What elements from adventure
games have you used?
We wanted to create puzzles that made
sense within the story and environment
of the world (rather than just puzzles in
a room for the sake of it). We looked
at a lot of the LucasArts point-and-click
games as well as the first few Resident
Evil titles. Those games made you think
about what makes logical sense in the
story and further immerses you into the
world as a result.We get a strong Knightmare vibe.
Is that intentional?
I’m a big fan of Knightmare. When I was
young, I was really into games, comic
books and movies and at that time
it seemed like Knightmare was one
of the only children’s TV shows that
was specifically made with someone
like me in mind. So, yeah, it was a big
inspiration in making Last Commanders.How have you evolved the show
for its second season?
I think we’re more confident in our
storytelling. Our story arc will be more
layered with bigger characters and
twists. Our puzzles will be more varied
as will the set. It’s cliched, but bigger,
bolder, better!L
overs of the cult Eighties
game show Knightmare
might be interested to
learn that a spiritual
successor exists in the form of Last
Commanders. With a second series
airing in May, it’s the perfect time to
catch up with development producer,
Ryan Meloy and find out more about it.Where did the idea for Last
Commanders originate?
We wanted to make a TV show
that was specifically for kids of this
generation. On our development
team there are shows that we loved
as a children, Knightmare and The
Adventure Game are firm favourites
in this office! Those shows were
specifically designed for our generation,
they stayed with us from childhood
and remain much loved because of
the excitement and ability to transport
viewers to another world. We wanted
to try and emulate that and so our first
question became, ‘If kids today are
watching videogames on YouTube, how
do we make a first-person videogame
into a TV show?’What classic videogames does it
take inspiration from?
The frenetic nature of the visuals
harks back to the corridor shooters of
the Nineties like Quake, Doom and
Unreal. As do the story and setting of
the show, which are very cyberpunk.
There are lots of games we’re fans of
that inspired setpieces and gameplay,
there’s lots of Metal Gear moments and
the Cybers in the show are relentless,
a bit like Nemesis in Resident Evil 3.
Even our big bad villain has shades of
SHODAN from System Shock!select screen at the start is an homage
to old beat-’em-ups. The costumes are
inspired by the likes of Akira, Streets Of
Rage, 2000AD comics and even the
Cybers are a nod to classic sci-fi robots.Why do you think Last
Commanders has proven to be
so popular?
It looks so different from other TV
shows and that it’s scary also helps,
there’s a real thrill in following the
unpredictable narrative.You can find Last Commanders on
CBBC. Visit bit.ly/lastcommanders
for more information.Commander In Chief
Ryan Meloy gives us intel on his retro-inspired CBBC show, Last Commanders
How are kids responding to
Last Commanders?
The kids love it. There aren’t too many
shows for children that can terrify
them, make them laugh and then have
them playing along all in the space of
30 seconds. The editing is like that of a
YouTube production, so I think it feels
and looks unique on the TV landscape
and the kids seem to respond to that.
And you can’t help but get caught up in
their excitement.What sort of Easter eggs can our
readers look out for?
There are all sorts of little nods
throughout the show. The character» There’s a charming lo-fi aesthetic to Last Commanders, which we find really endearing.» Skye is a freedom fighter who enlists the help of viewers to help defeat Sciron.The frenetic nature of the visuals
harks back to the corridor shooters
of the Nineties
Ryan Meloy» Last Commanders has been a big hit for CBBC and
channels classic shows like Knightmare.SHOWING OFF COOL RETRO-THEMED STUFF THAT’S GOING ON
A MOMENT WITH...
RETRO GAMER | 17