Review Fix Exclusive: Tom Page Talks Eternal Descent: Heavy Metal Heroes on the iOS

Review Fix chats with PLA Studios Tom Page, who discusses the new Eternal Descent game on the iOS. A fun button-masher based on a cool comic book, Page and his team worked intensely to capture the look and feel of the comic, while making the game worthwhile for gamers.

Review Fix: What was the development process like?

Tom Page: Honestly, pretty difficult.  We had a very specific idea in our heads about the way the game would look and it was something we were not prepared to compromise on.  Given how amazing the comic art looks in every issue, the game environment just had to do it justice if it was to bear the name.  This turned out to be much harder than we expected and we learned a lot about optimization, Unity 3D and the capabilities of the Apple mobile devices we were targeting.  I should also say that Apple were very helpful and obliging throughout submission.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite element/feature of the game?

Page: It sounds gimmicky, but the rag doll physics. There’s a kind of childish glee in watching a demon go flying when you manage to land a full power hit.  When combined with the special moves we have coming in an update soon, it’s simple fun.

Review Fix: Who do you think will get the most out of the game?

Page: Button Mashers. There is a level of tactical play for those aiming for high points, but you always get an excellent level of hectic carnage from frantic play.  Combined with the visuals, powerup assists and the fantastic audio we were lucky enough to have it all gives a pretty uncomplicated, gratifying feeling.

Review Fix: How do you think fans of the comic will feel about the game?

Page: I hope they enjoy it.  But the real appeal for fans of the comic IP will probably come in the later additional content we have planned.

Review Fix:
Do you think any prior knowledge of the comic book series is needed to enjoy the game?

Page: Not at all.  Although it would go some way to understanding why this chap is running down a street beating up demonic creatures with a guitar.

Review Fix: What games do you think Eternal Descent takes its inspiration from?

Page: We owe a lot to Punch Quest and God of Blades.  I think both of those games are pretty amazing and for me represent the two ends of the running brawler style spectrum.

Review Fix: How do you want the game to be remembered?

Page: A bit ridiculous and over the top, in a way only metal can be.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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