This week we have a Q&A with In Utero, the dvelopers behind The Shadow of Zorro for the PlayStation 2.

What kind of game is Zorro, action or adventure?
Zorro is an adventure game with action. The goal is to find out what's going on and to continually deliver somebody. The way you do the delivery will be your choice. This is where the game becomes really interesting. You can choose either to fight or to avoid fighting. If you like action, you can go for it and fight with anybody you meet during the game. On the contrary, you can choose not to fight and act furtively. For this course of action, the player will be rewarded differently.

Did you do a lot of research before start doing Zorro? Tell us about the research that was done using the films and other related production art to inspire the visuals for the game.
Yes indeed, we did a lot of research for the game. We watched anything we could find about Zorro from the series to the movies, including some cartoons. We also read a lot about the period to have a deep understanding of what life was like at that time. We really wanted to stay consistent with the "first" Zorro and recreate that atmosphere. However, to tell the truth, The Mask of Zorro movie starring Antonio Bandaras was more of an example for us than the television series... But this story is new - like a totally new episode.

What are some of the characters from the films that will be featured in the game?
In our new adventure of Zorro you will recognise some of the classic characters like Garcia, Bernardo, Don Alejandro. We've also added new ones like Fuertes (the new captain of the garrison), Orneillo (a famous University professor), Carlota (Orneillo's daughter), Agata (Fuertes' right hand), and many others.

The game will contain NPCs?
True.

Can you give us a short introduction to the storyline of Zorro?
The story takes place in 1822 in Los Angeles. A new captain of the garrison is arriving: Capitan Fuertes. Don Alejandro, Don Diego's father, seems to recognise Fuertes as the Butcher of Saragossa whom Alejandro had killed years ago in Spain (during the war between the French and the Spanish in 1810). Along with Fuertes, there are two women and two men.

So the basic plot is to find out who's who and why those people are here. If Fuertes is truly the Butcher of Saragossa, a vicious man desirous of power and money, why is he in California so far from his land and why is he escorted by those people who don't look happy to be here?

What perspective will Zorro be played from?
In Zorro, you play the hero himself. That was actually the goal of the game: being Zorro for a time, feeling what he feels, acting as a hero: investigating, solving problems, fighting bad guys, delivering people.

What can the players expect from the gameplay?
There are some interesting features in the game. For instance, when Zorro walks on different materials, he makes a different sound (sand is different from wood which is different from stones and is different from metal). It also makes different noises depending on how Zorro moves. For instance, if the player chooses to walk stealthily, the guards won't be able to detect him/her.

Zorro is dressed in black, he can hide in the shadows to avoid his enemies or to surprise them! I think it makes the gameplay very interesting.

Another outstanding feature is the transparent quality that objects take on when Zorro goes behind them. For example, when Zorro is in a room walking around and there are many pillars, instead of having the camera change to follow the character, the pillar will go transparent.

And last but not least, the sword fights. We took a lot of time animating the sword fights. We actually worked with a sword master and used motion capture to make the animations smooth. It was hard to do but we are pleased with the final results.

This is how it works - on your screen you see a combination of "actions" which you have to reproduce with your keyboard or pad. For instance, if you use a PS2 pad, you could have to reproduce the following: O X ? or ? ? X. If you reproduce the "actions" fast enough, you pass the combo and see Zorro sword fighting with his opponent. He wins. If you don't repeat the sequence fast enough, you see Zorro sword fighting and hit at the end. You try again until the fight is done. Depending on whom you fight with, a simple guard or a boss, and depending on where you are in the game, the sword fights will become longer and more difficult.

Since the game is directed towards a very large audience, from beginners to more experienced players, developing combinations seemed like the best solution because it's very easy to handle. We believe this approach, combined with the choice of your level of difficulty at the start, will make the game entertaining even for the hardest of gamers.

What can you tell us about the graphics?
The graphics are very realistic. Since the story takes place in our world about 170 years ago, we decided not to create an imaginary world. Nevertheless, as far as quality is concerned, we put the same effort into developing stunning graphics similar to Jekyll & Hyde, and in Evil Twin. It's a totally new graphic genre for In Utero. We hope players will appreciate it.

Will the game support multiplayer mode?
At the very beginning we thought about having two characters taking part in a sword fight, with the possibility of the player choosing which character they wanted to be. However, we had to be realistic and forget it. We decided to concentrate on what we already had, to ensure solid gameplay. We hope to continue this feature in Zorro 2.

What sort of weapons will Zorro use on his quests/fights?
Of course, Zorro has a sword. He also has a gun and he even has some grenades, but he doesn't kill anybody (he never dies). You don't see dead people in the game. Zorro seeks justice. He is not a serial killer! So when you shoot a guard, you just knock him out. When you sword fight with someone, you just disarm this person. When you throw grenades, they are soporific. When you lose, Zorro goes to jail.

Will stealth be an important component of the game?
Yes and no. Actually, a major component of gameplay is to choose whether or not you want to act stealthily. There is no obligation to fight, as there is none for stealth. Of course, there are consequences for your choice. For example, if you meet a guard and decide to fight him, you could be in a lot more danger if he were to call his colleagues than if you had decided to avoid him. Sometimes one option is better than the other... Sometimes it is just quicker to fight if you don't have much time...

How many levels will there be?
There are 6 "levels" and one training level. Each level or chapter, as we call them, has a specific goal that Zorro has to achieve to be able to solve the whole mystery. So, every time you pass a level you gain information (and new features) that allow you to solve the mystery.

When will Zorro be released?
PC CD-Rom will be released 30th November 2001, followed by the PlayStation 2 in Q1 2002.