[Core2TOM]

It’s possible to play through without killing anyone, but the actual implementation seems to vary from "doable" (Mirror’s Edge) to "technically true, but only if you’re insane," like the original Deus Ex. Is it true that you can beat Mark of the Ninja without ever bloodying your sword, and if so, how crazy will you have to be to pull it off?

Nels Anderson: We’re definitely closer to the "doable" side of things. It’s probably not quite as easy as Mirror’s Edge - a game i absolutely loved, by the way - but it’s certainly not into the realm of horrible madness. It’s more at the player’s discretion how they want to approach it. There are upgrades that facilitate playing this way, if you choose to invest in them. And there’s actually an equipable loadout style that leaves you without a sword at all, but in exchange, you’re much sneakier. It’s been really interesting to see how those choices change the way people approach the game.

The game features an Honor system that awards points based on how successful you are at being stealthy. Could you talk a little bit about what you’ve done there? Will your score play into leaderboards or unlocks? Is there an optimal way to play the game if you’re looking to rack up the most Honor?

Nels Anderson: Yeah, it will. Each level has a score and the player receives points for various ninja-y actions: distracting enemies, hiding dead bodies, and so on. You do get points for assassinating enemies, and more so for doing it silently, but you also receive an equivalent number of points at the end of the level for everyone you’ve left alive. I explicitly didn’t want one style of play to be favored over another.
Beyond it serving in the leaderboards, this score does facilitate unlocks. Each level has three tiers of scores, with each tier granting a point that can be spent on unlocks. Additionally, each level has three optional objectives that also provide upgrade points. There aren’t explicit difficulty settings; rather, these optional challenges were how we want to provide difficulty and encourage players to engage with different systems and styles of play, if they want. And finally, there are three hidden scrolls in each level that also provide upgrade points, in addition to telling a bit about the clan’s ancient and recent past in an audiolog fashion. Except they’re all written in haiku, which I think is pretty freaking cool.

Quelle: http://www.egmnow.com/articles/xbox_360/...-anderson/

At Klei, we started working on Mark of the Ninja last year with 7 or 8 people. Now, we’re almost ready to release.

Quelle: http://www.vancouverweekly.com/interview-with-a-ninja/