Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Legacy of the Kori-Odan’

BReview Fix chats with “Legacy of the Kori-Odan” developer Madiba Guillaume Olivier, who lets us know how the action/RPG hybrid is preparing to change the genre entirely.

About the Game:

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is the 1st anime-like 2D real-time action role playing game set in an African-themed mythological universe. Gameplay mechanics are inspired by the “Tales of” series.

Play as Prince Enzo and his wife Erine, who have been victims of a coup d’état in the Kingdom of Zama, and want to get their throne back. Explore six continents as you jump, dash and fight in combats Ã  la Super Smash Bros.

Review Fix: How was this game born?

Madiba Guillaume Olivier: This game was born the time I began to dream about making my perfect RPG one day at Square Enix. 

I told myself that if I make a good game from Cameroon, one day they will discover me and they will hire me (The illusion of Drake …).

Around me, of course, everyone laughed, I would even post on a french forum my idea of the perfect RPG that I will create one day (it looks like what FF15 was supposed to be).

Review Fix: What was your role in the game?

Review Fix: What was your role in the game?

Olivier: Basically I am a programmer, but I am very versatile so my role was to coordinate all the department of the teamwork and I also wrote the game script.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in the industry?

Olivier: I was on internet every day to search about game creation and then I discover RPG Maker. It’s a revelation: everyone can really make a game. So 

I meet two friends (Dominique Yakan and Wouafo Hugues) and together we created our amateur game Aurion: The Legacy of Enzo Koriodan, a big shonen RPG full of cliché with an “Afro Gokou”, a prophecy and a choosen one (Erine) to save the world of a big demon.

We decided to focus on the staging, the programing and the scenario, ripping the drawings of the other games (thank you SNK, Capcom, and all the emulators of the world).

Review Fix: What was development like?

Olivier: The development of the game was exciting. So many technical challenges, pressure from families who did not understand our pace of work. We encountered problems before the release of the game like the ram explosion, the addition shade, the internet and electricity shut down every time etc… you can read the details on this link of the Aurion post mortem : http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GuillaumeOlivierMADIBA/20161219/287885/AURION_POSTMORTEM_0__The_Wall_Breakers_Path.php

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Olivier: The game is special because it has made it possible to break down the walls of the exotic and show to the world that African culture also has its place in the gaming industry, adding to this the fact that Aurion’s scenario is very good, so good that it is already studying in Hollywood. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aurion-legacy-kori-odan-gets-937015

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Olivier: We can honestly say that the games that have most influenced Aurion was Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid.

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

Olivier: Ah yes, a lot of fun moments especially those during the worked without electricity because that period we had a lot of electricity issue but we had to progress in the development. Also it allowed the team member to be closer and work together.

Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?

Olivier: Failure is a step to future success. The difficulties we encountered was not a game over, on the contrary, they give us the strength to continue our dreams.

It is because we have put our sweat, our soul and blood that we could released our game Aurion . 

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

Olivier: It depends on the license I’d say. While making a new opus of the same name keeping old and well-working gameplay mechanics is necessary to me. As long as it doesn’t prevent the license from renewing itself, from having a “fresh taste” in the new opus. If it’s a totally new license you’re making I think that a large variety in gameplay mechanics is something people like. (I do like it).

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

Olivier: I want Aurion to be remembered as a game that matters. In every way.  Aurion is the first African game of it’s kind. I think our universe is deep enough to be like, a new imaginary eldorado for those interested in different cultures (And I hope that nowadays it’s the case for the majority of players).

Also, I would love Aurion to be remembered as a game that could inspire the players, thanks our storyline and characters. That they were able to grow out of it somehow. If, with that, they remember to have had fun with our “fighting spirit gameplay” then I would be totally satisfied.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Olivier: The next is to continue our dream as a game development studio. Our first opus Aurion was made so that there is a sequel. Then we work on porting Aurion to console probably Xbox one, PlayStation and Switch. We will also launch into the mobile game market. Currently, we are working on two mobile games that are under development. 

And finally, we hope to have 18 million users of our products.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Olivier: We realized that we are responsible of an entire industry for our continent. Much of the future of young aspiring African Game Designers was going to depends of our ability to continuing make good game so we will change the world or die trying.