Learn how Wayfinder brings colorful heroes from the pages to play – Early Access Starting Aug 15 – PlayStation.Blog
Airship Syndicate, the developers behind the upcoming Wayfinder online cooperative RPG, loves a colorful world. No wonder why, either. The team’s co-founder — artist and Creative Director Joe Madureira — is rooted in the equally vibrant world of professional comics.
It’s a legacy that you can clearly see in the bold, vibrant character designs of the famous Pathfinders themselves. These are heroes, resurrected from the dead to repel a hostile force in an ever-expanding and thriving online world when Early Access launches on August 15.
On the way to the first release, we sat down with Joe to discuss how Wayfinder came to be and what makes them so special when they both play. And create.
Where did you start designing Wayfinder? Does it start with the idea of what the character will look like or does the design emerge from the gameplay?
Joe Madureira: It’s definitely both. Sometimes we start with a theme in mind, as with Venomess. We would say “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a character who is a poisoner? Do we already have a character that deals damage over time? Do we even want that?
Other times, we step back and realize we don’t have enough ranged characters, or we haven’t introduced a specific weapon enough to show players what’s possible. Sometimes we use those kinds of concessions to at least narrow things down.
But, you know, sometimes we just start drawing something cool and see where it takes us.
What made you build a game based on Wayfinder instead of more traditional custom RPG characters?
Well, that’s because we actually started with a more empty leaderboard, generic characters you pick a class for – like a rogue or a warrior. We started with the warrior design first, with the classic sword and shield, and that’s where we started to develop our very basic fighting style. Then we started with the rogue prototype, which eventually became the Silo.
What really drove the change was that I outlined what would become the Silo with a little more modern flair. His shoes became a little more like sneakers and he started to look a bit more “tactical sportswear,” instead of the typical fantasy ranger.
At the time, everyone who saw it said that the Silo had more character than we could fit into a blank slate dummy. We wish we could have characters with their own unique backstory. We realized that, after working on games like Anonymous King with Riot Games, we didn’t lean on our strengths enough.
So we reassessed the other classes we had in the kitchen and asked “What if this was a knight? What if he’s older and grayer and not some 30-year-old man? What can we build from that?”
Once you’ve got those initial pieces, the rest of the puzzle starts to make sense.
Is there any detail about Wayfinder that you are particularly proud of?
I think we’ve done a good job of telling each character’s story in the game, even now, but that’s something we’re always trying to expand on.
Right now, we have this discovery system that exists even outside of each character. By visiting different locations or interacting with certain objects, you get a bit more lore and some rewards. In that system, each character also has its own quest to start new chapters based on the amount of exploration you’ve made.
They’re all personalized, so Senja will have her own sequence of quests that Silo won’t, but we wanted them all to culminate together in a special way. However, even if you finish that, it’s only the end of the first chapter. We definitely plan to add more in the future.
I’m sure it’s hard to choose, but do you have a personal favorite Wayfinder so far?
Honestly, it could be Niss, but I think Senja is further away. I don’t know if we’ll be able to match her abilities with her personality – the way the crowd cheers around her and the rose petals fall when she attacks.
I think she was the first Pathfinder that felt super unique, to the point where we said “We have to push some of these people a little bit further…” Senja has set the standard and it’s encouraging to do so, so we’ll try more fun stuff like that.
Wayfinder starts Early Access on PS4 and PS5 on August 15. Season 1 focuses on Venomess, a Wayfinder that enjoys playing with prey while easily switching between ranged and melee combat. Her chemistry can poison enemies and strengthen her allies, and her thrusters give her tremendous mobility.
You can support Wayfinder’s growth and gain early access by purchasing one of the four Founders Packs available at the PlayStation Store. In addition to Early Access, Founders will unlock a series of exclusive and limited-time rewards that will never be available in Wayfinder again: including character skins like Hyroic Kyros, as well as unique weapons and mounts. You can also upgrade your Founder’s Pack at any time through the PlayStation Store.
