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Dark Energy Digital are a developer that are somewhat unique in the gaming industry. From their dedication to perfecting a game through fan feedback, to being one of the only developers to truly master the element of water in-game, it’s clear that Dark Energy Digital have a vision of where they want to go, and will do everything they can to make sure they achieve it.

Next week marks another progression in the iterative improvement model placed upon their flagship title Hydrophobia, as the third evolution of the game, Hydrophobia Prophecy, makes its way onto PSN. I spoke with Rob Hewson, the Senior Creative Designer at Dark Energy in the build-up to the release of the PSN title. In the interview, we discuss the inspiration behind the game, how the PSN title is the definitive experience and also how a Zelda tune has made its way onto a Sony console along with a Wii U controller that looks remarkably similar to an in-game gadget…

Gaz Plant: Many thanks for taking the time to talk with us Rob. Can you just briefly introduce yourself and the company?

Rob Hewson: My name is Rob Hewson and I’m Senior Creative Designer here at Dark Energy Digital. We’re a small independent studio focusing on high quality digital games for platforms like XBLA, PSN and Steam. We’ve got our own in house engine and tools and some brilliant tech like HydroEngine – the unique fluid dynamics solution used in Hydrophobia Prophecy.

GP: The uniqueness of the concept behind Hydrophobia was something that really surprised me as you would imagine more developers would be willing to tackle water physics. How was Hydrophobia originally conceived?

RH: First and foremost it was HydroEngine which inspired us. Nobody else was doing true fluid dynamics simulations with emergent behaviour, and as far as we can tell we’re still the only developer which has a full and comprehensive physics simulation for water running on current-gen hardware. HydroEngine was one of those technologies which provided a lot of potential for unique gameplay and at the same time some really unique challenges.

From the creative side we were always inspired by trying to push boundaries and make a unique experience; we wanted to explore a flawed and reluctant female lead, near future world based on real political and economic concerns and most of all to build a fun experience which was its own game.

GP: In terms of building the HydroEngine, was it always envisioned that it would be used for Hydrophobia or did the idea just fit the engine in this case?

RH: Hydrophobia was really built as the game which would showcase HydroEngine to the world, but at the same time we didn’t want to just create a glorified tech demo. We decided to have our cake and eat it too; to go all out for a game which was a showcase for HydroEngine, but also an epic action-adventure in its own right with unique gameplay driven by the fluid dynamics.

GP: The HydroEngine is clearly a powerful tool, and the results produced look fantastic. It is however, very resource hungry. Is that to be expected considering what it does?

RH: HydroEngine is very efficient, considering it’s a true fluid dynamics simulation on current-gen hardware – the only one of its kind in fact. That’s not to say its light weight, there’s a lot of physics calculations going on there, it’s just that we’re fortunate to have some of the best minds in the business when it comes to physics.

GP: It’s fair to say that the original Hydrophobia didn’t quite get the reception you would have hoped. Were you surprised by the mixed reaction to the original title?

RH: We were surprised it divided opinion so widely. The first set of reviews we got back were 9/10 from Official Xbox Magazine US, 8/10 from Official Xbox Magazine UK 4/5 from Xbox World 360, 4/5 from X360 Magazine, 7/10 from GamesTM and 8/10 from IGN. At that point we were thinking “wow!”, it seemed like people were really hitting it off with the game. Then suddenly a couple of reviews hit which were at the opposite end of the spectrum, so we were kind of surprised at that point having had such amazing initial feedback. From that moment on it seemed every review was either really good or really poor, it was dizzying. Still on aggregate, of the 150+ reviews that came in we calculated the average was actually about 70%, so it wasn’t too bad – but only a fraction of those are on Metacritic and on balance those were  a bit more of the negative ones.

GP: It’s rare for a developer to take the time to perfect a game based on feedback from gamers, and with repeated patches, fixes and the DarkNet feedback engine, Dark Energy are certainly taking the time to learn from their fans. Was the development of the game in this way and DarkNet something that was planned all along or did it just happen due to the feedback from Hydrophobia?

RH: Truthfully it was triggered by the initial reception. We knew there was a great, original game in there and clearly it had clicked with some people as a result, but just as clear was the fact that there were some serious flaws getting in the way of that for others. So we decided the best thing we could do was to patch the game as quickly as possible to address those flaws, and the best way to do that was to meticulously break down every single review and analyse all the positive and negative remarks in order to build up a chart of all the responses to every aspect of the game. We then set out to address as many of those as we possibly could within a tiny title update on XBLA which we made available for free [Hydrophobia Pure].

After that, it just seemed right to continue to listen to players, after all we are a small company and our fans are our life blood – without them we don’t exist. So we built a feedback page into our website and continued to gather data.

Darknet actually grew out of existing tools we had for data tracking in a pre-release play testing context. We thought the best way to continue to listen to players was to build tools right into the game, and then it became clear that we could actually crowdsource this data to deliver targeted, democratic updates and Darknet was born.

GP: The updates in Pure saw substantial improvements in terms of feedback. Was this the inspiration behind the releases on Steam and PSN or was this planned all along?

RH: We’d always planned to release on Steam and PSN, but we felt we owed it to players not just to do straight ports, but to show we had listened to all their feedback and were ready to act on it. What’s more, we felt we owed it to ourselves to work harder than ever to improve the game.

GP: Let’s talk about Hydrophobia Prophecy. Prophecy is not juzt a re-release of Hydrophobia, it is an extension and growth of the original concept. Was this planned or did it happen because the team became more comfortable with the HydroEngine?

RH: We decided with Prophecy not to hold back and didn’t give ourselves any boundaries. We didn’t want to rest on our laurels with the progress we’d made with Pure, so we rebuilt much of the game from the ground up. It’s fair to say that the maturity of the InfiniteWorlds engine and HydroEngine did help a great deal – the first time around we were building our tools and our engine in parallel with the game, which was extremely challenging, so yeah I suppose that helped.

GP: Prophecy introduces a much deeper narrative than the original game did, with Kate gaining her water powers towards the end of the game. Many players, myself included, felt that the story could have done with a bit more screen-time, as it’s never really explored why Kate has Hydrophobia. Is this something that you would add to future games?

RH: Absolutely. Sometimes in development things don’t go as smoothly as you hope, and unfortunately in the initial release we weren’t able to do the back story the justice it deserved. In Prophecy we worked to rectify that and it became a much fuller experience. There’s plenty more to come in the future though, that’s for sure.

GP: Prophecy ended rather abruptly with a boss fight which seemed somewhat sudden. Was this a development time limitation problem or to help set-up a cliff-hanger?

RH: A little from column A, and a little from column B. We knew we had to address the cut off ending from the original, and the ending in Prophecy is much, much stronger. We made sure we built up the antagonist in Prophecy and gave players the chance to face off against her at the end, which is key. But yes it does intentionally leaves some questions open for the future. Like I said there’s a lot more to come.

GP: It’s good to know there is more to come from the series. Is there anything you can share with us regarding the future of Hydrophobia? Perhaps more water powers?

RH: I don’t want to get into too many details about future instalments at the moment, but yes you can expect more water powers, more unique mechanics and tools and much more of that dark back story.

GP: The news broke today that the PSN version will be releasing next week, with Sony really helping promote the title. Is the PSN version the same as the Steam version, or have changes been made over the past few months?

RH: It’s another big step forward. We’ve redesigned areas, added cool new mechanics, enhanced animations – it’s improved across the board. There are literally hundreds of improvements which have come from the tens of thousands of Darknet data points – from better ammo placement to new abilities like the electrifying stealth takedown and new functions like quick reference waypoints. What’s more, the tech guys have done a great job of ensuring this is the best looking version yet, with new detail-mapping on textures and improved HydroEngine effects for example. Then there’s Playstation Move support – we worked really hard to make sure it really adds to the precision and immersion of the game. All in all I think it’s fair to say the PSN version is the definitive experience, which is why Sony are getting right behind the launch.

GP: Obviously primarily we are a Nintendo site, so is there any chance that we could see Hydrophobia or future titles on the 3DS at some point?

RH: I’d love to see HydroEngine running in 3D, wouldn’t you? I think if people wanted that, we’d definitely look at it.

GP: It’s certainly something I would buy!

We’re a long way off launch yet, but have you had a chance to look at Wii U, and would you consider developing for the system?

RH: Wii U is fascinating; we’re really intrigued by it. I think Nintendo could be onto something special, and we’re very pleased that they’ve built a controller inspired by Kate’s MAVI device in Hydrophobia

GP: Of course! I hadn’t noticed that before but now you mention it, it’s clear where they got the idea from!

And finally, who’s decision was it for Scoot [Kate’s assistant] to hum the Zelda puzzle tune when a door opens in Prophecy? Its touches like this that really show the attention to detail you have put in

RH: I’m a huge Zelda fan, and I was fortunate enough to be involved in co-writing the dialogue so I stuck it in there way back in development and hoped nobody would object. There wasn’t much resistance from the team here, I’m not the only Zelda fan in Dark Energy! Also to the credit of the platform holders they were all more than cool with it too. Well, come to think of it, I’m not sure if Sony are aware it’s in there, at least it’s never been mentioned. I’m sure it will be fine! Sony are a really open and relaxed company to work with and have been hugely supportive of the game.

GP: I’m sure they won’t mind one Zelda reference in there!

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I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Rob Hewson for his time, as I’m sure the whole of Dark Energy Digital are very busy preparing for the PSN release next week. Who knows, maybe next time we speak to them we’ll be discussing how the Wii U tablet can be used as the MAVI scanner? For the record, I’d love to see that.

To help you get in the mood for the next iteration of Hydrophobia, check out my review of the original Hydrophobia Prophecy which was released on Steam earlier this year.