MindsEye Dev Talks About How Robots Changed Throughout Development

MindsEye‘s release is just around the corner, with it set to launch on June 10. The debut title from ex-Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies’ Build A Rocket Boy studio, MindsEye will take fans into a grounded, near-futuristic setting inspired by real-life elements for an action-heavy cyberpunk thriller story. Fans will take on the role of former soldier Jacob Diaz as he searches for answers to his past and the gaps in his memories caused by a neural implant. Jacob’s story will see him explore the ins and outs of Redrock City, where technology has seeped into every corner of everyday life, while sinister and powerful forces clash over control of it and the city’s future.

Game Rant spoke with Build A Rocket Boy developers who broke down many of MindsEye‘s various design aspects as they unfolded throughout its development cycle. Specifically, they highlighted the process and vision for the design of its robotic enemies and other AI characters to create ones that act and respond realistically within its world, while also delivering an enjoyable challenge in combat.

Best Robots in Video Games, Ranked

From cute robotic companions to hostile mechanized menaces, video games have seen all kinds of robots. We’ve ranked the top ten best of them.

How MindsEye’s Robots Evolved During the Development Process

Making MindsEye’s Robotic Encounters ‘Fun and Spectacular’

When asked about the design elements of MindsEye that changed the most from initial inception to final form, developers stated that the title’s robots, in particular, went through a series of adjustments. This was a difficult balancing act for the team to get everything right, but refining them across multiple versions ultimately resulted in a more immersive and believable presentation that also ties directly into gameplay. As they explained,

“Our robots have been through many iterations to make them fun and spectacular, and it was not an easy task. If you look at the robots in the game, they are incredibly detailed, and every shot destroys a small part of them. On Silva SM-01s, for example, you can shoot almost any part of it independently.”

Build A Rocket Boy noted that nailing down the fundamentals of combat design was another key consideration to making MindsEye‘s robots memorable and engaging. As they stated, “If it’s satisfying to shoot, then the game will be fun to play. No number of complex features will ever replace the joy of shooting something and seeing it react physically.”

MindsEye’s Robots Have More Than a Few Tricks Up Their Sleeves

Players will also have a robotic helper of their own to help even the odds against the ones that they’ll come up against, with the drone companion deepening gameplay options:

“On top of that, we introduced a lot of new abilities, like self-destruction, shield mode [for robots]…And at the very end of our development cycle, when we were happy with robots, we introduced a very impactful drone ability related to robots that we’re sure many players will enjoy.”

This level of detail imparted to MindsEye‘s menacing robots is intended to translate into a more visceral and satisfying feel to fighting them. Their individual components, capable of being targeted and destroyed, add a deeper tactical and strategic layer to combat. While the bots will fully utilize their own capabilities, players can rely on this robust visual feedback to determine the effectiveness of Jacob’s weapons, tactics, and tools against them in each encounter.

By ensuring that the AI and robotic enemies in MindsEye always feel threatening, but also giving players various ways of approaching these fights to mitigate their strengths and exploit weaknesses, Build A Rocket Boy has worked diligently to provide dynamic, intense, and most importantly entertaining scenarios for fans to engage in throughout Jacob’s journey.