MindsEye Dev Talks All Things Drones

Today, drones are generally seen as a fun toy used to fly around and take photographs or videos from high in the sky. In Redrock City, the setting of the upcoming action-adventure game MindsEye, drones play a much larger role in daily life. Produced by the tech giant Silva Industries, drones are used for surveillance, communication, and more. MindsEye players even get access to their very own companion drone that can help them out in combat.

“Drones are central to MindsEye,” developer Build A Rocket Boy told Game Rant. With Redrock City representing the ideal of “near future Americana,” drones have become a major part of everyday life. This is even reflected in some of the game’s earliest promotional images, which feature drones posed against both the urban skyscrapers of Redrock and the brutal wilderness of the surrounding desert.

Drones Are Used As Surveillance In The “World’s Safest City”

Redrock City mayor Shiva Vega (Anjali Bhimani) claims that her goal is to make Redrock “the safest city in the world.” To that end, she has helped institute a drone-and robot-based surveillance system that monitors every citizen’s every move, utilizing drones produced by Marco Silva (Jake Thomas) at Silva Corp. Build A Rocket Boy described how this surveillance system will inform MindsEye’s early game:

“One theme in the first act of MindsEye is the massive surveillance system that drones and robots allow in Redrock City. We want players to get a feel of this surveillance system, which is why you get to use a lot of Silva Corp drones in the first third of the game.”

The Companion Drone Allows For Varied Combat Strategies

After players are introduced to using drones via the Silva Corp models, protagonist Jacob Diaz (Alex Hernandez) is then given his own companion drone which he can control via his neural implant, the titular MindsEye. The combat drone features multiple functions: it can be used for surveillance, it can aid Diaz directly in combat by attacking or distracting enemies, and so forth. Build A Rocket Boy emphasized how the companion drone will make MindsEye’s gameplay unique and keep its fast-paced combat feeling fresh throughout the game’s runtime:

“The drone makes everything more varied and explosive. It allows you to be as aggressive or defensive as you please in gameplay, and its abilities increase very regularly throughout the adventure.”

The developers emphasized that players are not forced to use the companion drone in combat, but that it puts a unique spin on fighting against both human enemies and Silva Corp’s robots, allowing for both all-out assaults and more defensive or stealth-based approaches. “Every player we’ve seen test our game has had a different style with it,” they revealed.

In addition, the developers chose to keep drone gameplay simple and not implement customization except for purchasable cosmetic skins for the companion drone. Using the drone is refreshingly simple: each time it gains a new ability or upgrade, the player has access to it immediately. MindsEye’s developers compared the experience of upgrading the companion drone to enjoying a delicious can of soda:

“It’s like enjoying a fresh can of soda. A simple pleasure that is not made better by adding artificial sweeteners on top of an already sugary drink. Maybe a slice of lime – we do have some zesty weapons…”

Build A Rocket Boy is looking forward to seeing what uses and strategies players will come up with for the companion drone when MindsEye launches on June 10. As every playtester came up with something unique, the game’s full launch will almost certainly see even more companion drone strategies and styles come into being as players explore Redrock City.