Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Blade of Unagi’

Review Fix chats with Ismael Constantine. CEO and Owner of Black Sky Games, who discusses the game with the beautiful name and awesome score. Detailing the creative process behind the title and its eventual release on the Nintendo Switch, Constantine lets us know exactly what to expect from it.

Review Fix: How was this game born?

Ismael Constantine: I’ve had the initial idea of Blade of Unagi for a few years. It would grow day by day as I would revisit the idea. I would add new elements to the concept slowly and make sure it stayed fluid. It wasn’t until early 2017 that I felt I had formed a strong concept to make the game.

Review Fix: What has development been like so far?

Constantine: Development has been a thrill. We have a strong international cast of developers working on the game.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Constantine: The setting and characters are the driving forces behind Blade of Unagi. With the setting filled with chaos and fear-instilling a sense of isolation amongst individuals. As they are left with nothing to do but accept the outcome or face punishment. The characters- Kibo and Unagi, who are fighting back and attempting to change the world for everyone as they can’t accept what the kings have done to the world.

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Constantine: There’s not one game that directly influenced Blade of Unagi but a collection of games that have influenced it. Games like Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden have had an influence over Blade of Unagi. While for the most part, it’s been a game we at Black Sky Games, LLC have been creating to make unique and different than most games.

Review Fix: What was it like developing for a Nintendo console?

Constantine: It’s a great experience to develop Blade of Unagi on the Nintendo Switch. Before the development began on the game, we quickly felt that the Switch was the perfect console for Blade of Unagi. Which is why we decided to make it for the Nintendo Switch.

Review Fix: How important is the music in this game?

Constantine: Music is very important for Blade of Unagi. The music is the emotional identity of the game. That’s why for both versions there are two soundtracks by Garry Schyman and Jason Graves who are among the best composers in the industry. The music carries the emotion of the game and with two scores, it will surely be exciting for all fans of their works.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Constantine: There are have been many fun stories and wild moments during development. But I won’t share, I don’t want to get into trouble.

Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Constantine: When you preserve older gameplay mechanics in new games you are showing the roots of video games. In a way, paying homage to games and following a formula of success. Today in video games, we focus on innovation – ways to create new formulas for success to capture a wider audience of fans awed at what is being demonstrated and eventually carrying a legacy as the original team to have created a new mechanic or mechanics never seen before.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Constantine: Back in my childhood days, it was study focused and I would only be allowed to play games on weekends. There was one gaming experience I’ll never forget. That is playing and finishing Metal Gear Solid 3.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Constantine: Blade of Unagi will be enjoyed by everyone. The hardcore and casual gamers will be satisfied by the experience we at Black Sky Games, LLC are working hard to deliver.

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

Constantine: We want fans to be emotionally connected to Blade of Unagi. To understand all the characters and to have an emotional connection to the story.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw6HZovSE7g[/embedyt]

mm
About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14244 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.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*