's bad there,
10:28it's going to be so much worse in Umbraal.
10:31Um, and that to me is like dark fantasy 101.
10:34Like, it, dark fantasy is like,
10:37okay, I see like a nice little, uh,
10:38you know, I don't know.
10:39I see, let's say a little stove
10:42cooking a human hand,
10:44like that's dark fantasy.
10:46In Umbraal, times 10 on that,
10:48it's going to be absolutely boiling
10:49with guts, eyeballs, things like that.
10:51So anything that you see in Axiom
10:52that looks pretty shit,
10:53it's going to be so much worse in Umbraal.
10:55Uh, so, yeah,
10:58to touch on something you were going to,
10:59if you mentioned,
11:00I was going to ask,
11:01so previously you've described Umbraal
11:04as an ever persistent
11:06and intimidating presence,
11:08and one that will sometimes
11:09even push back,
11:11uh, can you elaborate?
11:13Yeah, I can set up these gentlemen,
11:16because this is a big one for us.
11:17Like, um,
11:19Umbraal, um,
11:20it's got a lot of features
11:21that are tied into it
11:21and things that make it work
11:23from more of a mechanical baseline element.
11:25But I think it's an overarching
11:28idea of Umbraal this time
11:29is that we want players to use it,
11:31but we want also Umbraal
11:33to be aware of you.
11:35It was in the last game.
11:36We had, um,
11:36systems in the last game
11:37that we know would feel like
11:39you're being watched
11:40and being pushed.
11:41This time,
11:42that's going a lot further.
11:44So when players enter Umbraal this time,
11:47you will have a reason to go there.
11:49Um,
11:49you will want to go there this time
11:51from more of a,
11:52a player journey perspective.
11:54Um,
11:54but Umbraal is aggressive
11:56and it's really got its teeth out this time.
11:59Um,
12:00I'll leave it to you guys
12:01to explain more of the systems,
12:02but,
12:02but, um,
12:04there's, yeah,
12:04there's some really, uh,
12:05interesting elements
12:06that will really drive
12:07the player pace
12:09in a different way this time.
12:10One of the,
12:11the main things we had
12:12was that we wanted to incentivize
12:13players really going to Umbraal
12:14rather than having the effect of like,
12:16oh, god, here we go again.
12:18And we,
12:18you know,
12:19we read the comments,
12:20we saw what people thought
12:21of Umbraal in Lords,
12:23uh, 23,
12:24and people weren't satisfied
12:26with it.
12:26It could feel like,
12:27well,
12:28a chore.
12:28We want people to be able
12:30to use it as this,
12:31okay,
12:31well,
12:31I'm going on an adventure.
12:32I'm going to delve,
12:33I'm going to experience it.
12:35Um,
12:36so we worked on quite a few features
12:38together just to kind of
12:39incentivize that
12:40wherever we could.
12:41Yeah.
12:42A big focus of ours
12:43in this game
12:43has been repairing
12:45the player's relationship
12:46with Umbraal.
12:47In Lords 23,
12:49um,
12:49we find very often
12:50players are going to Umbraal
12:51and they just run
12:52from one end
12:53to the next,
12:54right?
12:54You know,
12:54from where they're going
12:55to the next vestige,
12:56get out of Umbraal
12:56as quickly as possible.
12:58Or they would spend
12:58the entire game
12:59in Umbraal
13:00farming as much vigor
13:01as they can
13:01and both of those
13:02are slightly problematic,
13:03right?
13:03Like,
13:03we want players
13:04to want to be in Umbraal,
13:07but not want to be
13:08in Umbraal that much.
13:09You know?
13:10so there's much more focus
13:12in things like
13:13the Dread system,
13:14for example.
13:15Dread was another
13:16aspect of Lords 23
13:18that a lot of people
13:19were like,
13:19well,
13:19this is a bit of a drag.
13:21Um,
13:21for the uninitiated,
13:23you go into Umbraal
13:24and then in Lords 23,
13:25I believe it's just
13:26a continuous timer
13:27that goes through
13:27a sequence of levels
13:29to make Umbraal
13:30more aggressive,
13:31have more enemies spawn,
13:32go for the player,
13:33but it always made it
13:34seem like you were on
13:36a time limit,
13:38um,
13:38which wasn't very satisfying.
13:39You were,
13:40I think it's something
13:40like 400 seconds.
13:42Yeah.
13:42Like,
13:43time's running out
13:44and you get that kind of like,
13:45oh god,
13:46oh god,
13:46but if you want time
13:47to explore
13:48and to interact
13:49with the environment,
13:50it's a bit of a negative.
13:51So for Lords 2,
13:53we've looked at Dread
13:54a good couple of times now.
13:55We've gone through
13:55some iterations
13:56and we've settled
13:57on the latest one,
13:58which we feel
13:59really does it justice.
14:01Um,
14:01and this is a system
14:02that's more based on
14:05player interactivity.
14:06feels like it's a lot
14:06more cause and effect,
14:08which to me
14:09is a more organic
14:09player experience
14:10and I think it really
14:11kind of gives a different
14:12identity to Umbraal
14:13this time.
14:14Like,
14:14your actions
14:15have a reaction.
14:16Like,
14:17Umbraal,
14:17I know we've spoken
14:18about this before
14:19in different episodes
14:20and mentioned it
14:21in this one,
14:22it's a living,
14:22breathing place.
14:23It's a,
14:23it's a,
14:24it's an open wound
14:25and you're,
14:26if you were to
14:27put your finger
14:27in an open wound,
14:28you're going to feel it
14:29and that's the player
14:30right now.
14:31It's that they're just like
14:32pushing that wound
14:33a bit further and further
14:34and Umbraal
14:35doesn't like this.
14:36I think another thing
14:36about Umbraal too
14:37is that,
14:38unlike in Lords 23,
14:40it becomes quite apparent
14:41that it can overpower you,
14:44right?
14:44You know,
14:45in Lords 23,
14:46you get the Red Reaper
14:47for example,
14:47but then you could
14:48cheese it
14:48and then there wasn't
14:49really anything else
14:50that the game
14:50could throw at you
14:51and in this one
14:52we're putting more
14:52of a focus on,
14:53okay,
14:54fine,
14:54you get past the chaser,
14:55but there's more coming
14:56and it's going to keep
14:57coming harder
14:58and harder
14:59and harder
14:59until eventually
15:00you're either dead
15:00or you'd make
15:02the smart play
15:02and get out.
15:04I really like the idea
15:06that no player
15:07is going to be able
15:08to do the whole game
15:09in Umbraal.
15:11If someone can,
15:13we probably need
15:13to unlock an achievement
15:14for this.
15:14That is a challenge.
15:15That is definitely a challenge.
15:16I put the glove on down.
15:18If someone can do it,
15:19I'll be very happy,
15:21but I really,
15:22that's one of the things
15:23I'm most excited for
15:24is which players
15:26are going to go
15:26and give that a run
15:28and see if they can
15:29push that system
15:30to the max
15:30because we can play
15:32around with things
15:33and we know
15:33the max it can go
15:34and that max
15:35is pretty harsh.
15:38I would say
15:38veteran souls players
15:39and we're not
15:40getting past it
15:41so we want to see
15:42if players can also do it.
15:43So the Lords 23,
15:44the loop was very much
15:46you walk through
15:48Axiom,
15:49something blocks
15:50your path
15:50and it's a bridge
15:52that's collapsed
15:53or whatever,
15:54hold your lamp out,
15:56lo and behold,
15:57the bridge is intact
15:57in Umbral
15:58so you switch over
15:59to Umbral
15:59and then you get out
16:01as soon as you can.
16:03How would you say
16:05that that loop
16:06is different this time?
16:09Well,
16:09we try to create more
16:11what we class
16:12as Umbral ingredients,
16:14so level ingredients,
16:15just assets
16:16that we can use
16:16to spice things up.
16:18We try to add more
16:19that differentiated themselves
16:21than just the straight blocker
16:24by creating
16:26more of the feeling
16:27of an incursion.
16:29One of the big objectives
16:30we had was
16:30Umbral is an invasive force
16:32this time
16:32so that way
16:33it needs to push
16:33into Axiom.
16:34So we have systems
16:37like,
16:37can I talk about the...
16:39Do it, do.
16:40Fog?
16:41Yeah.
16:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.
16:43Fog where it's kind of,
16:45we want it to be
16:46an area where,
16:47yes,
16:47you go into Umbral
16:48but you can just step
16:49straight back out
16:50if you need to.
16:51it feels like this area
16:52where,
16:54keep it on brand,
16:55the veil is thinning,
16:58that you can step in
17:00and you can feel
17:00that, like,
17:02Umbral immersion
17:03but still know
17:04that, yes,
17:04you can get back
17:05out of it again
17:06without having
17:06the annoyance of,
17:08oh, for God's sake,
17:08I've got a wall here,
17:10I'm going to have to
17:10go into Umbral now,
17:11I'm stuck in Umbral
17:12until I can find a way out.
17:14Like, you know,
17:14so we tried to play
17:15with that a little bit
17:16and still have these
17:18challenging,
17:19interesting areas.
17:20I don't know if
17:20you want to say
17:21any more about the fog.
17:22I mean,
17:23well,
17:23I'll just touch on something
17:24that we discussed
17:26quite a lot
17:27when looking at Umbral
17:28is that
17:29something that we found,
17:31you know,
17:31after 2023
17:32is that
17:32you're realm walking,
17:34really, right?
17:35And the cool thing
17:36about realm walking
17:37is popping in,
17:38popping out,
17:38popping in,
17:38popping out
17:39and using both realms
17:40to your advantage.
17:42And that's something
17:43that we feel
17:43we're getting a lot closer to
17:45where you can just hop
17:46between.
17:47Yeah,
17:48there'll be things
17:48that you need,
17:49can only do in Umbral,
17:50there's things you can only do
17:50in Axiom,
17:51but it's getting very thin
17:54in some certain areas.
17:56There's something,
17:57I mean,
17:57it's not the fog,
17:59but when you kill
18:01certain things
18:01in Axiom,
18:03it's not exactly like
18:03they stay dead anymore.
18:05And they will come back
18:06in Umbral
18:06in different forms
18:07and different ways
18:08and it's kind of
18:09making a bit more
18:10of a dynamic experience
18:12between Axiom and Umbral.
18:13So,
18:14as Alex,
18:15started with the ingredients,
18:17there's more
18:17and more for players
18:19to really chew on to.
18:20So,
18:20you can really have
18:21these quite wild,
18:23wild moments
18:23that will be really
18:24for the player
18:25depending on their actions
18:26in both realms.
18:27And how would you say
18:28the moment-to-moment
18:29experience
18:29is different
18:30between Axiom
18:31and Umbral
18:32this time round?
18:34There's a few,
18:35I mean,
18:35there's a few that I will,
18:36one big thing for me,
18:38I would say,
18:39is that,
18:39and this is going to sound
18:40very controversial,
18:42so get the edit button ready.
18:45Something that I love
18:46about the balance
18:47between Axiom and Umbral
18:49is that it feels like
18:50Axiom is your
18:51souls-like game,
18:52let's just call it that,
18:53right,
18:53for argument's sake.
18:55That's your souls-like experience,
18:56that's Lords of the Fallen.
18:58Umbral is that,
19:00but it's like a horror game
19:01inside it as well.
19:02And so,
19:03it's got like this
19:04real different mindset shift,
19:06not even,
19:07if I just put the controller
19:08down for a second,
19:10like,
19:10Axiom,
19:11you know what a stone is,
19:12you know what that landscape is,
19:13you can understand it
19:14and you can react to that.
19:16Umbral,
19:16when you put the controller down
19:17and look at it,
19:18it feels very,
19:19very claustrophobic,
19:20you don't know
19:21what the right move is,
19:22you have to think differently,
19:24you are presented
19:25with different enemies,
19:26but also the enemies
19:27from Axiom
19:27is completely changing
19:29how you survey the battle form.
19:30So you're moment-to-moment,
19:32and one of the elements,
19:33because there's many
19:34that I could go into,
19:35but one of the big ones
19:36for me is that
19:37I'm having to really
19:38tactically reassess
19:40my entire situation
19:41and I cannot learn it.
19:44I have to just react to it,
19:45which is something interesting.
19:47That's key.
19:48So,
19:48Lords 23,
19:50it was still scary
19:51going into Umbral,
19:52but because you knew
19:54you were going to be
19:54pummeled
19:56by wave after wave
19:58after wave,
20:00unrelenting waves
20:01of enemies,
20:02and it was basically
20:03zombie
20:03and then the Umbral Mama,
20:05and, you know,
20:06that was about it,
20:06but because there was
20:07just so much of it,
20:10that that was the challenge.
20:12Whereas this time around,
20:13it's much more fear
20:14of the unknown.
20:15You don't know
20:16what to expect,
20:17so you don't know,
20:18you can't prepare
20:18for that either.
20:20Yeah,
20:20there's some elements
20:21in there,
20:22it's kind of what
20:23we were talking about,
20:24like,
20:25not when we were filming,
20:26but, you know,
20:27those moments
20:27where you see
20:28something swallowed
20:29and something comes out
20:30and you're like,
20:31well, what the hell is that?
20:32and it's like,
20:33you just have to react to it.
20:34There's no way
20:35you can train it.
20:36You can train that you know
20:37that that might come at you again.
20:39You don't know when,
20:40you don't know where,
20:40and it pushes this feeling
20:42that Umbral's alive
20:43and it's alive
20:44and it's throwing stuff
20:45at you this time.
20:47It's not just like,
20:48okay,
20:48there's a silhouette
20:48of something
20:49and it's coming
20:50and I can prepare
20:50and go,
20:51okay,
20:51get ready to start
20:52carving some zombies up.
20:53You don't know
20:54where they are
20:54and they will be
20:55around you always
20:57and they will choose
20:58when to come out
20:58and sometimes
20:59it will be a zombie,
21:00sometimes it will be
21:00something a lot nastier.
21:02Sometimes it can even be
21:03something that you've killed
21:04and it's come back
21:05and said hello again.
21:06It's very, very dynamic
21:08and will really make players
21:10think about the steps
21:11they've taken up.
21:12Yeah, well,
21:13going back to what you said
21:14about, you know,
21:15one of the prototypes
21:15was more of a jungle-esque
21:18environment
21:18and obviously
21:19it doesn't look like that anymore
21:20but it does feel like that still.
21:22Almost like,
21:23you know,
21:23you're carving through a jungle
21:25and you just have no idea
21:27what lurks behind,
21:29you know,
21:30the corner ahead.
21:32Yeah, absolutely.
21:34And we've used that
21:35to our advantage
21:36in some of the combat encounters
21:38as well
21:38where we've created,
21:42well,
21:43without spoiling it,
21:44some very interesting set pieces
21:46where we've been able
21:47to utilize
21:48that kind of
21:48meaty forest.
21:50Don't quote me on that.
21:53To our advantage.
21:55particularly
21:57with regards to
21:58just some of the,
21:59I'm trying to think
22:00how much I can say
22:00about the
22:01certain enemy types
22:02we're both thinking of.
22:04Yeah, well,
22:05I'll let you say it
22:05and it won't be me
22:06that said it
22:07and that's good.
22:08I don't want to be told off.
22:09I'll get slapped on the wrist.
22:11We have
22:12certain enemy types
22:13which have been alluded to
22:14which are,
22:14we call
22:16morphies
22:16which are
22:18essentially,
22:18well,
22:19I mean,
22:19you probably can imagine
22:20they are enemies
22:21that morph
22:21from
22:22of our enemies.
22:23So some of our creatures
22:23that we have in Axiom
22:25can turn into
22:27these horrific
22:28umbral abominations
22:30and we've been able
22:31to work that
22:32into some of the aspects
22:33of the environment art
22:34as well and places
22:35for some really
22:36interesting set pieces
22:37that I think
22:37some of our
22:38old fans
22:39and new fans alike
22:40will really love.
22:40So another element
22:43that I think
22:44reinforced
22:45Umbral
22:45in Lords 23
22:46being this 1.0
22:48was the limited
22:48visual variety
22:50from beginning to end.
22:51I don't think
22:52it changes at all.
22:53So,
22:53you know,
22:54very quickly
22:55you've seen everything
22:56that Umbral has to offer.
22:57How does
22:58that differ
22:59in Lords 2?
23:00Well,
23:01one of the
23:02most earlier
23:02conversations
23:03when it came to
23:04Umbral
23:06and not only
23:06its visuals
23:07but also
23:07its mechanics
23:08and how it plays
23:09is
23:11it's a living force
23:12and we've used
23:15lots of things
23:15to describe it
23:16wounds
23:16all this sort of stuff
23:17but if you
23:18had one biome
23:20that's infected
23:21by Umbral
23:22that's not necessarily
23:23to say
23:24it's the same
23:24in another place.
23:26So Umbral
23:27really is different
23:28in every single
23:29place you go
23:30not only in terms
23:32of like
23:32you know
23:33what you'll see there
23:34the constructions
23:35the horror
23:36essentially
23:37but like
23:38its general tone
23:39its general vibe
23:40one's a bit more
23:41like
23:41prison of flesh
23:43and it's like
23:43oh my god
23:44this is horrendous
23:45whereas one's a bit
23:46feels a bit more
23:47toxic
23:47a bit more bio
23:49it's got these
23:50different characteristics
23:51so when you go
23:53from axiom
23:54to Umbral
23:54this time
23:55you really know
23:56where you are
23:56and we're presenting
23:58new things constantly
23:59and it kind of
24:00shows the evolution
24:01of Umbral
24:02like it's
24:02the apocalypse
24:03it's not going
24:05to be fun
24:05so from
24:06your first interaction
24:07to your last interaction
24:08you'll have quite a few
24:10visual delights
24:11as horrible
24:11as they are
24:12but you'll have them
24:14all the way through
24:14they're well made
24:15visual horrors
24:16yes
24:17yes
24:18some sick stuff
24:19in there
24:20and does that
24:21extend to
24:22the enemies
24:23of Umbral
24:24as well
24:24yeah
24:25so
24:26each enemy
24:28again
24:28it's how Umbral
24:29reacts to these
24:30environments
24:30right
24:30it's this back
24:31and forth
24:31so
24:32the enemies
24:33feel different
24:34they
24:34behave different
24:36some can be
24:36more aggressive
24:37some can be
24:37more passive
24:38and that's
24:39something important
24:39it keeps people
24:40on their toes
24:40and it keeps us
24:41on our toes
24:41as we're developing
24:42this is a massive
24:43feature of the game
24:44and something
24:45goes without saying
24:46we take extremely
24:47seriously
24:48so having
24:49enemies that react
24:50in different ways
24:51in different locations
24:52and do different things
24:53and interact with
24:53different enemies
24:54in different ways
24:54the morphies being
24:55a big thing for us
24:57yeah players will
24:58really be able to expect
24:59some pretty stark
25:00differences
25:01anything that you
25:02can elaborate on
25:03when it comes to
25:04these new Umbral
25:05abilities
25:07I don't want to
25:08talk about it
25:08too much
25:09because
25:11that's going to
25:11be quite an
25:12exciting reveal
25:13when we get to
25:13show some stuff
25:14off
25:15however the
25:16Umbral toolkit
25:16for the player
25:17is expanded
25:18we saw this in
25:19the gameplay
25:19reveal trailer
25:20that there's
25:22something quite
25:23fleshy and
25:23disgusting
25:24that the player
25:25is now using
25:25to dice its
25:26enemies up
25:27and that is
25:28one of the
25:28key Umbral
25:29ingredients
25:29and also the
25:30lamp
25:31the lamp
25:31is still
25:32important to us
25:33and it's still
25:33a massive tool
25:34for the player
25:34we don't want
25:35that just to be
25:36something that
25:36you can peer
25:37into Umbral
25:38with the player
25:39to use it
25:40so you'll see
25:41some cool stuff
25:41with the lamp
25:42this time
25:43so what emotion
25:45would you say
25:46defines Umbral
25:47this time around
25:49you know is it
25:50fear
25:51urgency
25:51dread
25:52panic
25:54and how do
25:55audio and
25:56visuals
25:56reinforce that
25:57feeling
25:59that's a toughie
26:00because it's
26:02kind of like
26:02where you go
26:03matters
26:03it's the way
26:04I always see
26:05the theme
26:06because we
26:07touched on it
26:07before
26:08when you
26:09mentioned
26:09you know
26:09all the way
26:10through most
26:11of L23
26:12it's like
26:13that's pretty
26:14samey
26:14but we made
26:15a real effort
26:16to try and
26:17tie the area
26:18lore
26:19into the
26:21visual and
26:22audio
26:22well I'm not
26:23quite so sure
26:24about audio
26:24but definitely
26:25the visuals
26:25there's visual
26:26storytelling
26:26that we have
26:27specifically
26:28in Umbral
26:29that kind
26:30of evokes
26:31little things
26:32that have
26:32happened
26:33battles
26:33of yesteryear
26:34horrible events
26:36that have
26:36happened
26:36during the
26:37Umbral
26:37apocalypse
26:38that you
26:38know
26:38everybody
26:39has dealt
26:39with the
26:41situation
26:41in Axiom
26:42differently
26:43and so
26:44the
26:45kind of
26:46murals
26:47the almost
26:47like Umbral
26:47statues
26:48that we have
26:49in Umbral
26:50reflect that
26:51it's this
26:51horrible
26:52dark reflection
26:53you could
26:54go and find
26:55the stigmas
26:57which we had
26:58in L23
26:59we're going
27:00to bring
27:00that back
27:00for Lords
27:0126
27:02Lords 2
27:03and yeah
27:04that'll tell
27:05you a little
27:05bite-sized
27:06part of the
27:06story
27:07but if you
27:07go and
27:08just look
27:08around
27:09what we've
27:10put in
27:10those
27:10environments
27:11you can
27:11start to
27:12kind of
27:12piece
27:12together
27:13what's
27:13been
27:13happening
27:14over the
27:15course
27:15of all
27:16of these
27:17storied
27:18locations
27:20consumption
27:21comes to
27:22mind
27:22it's not
27:22quite
27:23right
27:24but you
27:24get this
27:25feeling
27:25like
27:25Axiom
27:26is being
27:26consumed
27:28throughout
27:29the entire
27:29game
27:30and it
27:30gets worse
27:30in some
27:31places
27:31especially
27:32as you
27:32go
27:32further
27:32on
27:34so
27:35I don't
27:36know
27:36if it's
27:36the perfect
27:37word
27:37because we're
27:38doing a lot
27:38with Umbral
27:39we want the
27:39players to be
27:40excited in Umbral
27:41we want them
27:41to be afraid
27:41of it
27:43it should be
27:43a very high
27:44risk
27:45high reward
27:46type of
27:48area
27:48for the player
27:49to explore
27:50but if I
27:50had to boil it
27:51down to one
27:51word
27:51I just
27:51think of
27:52Umbral
27:52eating
27:53everything
27:53around it
27:54yeah
27:55I think
27:55there's a
27:55density
27:56to Umbral
27:57this time
27:57around
27:58you know
27:58there was a
27:59a hollowness
28:00before an
28:01emptiness
28:02which in itself
28:03is scary
28:04but this time
28:04it's
28:05it is just
28:06like
28:06oppressive
28:07again
28:08there's
28:08that sense
28:09of the jungle
28:10like
28:10like
28:11I imagine
28:12Umbral
28:13was cold
28:13in Lords
28:1423
28:15and this
28:16time
28:16I imagine
28:16it's
28:17like
28:17boiling
28:18hot
28:18like
28:18oppressive
28:19sweaty
28:20dense
28:21dripping
28:22so it's
28:23yeah
28:23it's a
28:24very different
28:24vibe
28:24yeah
28:25I think
28:26you've
28:26stolen my
28:26word there
28:27which one
28:27oppressive
28:28yeah
28:29so I think
28:29it is
28:29it is that
28:30like
28:31it's
28:32it's
28:33it's a
28:33very strange
28:34balance
28:35is
28:35it feels
28:38claustrophobic
28:38yeah
28:38like it's
28:39coming in
28:40on you
28:40but it's
28:41but it's
28:41not
28:41that's why
28:42I love
28:43like this
28:43kind of
28:43prison of
28:44flesh
28:44type of
28:45thing
28:46I want
28:47players to
28:47walk in
28:48umbral
28:48walk on a
28:49surface
28:49and feel
28:50like that
28:50surface
28:50could just
28:51grow teeth
28:51and just
28:52snap
28:52yeah
28:52that's
28:53the kind
28:53of vibe
28:54right
28:54yeah
28:55so visually
28:56it's
28:56singing this
28:57quite
28:58quite loud
28:59and sonically
29:00I mean
29:01we have an
29:02amazing audio
29:02team
29:03they've
29:04managed to
29:04strike that
29:05kind of
29:05horror
29:06claustrophobic
29:07kind of
29:08feeling in
29:08these spaces
29:09this feeling
29:10like something's
29:11writhing around
29:12it's like
29:13I don't know
29:14it's like if you
29:15were in like a
29:15really old room
29:16that's just full
29:17of like rats
29:18and like
29:20cockroaches
29:20in the floorboards
29:21and it just
29:22feels like
29:22something's crawling
29:24all over you
29:24um
29:25then when you
29:26get out
29:26of umbral
29:27into Axiom
29:28which again
29:29isn't completely
29:30a picnic
29:30over there
29:31it should feel
29:32like a breath
29:32of fresh air
29:33like you can
29:33take that
29:34okay
29:34that's
29:35stigma
29:36that horror
29:36is not there
29:37anymore
29:37and so
29:39there's so much
29:40there that's
29:40quite exciting
29:41um
29:42and there's so
29:42many like
29:43references that
29:44we've pulled
29:44as well
29:45to kind of
29:45really reinforce
29:46that as much
29:47and the
29:47technology
29:48has also
29:48helped us
29:49even go
29:50further
29:50and now
29:51it's like
29:51really bringing
29:52in those
29:53mechanics
29:53to kind of
29:54also
29:54realize
29:55that vision
29:55because
29:56we don't want
29:56it just to be
29:57an audio
29:57and visual
29:58experience
29:58we want
29:58players to feel
29:59it
29:59we want
30:00them to
30:00their controller
30:01to feel
30:02it
30:02so there's
30:02a lot of
30:03exciting things
30:03come in there
30:04on that one
30:04and it must be
30:05amazing
30:05as a developer
30:07you guys are
30:08almost having
30:09your cake
30:09and eating it
30:10so you take
30:11Moon Knight's
30:11level for instance
30:12you've got
30:13you know
30:13the axiom
30:15half of that
30:16which is very
30:16traditional
30:17you know
30:18knights
30:20castles
30:21the moon
30:22gloomy skies
30:24it's sort of
30:25like
30:25souls like
30:26dark fantasy
30:27101
30:27and then
30:29you've got
30:29umbral
30:30where sky's
30:31the limit
30:31you know
30:32do whatever
30:33you want
30:33there's
30:34effectively
30:34no rules
30:35everything
30:36goes
30:37yeah
30:38it's where
30:38the sick
30:39side of us
30:39comes out
30:40really
30:40so we get
30:41to play
30:41you know
30:43I wouldn't
30:44even say
30:44into tropes
30:45like we
30:45Lords of the
30:46Fallen
30:46as a style
30:47it's distinct
30:48in its way
30:49and we
30:50want to honour
30:51that
30:51and umbral
30:53is our
30:53playground
30:54we have fun
30:55with it
30:55we go
30:55okay
30:56how dark
30:57can we
30:58really go
30:59and when
31:00it comes to
31:00the horror
31:01of umbral
31:02I don't think
31:03there's many
31:03bad ideas
31:04in the room
31:04of that
31:05I think
31:05they're usually
31:05the weirdest
31:06meetings that
31:07we have
31:07it's like
31:07how nasty
31:09can we go
31:10I'm a glutton
31:11for punishment
31:11I love to
31:12punish everything
31:13so anything
31:14in umbral
31:15some of the
31:15ideas that
31:16we've had
31:16in terms of
31:17even
31:17how enemies
31:18spawn
31:19like
31:19we want
31:20to make
31:20that creepy
31:20we want
31:21to make
31:21it freaky
31:22so
31:22I didn't
31:23plan on
31:24this
31:24it was
31:25good
31:25thanks
31:27that's
31:28important
31:28it happens
31:29a lot
31:29yeah
31:29yeah
31:30um
31:30but it's
31:32like
31:32even
31:32conversations
31:33that you
31:33know
31:34in any
31:34other
31:35context
31:35like
31:36we're
31:36just
31:36talking
31:36about
31:36how
31:37we
31:37spawn
31:37an
31:37enemy
31:37in
31:37Axiom
31:38it's
31:38usually
31:38pretty
31:38straight
31:38laced
31:39but
31:39like
31:39in
31:40Umbral
31:40it
31:40has
31:41this
31:41nice
31:41sinister
31:42turn
31:42to
31:42it
31:42so
31:42some
31:43of
31:43the
31:43best
31:43meetings
31:44in
31:44the
31:44umbral
31:44meetings
31:50so
31:51I'm
31:51going to
31:51jump
31:51straight
31:51into
31:52Under
31:52the
31:52Lamplight
31:53this
31:53is
31:53our
31:53community
31:54question
31:54corner
31:55as
31:55this
31:55question
31:56is
31:56very
31:56pertinent
31:58comes
31:58from
31:58Matt
31:59Adams
31:59and
32:00he
32:00asks
32:00what
32:01made
32:01you
32:02choose
32:02the
32:02umbral
32:03ending
32:03of the
32:04first
32:05game
32:06what
32:07was the
32:07decision
32:08behind
32:08discarding
32:09Radiance
32:09and Inferno
32:10endings
32:10and why
32:12there's a lot
32:13there
32:13I don't want to
32:15go into the
32:15narrative too
32:16which is probably
32:16an episode
32:17of its own
32:19but
32:19we could
32:20talk
32:20a bit more
32:21mechanically
32:22you know
32:23something that
32:24we wanted
32:25in this game
32:26is umbral
32:26and
32:27with the
32:28other two
32:28endings
32:29it kind
32:29of was
32:30spelling
32:30the end
32:31of what
32:31umbral
32:31could be
32:32so
32:33the
32:33umbral
32:34ending
32:34with a
32:34putrid
32:35mother
32:35felt like
32:35the natural
32:36way to go
32:36to really
32:38enhance
32:38umbral
32:39and like
32:39give us
32:40the excuse
32:40to push
32:41it that
32:41one step
32:41further
32:42so
32:42without
32:43that
32:43ending
32:43we
32:44wouldn't
32:45have
32:46struggled
32:46to get
32:47umbral
32:472.0
32:48but it
32:48would have
32:48been a
32:49harder
32:49road
32:49to get
32:49there
32:50we
32:50wanted
32:50that
32:51injection
32:51so
32:52that one
32:52was
32:53really
32:53a shot
32:53at the
32:53arse
32:54to be
32:54able
32:54to do
32:54it
32:55essentially
32:56it was
32:57like
32:58so
32:58we have
32:59the
32:59putrid
32:59mother
33:00as the
33:00kind
33:00of
33:00like
33:01big
33:01big
33:01force
33:02that's
33:02driving
33:03umbral
33:03the apocalypse
33:04has come
33:05it all
33:05seems to be
33:06kind of
33:07merging
33:07together
33:07so that
33:08was
33:08one of
33:08the main
33:09decisions
33:09we wanted
33:10umbral
33:10in the
33:10game
33:11we had
33:11that
33:12opportunity
33:12let's
33:13push
33:13it
33:13and let's
33:13go for
33:14it
33:14plus
33:15I think
33:15it's fair
33:16to say
33:16it was
33:16the players
33:17favourite
33:18ending
33:18yeah
33:18it was
33:19yeah
33:19which
33:19how
33:20nice
33:21is that
33:21as a
33:21marriage
33:22we want
33:22to do
33:22something
33:23and then
33:23the players
33:24like it
33:24it's like
33:25this is
33:26great
33:27it's all
33:28coming up
33:28millhouse
33:30and so
33:31this second
33:32question
33:32comes from
33:33gym freak
33:345965
33:35why are you
33:36writing on
33:37our youtube
33:40and it
33:41goes back
33:41to something
33:42you were
33:42saying
33:42about
33:43umbral
33:43will there
33:44be any
33:45graphical
33:45upgrades
33:46with this
33:47one
33:48yeah
33:49across the
33:50whole game
33:50you know
33:51we're
33:52since
33:52lord's
33:532023
33:54and have
33:54been one
33:55of the
33:55first games
33:56to come
33:57out on
33:57unreal 5
33:58we're really
33:59in now
34:00so we've
34:01learnt a lot
34:02from then
34:02and we've
34:03just been
34:03pushing it
34:03more and
34:04more
34:04and also
34:05our tools
34:05have developed
34:06to really
34:07drive quality
34:08to the next
34:09level
34:09and with
34:10umbral
34:10with its
34:11visual identity
34:12and you know
34:13the graphical
34:13preferences that
34:14we want to
34:14go for
34:15we need
34:16some pretty
34:17heavyweight tech
34:18to get there
34:19you know
34:19it's a sticky
34:20wet
34:21horrible place
34:22and that
34:22that is not
34:23free
34:23but it looks
34:24absolutely
34:25fantastic
34:25and it's
34:26another tip
34:27of the hat
34:28to our
34:28lighting
34:28department
34:30some of
34:30the scenarios
34:31that they've
34:31created
34:32within
34:32umbral
34:33to really
34:33kind of
34:34get that
34:34feeling
34:35across
34:35it's
34:36really
34:36awesome
34:37so yeah
34:37a big
34:38step up
34:39for us
34:39on the
34:39graphical
34:39side
34:41it does
34:41look
34:42amazing
34:43already
34:43and i think
34:44a lot of
34:44players
34:45commented on
34:46that from
34:46the recent
34:47trailer
34:47you know
34:48it certainly
34:48looks a
34:49step up
34:49and
34:50lost 23
34:50was a
34:51beautiful
34:51game
34:51but this
34:52is
34:52really
34:52quite
34:53striking
34:54yeah
34:55seeing that
34:56trailer
34:56and seeing
34:56the response
34:57and knowing
34:58that's captured
34:59in engine
34:59just
35:00it's
35:00really good
35:01feeling
35:01right
35:01yeah
35:02it's
35:02good
35:02feeling
35:02for us
35:03um
35:03you know
35:04we're
35:04seeing it
35:05out there
35:05you know
35:05the
35:06yeah
35:06definitely
35:08just
35:09puts a
35:09smile on
35:09your face
35:10when you
35:10see it
35:10in those
35:11situations
35:12so
35:12colonel
35:13hammond
35:13asks
35:14will there
35:14be
35:15returning
35:15weapons
35:16armor
35:16and spells
35:17from the
35:18previous
35:18lords
35:19of the
35:19fallen
35:20uh
35:20yes
35:21across all
35:21of them
35:22um
35:22so
35:23something
35:24that's also
35:24important
35:24to us
35:25is you
35:25know
35:25not to
35:25lose
35:26what
35:26makes
35:26lords
35:26of the
35:26fallen
35:2723
35:27great
35:27um
35:28you know
35:28some
35:28really
35:29really
35:29cool
35:29elements
35:29in there
35:30there's
35:30also
35:31some
35:31big
35:31factions
35:32that
35:32aren't
35:32going
35:33away
35:33and
35:33like
35:34thinking
35:34of
35:34spell
35:35casting
35:35you know
35:36there's
35:36some
35:37magic
35:37schools
35:37there
35:38that
35:38we
35:38need
35:38um
35:39in
35:39the
35:39world
35:40and so
35:40it's
35:41only right
35:41that we
35:41bring
35:41them
35:42back
35:43we'll
35:43up
35:43them
35:44a bit
35:44you know
35:44we'll
35:44add
35:45some
35:45you know
35:45flair
35:46here
35:46and there
35:46so
35:47it
35:47doesn't
35:47ever
35:48feel
35:48one
35:48for
35:48one
35:49um
35:49but
35:49that
35:50can
35:50go
35:50to
35:50armors
35:50like
35:51we
35:51look
35:51at
35:52like
35:52the
35:53dark
35:53crusader
35:54for
35:54lords of
35:55the
35:55fallen
35:552
35:55that's
35:56a
35:56faction
35:57so
35:57they'll
35:58only
35:58be
35:58right
35:58that
35:58we
35:59have
35:59more
35:59callbacks
36:00to
36:00the
36:00faction
36:01so
36:01yeah
36:01there'll
36:02definitely
36:02be
36:02some
36:02returning
36:03elements
36:03with
36:03a
36:04beneficial
36:04spice
36:05nice
36:06next
36:07question
36:07clever
36:08goblin
36:08what's
36:09the
36:10chances
36:10of
36:10the
36:11game
36:11modifiers
36:11being
36:12available
36:12at
36:13launch
36:13yes
36:14so
36:15the
36:15game
36:15modifiers
36:15are
36:15super
36:16cool
36:16and
36:16even
36:16when
36:16I
36:17played
36:17lords
36:1823
36:19I was
36:19like
36:19that
36:20was
36:20such
36:20a
36:20fun
36:20thing
36:21to
36:21just
36:21mess
36:22around
36:22with
36:23infuriating
36:24as
36:24hell
36:24when
36:24it
36:24doesn't
36:25go
36:25your
36:25way
36:25but
36:26really
36:27cool
36:28element
36:28so
36:29we
36:29really
36:30want
36:30that
36:30being
36:31there
36:31on
36:31day
36:31one
36:31would
36:32I
36:32say
36:32on
36:32your
36:32first
36:33playthrough
36:33to
36:34enable
36:34all
36:34the
36:34modifiers
36:35probably
36:35not
36:37you
36:37know
36:37you
36:38will
36:38have
36:38a
36:38different
36:39experience
36:40than
36:40what
36:40we
36:40attending
36:41on
36:41the
36:41main
36:42playthrough
36:42but
36:43definitely
36:43replay
36:44Ability
36:44Town
36:44if
36:45you've
36:45had
36:45a
36:45really
36:45good
36:45time
36:46with
36:46Lords
36:464
36:46and
36:4623
36:47and
36:47then
36:48in
36:48turn
36:48Lords
36:482
36:48the
36:49modifiers
36:49will
36:49just
36:49make
36:50it
36:50a
36:50lot
36:50more
36:50fun
36:50so
36:51yeah
36:51they'll
36:51be
36:51there
36:51dead
36:51one
36:52planning
36:52any
36:53new
36:53ones
36:54yes
36:55cool
36:57was that
36:58the second
36:59part of the
36:59question
36:59yeah
37:00yeah
37:00yeah
37:01yeah
37:02and final
37:02question
37:03comes from
37:05dudarino226
37:05who just
37:06asks
37:07but why
37:08has the rum
37:08gone
37:09huh
37:10yeah
37:17you
37:18you
37:20Grazie a tutti.