INTERVIEW: Outright Games Offers DSTN Exclusive Details On Video Game Star Trek: Prodigy - Supernova

STAR TREK: PRODIGY - SUPERNOVA title card. Image: Outright Games.

OCTOBER 18, 2022 - Family-friendly video game publisher Outright Games released their latest game, based on a Star Trek property, on Friday. Star Trek: Prodigy - Supernova is the first video game based on the kid-centric series. According to the press release:

DaHjaj Hov leng: wIghHom puyjaq'a' jonHa' Outright Games, Nickelodeon, Paramount Consumer Products je. qorDu'meyvaD Quj chenmoH Outright Games. Hov leng wIghHom: puyjaq'a'pIlmoH Paramount+ mIllogh qol Hov leng: wIghHom. QujwI' SeymoH 'e' nID Quj. nItebHa' tIvlaH qorDu' naQ. wa'leS PlayStation 4®Daq PlayStation 5Daq Nintendo Switch™Daq, Xbox OneDaq, Xbox X|SDaq, SteamDaq je Hov leng wIghHom: puyjaq'a' QujlaH nuvpu'.

HeghchoHbogh Hovvo' maQ Huj HevDI' U.S.S. Protostar, QapHa' jol pat 'ej 'u'Daq beq ghomHa'moH. Do qaD bamnIS Dal R'el, Gwyndala je 'ej Jankom Pog, Rok-Tahk, Zero, Murf je toDmeH jIjnIS. vabDot Dujchaj, nov Segh chu',  Hovtay' je toDmeH jIjnIS Hoch Qaw'pa' puyjaq'a'!

'ach qu'bogh jegh chu', qoq mangghom je DaghuHmeH chal yIbej! Protostar luQaw' 'ej qun luchoH 'e' luHechchu'! 'ej rob'agh Janeway yIqIm DalvaD GwynvaD je DIvI' tIgh ghojmoHtaHvIS.

 nov maSbogh ngutlhwI' yISeH: Dal R’El,  Gwyndala je. nIteb Quj pagh qoch tlhej. nov qo'mey chu'qu' tItlhargh. Orisi, Mirios, Taresse je tItlhargh 'ej nov nganchaj tIqIH. tayqeq tu'be'lu'ta'bogh tIgh DaghojmeH 'ej peghchaj Datu'meH, qaDmey ngajrunmey je yIQuj, yuQmey 'umber naH DachIjtaHvIS.

That’s right. The entire press release was sent in Klingon! But don’t worry if you haven’t got Marc Okrand’s Klingon Dictionary at hand. DSTN managed to get the skinny on the game from the creators in Federation Standard. Qapla’

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What's the game’s storyline?

The story starts a new adventure for the Protostar crew: when the Protostar picks up strange readings from a dying star, Dal and Gwyn are thrown into adventures where they must race against time to save their friends, their ship, and an entire planetary system before a supernova destroys them all! With the help of Hologram Janeway, they must save their captured crewmates Jankom Pog, Rok-Tahk, Zero, and Murf, and make First Contact with a new species. There’s a deadly new enemy that threatens their success, one that will stop at nothing to destroy the Protostar and change the very course of history! 

Did Outright Games approach Paramount and Nickelodeon about doing the game, or was it the other way around? Is everybody on the team a Star Trek fan?

Outright Games have been very good partners with Nickelodeon for many years now, as we specialise in making fantastic family content. When we were discussing upcoming projects, we were both excited to collaborate on this and bring a truly interactive experience in the STAR TREK universe that can be enjoyed by all ages.  We have many Trekkies on our teams and were able to connect with the talented development team at Tessera Studios that shared our passion and vision. 

When in the timeline of the series does the game take place?

What we found when working with the STAR TREK teams, Nickelodeon and Paramount, is that there’s a window in series one where there is a time jump. We chose to explore the story during this period, where we meet a new species, and explore a new system. We get to bring along the backstory of our characters, and hint at what’s to come, but we get to be our own story that’s standalone for anybody to jump in and enjoy.

Who wrote the script and who directed it? How much direction was needed for the voice actors, who already know their characters so well?

The script was a collaborative effort between the game developers at Tessera Studios and the acclaimed games writer Martin Korda, with the creative support and editing done by Lisa S Boyd, the writer of the PRODIGY series. Brook Chalmers, the multi-talented voice director from the PRODIGY series, handled the VO direction for this game alongside the Outright Games producers, and was instrumental to us getting the characters to feel natural in the game.  The actors are a stellar crew, and were able to help us build authentic conversations within our story. Brook's unrivalled familiarity with the series and passion for videogames helped them focus in on getting the best performance for this interactive experience.

Describe the gameplay.

The game is full of hostile enemies, gorgeous environments, puzzles, challenges and mysteries to solve. You can play as Dal and Gwyn, either solo or in 2-player cooperative mode. Dal is more of a long-range fighter wielding dual phasers in combat, whereas Gwyn is an up-close-and-personal melee fighter. Each has their own play style, unique weapons and upgrades so there’s lots of options in how you choose to play the game.

Is it single-player only, or is there a cooperative element? Can it be played online with friends?

 The game can be played in single player or local 2 player co-op. We wanted to really lean into that close connection of sitting on the couch with your family and friends and embarking on this grand adventure. In single player, you can switch at will, and the other character is AI-controlled, assisting in both combat and puzzle solving, perfect for when you want to quickly jump in by yourself and replay a mission to uncover even more secrets.

Is the whole crew available to control, or just certain characters? Can the player choose? Do certain characters get unlocked later in the game? In games of this type, usually different characters have different skills and abilities. What skills does each character possess?

As well as directly controlling Dal and Gwyn, players can call on the rest of the crew, Jankom Pog, Rok-Tahk, Zero, Murf, and for their skills and abilities. But you have to find and rescue them first!

As mentioned before, Dal can dual-wield phasers for example, and has useful skills for exploring the environments. Gwyn is more agile and partial to melee combat, as she can use Fretwork, her living weapon/tool she controls with her mind for help during battle and in puzzles.

The rest of the crew have meaningful support roles. The crewmates are needed to assist with exploration, ie: we need Jankom to open certain doors, or Rok-Tahk to use her engineering knowledge to upgrade abilities and her size to smash things like walls, for example. They can assist in combat, as well as unlock secret areas that hide collectibles, so you'll need to replay certain levels to find everything.  Their combat abilities can be upgraded through certain missions in the Holodeck.

Do Drednok and The Diviner make appearances in the game? What role do they have to play, if any?

We'd prefer not to spoil any surprises -- uncovering the mystery is part of the fun!

We will say there is a bit of a twist to the antagonist and their motivations, related to the history of the Vau N'Akat.

How long do you estimate it will take to play through the game?

It takes about 12 hours to complete the game’s narrative, with another 5 hours or so to see 100% of the content, including the collectibles and upgrades.

Anything else you'd like to add?

We hope fans both new and seasoned enjoy this STAR TREK experience! And hope that players enjoy the STAR TREK lore, relics, and cheats that they'll need to unlock...

Star Trek: Prodigy - Supernova is available now on PlayStation 4®, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One, Xbox X|S, and Steam.