Decades after the fighting gameWu-Tang: Shaolin Style, theWu-Tang Clanis re-entering the world of video games withWu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver. Developed by Brass Lion Entertainment, the newSummer Game Festreveal pivots to anaction RPG experiencereplete with the diverse styles and influences that characterize the Wu-Tang Clan. It’s also a part of Ghostface Killah’sAngel of Dustfranchise, starting development as a direct tie-in to the upcoming film before coming into its own.
Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiverdoesn’t put you into the shoes of the Wu themselves, instead setting up a scenario where the Wu-Tang Clan is missing and pushing a more customizable character into a quest to fix things. While many details about the journey remain scarce,Screen Rantsat down with Brass Lion Entertainment’s co-founder and CEO Bryna Dabby Smith, co-founder and CCO Rashad Redic, and game writer Evan Narcisse to get the scoop on how the game came to be and what it’s doing to honor the Wu-Tang legacy.
Rise Of The Deceiver’s Wu-Tang Connections Go Deep
Involving & Representing The Iconic Collective
According to Bryna Dabby Smith, aWu-Tanggame was always a “dream project” for Brass Lion Entertainment, butthe initiative behind making a new game came from within Wu-Tang. While development started with the film treatment, the team ultimately “took it to a little bit of a different place.” As Smith says, “it’s become a companion piece to the film. It’s not telling the same story, but it’s set in the same universe and has a bunch of connective tissue.”
Connective tissue extends well beyond the film itself, andRise of the Deceiverwill have plenty of references to both Wu-Tang Clan albums and their various influences. Speaking to the martial arts film inspirations, Rashad Redic describes the game as “an amalgamation of influences from the videos, the group, the fashion, how they portray themselves in a different medium, and also the films themselves.” Smith notes that the team takes “everything related to [Wu-Tang’s] history and the lore that they’ve created for themselves very seriously,” a process that involved visiting the Shaolin Temple in NYC and meeting RZA’s teacher.
The end result finds that synchronicity in the “mano a mano competitive modalities” that hip-hop and martial arts share, as Evan Narcisse explains. Relic notes that the visual presentation of the game’s combat style also pulls in anime influences, but it avoids relying too much on any “specific show or film.” The one thing that needed to shine through was the “edge” that defines every Wu-Tang project, asthere are “core elements and themes that follow the groupwherever they go.”
Wrestling With The Legacy of Wu-Tang
How Rise Of The Deceiver Approaches The Mantle
Some of those elements fall in line with ODB’s famous declaration that"Wu-Tang is for the children,“a mantra that reflects more on creating a world for future generations than it does on any appeal to being family-friendly. Smith quips that “Wu-Tang is for the children, but our game islikely rated Mature, rating pending.”
Narcisse expounds on the topic: “I think part of what Ol' Dirtywas talking about was creating futures for subsequent generations that were better than the ones they experienced themselves as kids, right? Growing up in the projects mostly. So thematically, yeah, we’re trying to carry that through. The setting of the game is a place where you’ll be able to see a multi-generational spectrum of people who live in the neighborhood. And part of the themes we’re playing with is like,how does a group like the Wu-Tang analyze their legacy and pass it forward?”
That doesn’t mean that it’s all serious, though. LikeWu-Tang’s freewheeling album narratives, “there’s also lots of humor and joy"to be found withinRise of the Deceiver. “If you think about the skits on36 Chambers,they were goofing on each other. Like Meth, where’s my killer tape at? That kind of stuff. And we’re trying to infuse the same kind of humor and balance of emotional spectrums in the game as well.”
Music, Fashion, & More In Wu-Tang: Rise Of The Deceiver
Dynamic Opportunities For Self-Expression
Of course, a Wu-Tang game wouldn’t be a Wu-Tang game if it didn’t feature any music from the collective, andRise of the Deceivertakes that a step further. Smith explains that “JustBlaze is doing our soundtrack, but it’s not just a soundtrack. He’s been working with our audio team, and they’ve created a fully dynamic music system.“Using stems ripped from the Wu-Tang catalog, the game leans into a live sense of remixing.“As you’re playing, the music is reacting to your actions and building on your experience. And it’s really groundbreaking because it feels very seamless.”
Fashion, too, is of the Wu-Tang inclination, but it’s not honor-bound to any particular style. Redic describes “a blend of, like, modern contemporary clothing with 90s aesthetics. And as a big hip-hop fan, it’s important for me to be able to have the kind of range of expression from, if you want an old-school look or if you want a modern look, you have your pick of things to mix and match from.“That sense of self-expression is “the cornerstone of hip-hop,“so the team naturally “ended up settling on the player creating their own character.”
Summer Game Festhas now revealedWu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiverto the world, but it’s not the only venue that’s advertising the game. Wu-Tang will also be showcasingRise of the Deceiver’s trailer on every stage of their final world tour, a surefire way to get a lot of eyes on the game. Brass Lion doesn’t take Wu-Tang’s support of the project lightly, and while Ghostface Killah has the most direct involvement as the creative lead, Smith says that"all of the guys need to love it.”
When it comes to the fans, Smith wants to “see everybody get just as hype” as Brass Lion feels.Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiverhas a lot to live up to as part of Wu-Tang’s towering legacy, but it’s definitely approaching the challenge with the disciplined spirit of Shaolin. As to the chance of a new controller in the shape of the Wu-Tang Clan logo? “You never know. All things are possible.”
