Interview - Kazutoki Kono (Ace Combat Infinity)

We caught up with Kazutoki Kono of Namco Bandai in Las Vegas recently to talk about his latest title, the free-to-play air combat game Ace Combat Infinity.

Click: Hi Kazutoki, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. We’ve been looking forward to a new installment in the Ace Combat series for a while now, so we’re very excited! Can you explain what the play style or the primary play mechanics are like in Ace Combat Infinity?KK: In Ace Combat Infinity, the core gameplay aspects are actually going back to the roots of the Ace Combat series, which is very popular with the fans. Ace Combat Infinity takes that original gameplay and adds in some new aspects, such as a new online multiplayer mode called Online Co-op Missions.Click: That sounds interesting… how will these co-op missions work?KK: In these online co-op missions, you have four players on the same team and another rival team, also with four players, but you’re attacking the same NPC enemies and so you’re kind of competing in co-op. Cooperating with each other to see which team gets the higher score against the same enemy. Because of this it’s kind of co-op and competitive since you can work with teammates or just go off on your own to see if you can do better than everyone else. There’s a lot of variety and freedom in how you can play the game.

Click: Can we expect any competitive multiplayer where players can go up against other humans, or will it be solely going head to head against AI?Click: Where does the team draw its influences for the game’s design from in terms of scenarios and battles? Do you look to the real world for inspiration or does it all come from within the series’ already-established universe?Click: What do you believe makes Ace Combat Infinity unique among the other games in the series?In Short:

Interview - Kazutoki Kono (Ace Combat Infinity) on ClickOnline.com