Written by Daan Koopman

Hello, N-Europe! I'm Daan Koopman, and I was very recently invited by the people at Romino Games to head down to their studios and test their new upcoming WiiWare game, Swords & Soldiers.

From the first minute I spent with this game, I was absolutely thrilled with what I saw. I didn't realise that this type of gameplay even possible on the WiiWare; it really felt like a fresh experience on the Wii with plenty to explore along the way. The battle system works just fine, and there was lots of fast, continuous action on the screen. The gameplay was challenging, quick, and most importantly, fun.

It was overall a great experience that day and towards the end of my day out, I conducted an interview with Ronimo about their debut game. Enjoy!

The following interview was conducted by the wonderful Daan "NintenDaan" Koopman, with answers provided by Fabian Akker, the president of Ronimo Games.

Daan Koopman: I must say, Swords & Soldiers is a simple yet very catchy title! Could you explain to us what it is?

Fabian Akker: It's a 2D sidescrolling RTS game that will be released on the WiiWare service this year.

DK: How were you inspired to create Swords & Soldiers?

FA: We were inspired by an animation short called Super Moine. The animation is simply about fighting monks, and after watching it we decided it would fit in well with a RTS style of gameplay.

DK: How long has it been in development for?

FA: We started developing Swords & Soldiers in June 2008.

DK: How many people are working on Swords & Soldiers?

FA: 12 people.

DK: The game sees two rival factions fighting each other to the death � would you describe it as a 2D, more light-hearted take on more serious games such as Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth on the PC?

FA: If you could see this as a parody of something, we would say Age of Empires. Besides that we're trying to be original as possible and as serious as possible.

Watch out for the Aztec witch-doctor, he's looking to re-enact the final battle from Jason and the Argonauts.

DK: What is the actual goal of Swords & Soldiers, and how will we achieve this?

FA: Each group is searching in the campaign mode for one particular item, but for the rest of the game fighting is the real main subject.

DK: How many factions will be available to us in the final game?

FA: It will contain 3 playable groups, including the Vikings, the Aztecs and a new one that will be announced soon.

DK: How many different modes are there, and what are they?

FA: Well, there will be 4 modes to play:

• Campaign - 10 levels for every group
• Skirmish
• Multiplayer
• 3 Challenges in the Challenge Mode

DK: There's also multi-player splitscreen, which speaks for itself. Do you see this mode rivalling the likes of Super Smash Bros. Brawl in terms of consuming free time and destroying friendships?

FA: Definitely yes!

DK: Although I was convinced to buy the game off the bat, there are people that want to be able to play in multiplayer online as well as offline...

FA: We wanted that as well, but we don't have the resources right now. If there's ever gonna be a sequel to the game, we will try. Still, it's hard to do!

DK: Why did you choose WiiWare as opposed to another PC project, or indeed another format such as 360 or PS3?

FA: It's easy, development takes less time, we have a license and the game just fits great on the Wii! Need we say more?

DK: Swords & Soldiers was unfortunately delayed from 2008, why is this?

FA: We delayed it so that we could proudly send the finished version to Nintendo. We want it to be good, and in regards to the delay we had no choice if we wanted to achieve that. We want you as the player to have the best experience possible.

DK: What is your target release date for Swords & Soldiers now?

FA: We hope by the end of February 2009.

DK: Have you decided on a price point for the game yet?

FA: We can only say at this particular time that it will be less than 1,000 Wii Points. We can only be sure when Nintendo gives us some feedback on the price.

DK: How many system blocks will it take up?

FA: It won't be much, we think it'll take around 120 blocks on your Wii memory.

Note Yosemite Sam preparing to clobber his wife with a Tom and Jerry-esque mallet. Frightening stuff.

DK: Have Nintendo discussed their upcoming SD card storage solution with you yet?

FA: We have heard about it, but nothing more really.

DK: Is your goal with Romino games to make WiiWare audience familiar with new genres?

A: No, we just want to be creative, stand out in the crowd. If people are introduced to new genres that would be great, but it isn't our primary purpose.

DK: Which genres do you think are best suited to the WiiWare service?

FA: RTS games, of course! Why didn't they try this sooner?

DK: You also worked on the graphics for the WiiWare game Potpourri. Would you like to continue helping out on other smaller projects?

FA: We could do, but we don't have any requests at the moment. If somebody asked us, we can always consider. Still, we like producing our own games a lot more.

DK: De Blob has been very well received both critically and commercially around the world. Are you proud of your creation?

FA: Yeah, we are really proud of our creation. We earned a lot from it including of course a Nintendo license, the studio and a lot of free De Blob stuff.

DK: Do you have any regrets about selling the franchise rights to THQ?

FA: No regrets at all! We are very happy that it did so great all over the world.

DK: Are abstract visuals the way to go with WiiWare given the system's technical limits, or is the potential for more realism there?

FA: There is a potential for realistic games but abstract is the way to go if you want to make a great WiiWare game. The WiiWare audience is the demographic for abstract gameplay, because they're not searching for realism, just fun gameplay.

DK: Which Wii or DS games are you playing at the moment?

FA: Uhmmm... Mario Kart on the Wii most of the time.

DK: What would you like to say to fans that are looking forward to the game?

FA: It will be worth the wait! Over 50 people have tested it so far and everyone enjoyed it. So, we hope that you all pick up the game when it launches on the WiiWare service next year!

DK: And finally, who's better - Chuck Norris or Jack Bauer? [Please note that at this point, Daan reminded Fabian that resident 24 fanboy Nathan would personally visit Ronimo to "sort him out" if the former was chosen - Ed]

FA: Bring him down! 8 Chucks for 1 Jack Bauer!

We would like to thank Fabian Akker and everyone at Ronimo for making this interview possible. We'd also like to especially thank Daan Koopman for going out of his way to grab an interview for us.