Hey adventurers!

Thanks for checking out this week's MythForce interview with Kyle Mohammed!

A designer with over seven years of industry experience, Kyle Mohammed studied Game Design at the Vancouver Film School. He has a lifelong love of tabletop roleplaying games like D&D and Warhammer. He enjoys epic fantasy novels and has a soft spot for less serious fare such as Robert Asprin's Myth series and the works of Terry Pratchett. He enjoys fantasy, sci-fi and martial arts films.

What games first attracted you to game design?

Early on I was fascinated by my older brothers' playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends, which sparked an interest in how games are made in general and cooperative storytelling. Later on in high school it was the time I spent with Tactics Ogre and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms series that really made me think about working in the game industry.

Who are some of the artists who've inspired your work?

My two key inspirations are Yasumi Matsuno (Tactics Ogre) and Katsura Hashino (Shin Megami Tensei and the Persona series). Usually the narrative of a game fails to resonate with me, especially games with more of a serious tone, the works of both of these designers are an exception and don't have that recycled/derivative feel. Steven Erikson (Malazan Books of the Fallen) is another inspiration that I use when measuring the authenticity of characters and personalities under extraordinary circumstances and his novels have shown me that we don't always need upfront worldbuilding to get people invested in our stories.

What is your favorite 80s cartoon (or nearest equivalent), and what do you love about it?

I didn't watch many North American cartoons in the 80s but I did watch a lot of anime, so Fist of the Northstar, My Neighbor Totoro, and Akira. I think the thing I love most about these hand-drawn features is that they don't age in the same way a lot of things do. They still retain high quality while having the distinct look of something from another time, which has a powerful effect when you are trying to transport someone to another world to experience a story.

Which is your favorite MythForce character to play, and why?

Victoria because she's very close to the paladin archetype, which is a favorite of mine, and she's always in the thick of it. She is the closest thing we have to a hero who might actually just go around the dungeon punching enemies in the face (I like the monk archetype too)

What makes MythForce unique compared with other games you've worked on or played?

MythForce is one of the few original IPs I've had the chance to work on and is refreshing in that respect. We aren't beholden to characters or a world that has already matured and solidified into an expected form. We have the opportunity to develop the charm of our characters and world on our own terms, which is immensely fulfilling and uniquely challenging.

That's all for today's interview. Tune in next week for an interview with MythForce QA Analyst Jason Perry.