Gameguru Mania got a chance to talk with Krzysztof Krawczyk, the co-owner of Rebelmind, as he talks about Frater, their upcoming action hack&slash role-playing game set at the end of the 19 century. He also provided us with four exclusive screenshots.

GGMania: Could you introduce yourself to our readers and tell them a little bit about what you do on Frater?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: My name's Krzysztof Krawczyk. I'm a co-owner of Rebelmind. We have been developing games since 1999 and already have seven games under our belt: Tymoteusz, Grom, Great Journey, Space Hack and our current project - Frater - to be released this year.

GGMania: Can you give us a little background on the development team working on Frater? Is this the same core team with which produced Space Hack?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: The team creating our games has not changed for many years. This is where our strength is. The same people have worked on Grom, Space Hack, and Frater. Of course small changes do happen from time to time, but the core of our team has stayed the same. We understand each other without words, which makes it possible to make all the important decisions at the creative level. It also speeds up the production process.

GGMania: Were you pleased with the reactions that Space Hack received?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: We are pleased with the media and players response to Space Hack. It got pretty high ratings in many of its reviews. We have also received a lot of letters from players who were congratulating us and wishing sufrateress with our new projects. We were especially happy with the review published by a German site www.gamecaptain.de (the German version of Space Hack is called Novasphere 13) whose reactions put us at the very top of the RPG rankings. Overall, we are very happy with the feedback Space Hack has received.

GGMania: What kind of game is Frater? What were the main objectives you wanted to achieve in regards to content and gameplay?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: Frater is a typical hack&slash. Our goal was to create a game whose storyline and graphics would be very diverse and deeply engrossing. I believe that we have achieved just that. The game play itself is very fast-paced and entertaining.

GGMania: What can you tell us about the storyline of the game?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: The plot of the game is set at the end of the 19 century. The Fraternity of Alchemists takes on a fight with the evil forces trying to control the Earth. Infernal armies come out to the surface of the Earth through the ancient constructions called Wells of Souls. The Alchemists select a hunter to afrateromplish a difficult task of sealing the Wells. People from the Fraternity of Alchemists assist the player in this very difficult and life-threatening task.

GGMania: How flexible is the character creation system? Will you be able to choose different genders and appearances? What are the choices available to you in terms of "class" and how it develops through the course of the game?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: At the beginning there is an option to choose between three characters. Frater Simon a mage and an alchemist; Elena - a superb sharp shooter; and Tong Wong - a natural born martial arts expert from China. Each character represents a very unique combat style. Thanks to these diverse styles the player can play the game in three completely different ways.

GGMania: What can you tell us about the enemies in Frater? What sort of foes will you battle?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: The enemies possess very diverse skills. Some of them use their claws and fangs in combat. Other ones use stones and magic to kill their enemies form a distance. There are also Bosses who visually differ from the rest and who are very powerful. We have come up with many different types of monsters and created one of a kind animations for them.

GGMania: Can you describe the combat system?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: The combat system is based on good models, which have been sufrateressfully used in many other hack&slash games. We also added the option of using helpers, as well as defeated and seized demons. Golem is a powerful character animated by magic and is at the player's beck and call. He is slow, but his hands are unbelievably strong and can bring many enemies to a standstill. His strength becomes very obvious as he effortlessly knocks his weaker enemies away. The second Helper is an old Egyptian weapon - Neferkar - an artificial insect, which circles around its master and shocks enemies with lethal rays. The player is also able to use seized demons in combat. Engrossing, well-balanced combat is the main focus in the game. There will also be a few interesting puzzles whose solutions require killing a group of monsters.

GGMania: How will the quest system work, how much variety will there be in terms of different types, and how will you keep them from becoming repetitive or even stale?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: The quest system is based on very classical principles. The hero has to bring something, kill a vicious beast or close a Well of Souls etc. The game is anything but boring. We have made every effort to make Frater very absorbing. But the only way to know it for yourself is to play it. Based on initial previews, our game is what we were hoping it to be.

GGMania: Are the levels randomly created each time you play? Will there be any kinds of random elements in terms of monsters and items and such? And what kind of replayability is there in the game?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: We have intentionally chosen not to include random difficulty levels in the game, as we intended for the player to fully experience the climate of the plot. That's why we decided that locations in the game should stay the same. There is, however, an element of randomization and great diversity in the objects used in the game. The Player never knows what he/she is about to find and what kind of a weapon he/she is about to use in the next confrontation.

GGMania: What can you tell us about the graphic engine for the game?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: Soon after completing our previous game - Space Hack - we got down to modifying the game engine. We have improved the graphics display capability, which has resulted in greatly improved visual quality of our games. We have also modified the map editor, which has enabled us to create more complex and sophisticated terrains. We also wanted to be able to build dynamic cut-scenes, which would not hinder the player's control over the game. We have been able to afrateromplish all our goals in this respect and feel that this is one of Frater's real strengths. We wanted to match the system requirements for Space Hack and are happy that we have afrateromplished just that.

GGMania: Will Frater feature a multi-player component? If so, what are you looking at for multiplayer options? Are there plans for cooperative, competitive, or other modes?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: The game was created with a single-player in mind.

GGMania: We've already had plenty of RPG games on PC and there are a number in production, how will Frater stand out from the crowd?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: The climate of our new game makes it very unique. The world we have created in Frater is original enough to make pausing this game extremely hard for many players. Another difference between Frater and other RPGs is the unbelievably fast pace of its gameplay. Those who get to know Frater's secrets won't be able to stop playing.

GGMania:  At the moment, what is the current status of the game's progress and when do you expect the game to be released? Do you have a publisher for North America?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: We are currently working on the final stages of the game to be completed by the end of August. We are in the process of negotiations with publishers, but haven't made a final agreement with any publisher in North America yet.

GGMania: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Finally, is there anything else you wish to say about Frater?

Krzysztof Krawczyk: We invite everyone to try our game and hope that it provides hours of great fun and excitement. Thank you.