Big Drunk Satanic Massacre(or BDSM or short) is the rip-roaring demonic-themed shooter that’s heading for release later this year. Developed by Big Way Games, BDSM is a boisterous blend of brash humor, sex, and satire.
Set in the depths of Hell, humanity – and more importantly, the corporations – have taken over. Commercialism and fast food reign supreme, leaving Satan’s very own son, Lou, in a perpetual drunken stupor. But when a maniacal clown kidnaps Hell’s hottest babe, Lou must take to his guns in a bid to rescue her.
BDSM boasts fast-paced, shooting-heavy action and an absolute ton of guns. We spoke with CEO of Big Way Games, Konstantin Semenov, to learn more about the game.
Cliqist: Set in a Hell that’s been taken over by corporations, Big Drunk Satanic Massacre has a very unique premise. Where did the idea come from?
Konstantin Semenov: I had read a fantastic story where American marines were in the jungle looking for a legendary weapon left by the Mayans. It turned out that the weapon summoned demons into our world, and for the Mayan culture, having been only armed with axes, demons seemed to be that perfect weapon.
However, the demons were no match for modern weaponry – the marines simply shot them. If they couldn’t shoot the demons, they hit them with grenade launchers.
From that, the idea arose that if the war with Hell happened now, and not in the Middle Ages, as in one famous game, then the demons would be the whipping boys and would be completely outmatched.
Satan’s son Lou is a very enjoyable protagonist. Were there any influences on his characterization?
I don’t even know what to say on that one – we just had a lot of fun with making him, and his humor was a bit of an unexpected bonus. A lot of people who’ve played BDSM compare Lou with Hellboy, which really isn’t what I was going for. I wanted to make a unique protagonist. I think the revolver Lou carries is to blame for people thinking he’s a bit of a Hellboy clone. Initially, I had armed him with an Uzi – but that makes it a little “too easy” to kill everything in sight.
BDSM certainly isn’t shy about sex, violence, and other adult content. Did you always have this in mind for the game?
Honestly, I had planned for some of it, but some of it just sort of “happened” during development.
What was behind your decision to incorporate a maturity filter?
There was some content we felt was thematically fun, but could be a problem for some people. Rather than censor it out of the game and limit players’ choices, we put it behind the options screen. If someone wants to see all the game’s content, they have that option – just change the setting in the menu and it’s all added back into the game. If they aren’t interested in that, they still can play and enjoy the game and its story, just with a bit more of a “safe for work” feel to it.
What can players expect from the filtered game?
In the vanilla version, the dialogs are not so rough, and sex is replaced by a shooting metaphor. For example, we replace a sex shop with a gun shop… but in the unfiltered version, the sexual metaphors and sexual content make a return. It’s been an interesting cultural lesson for our team, as what’s okay with one culture is absolutely unacceptable to another – case in point, guns and violence versus sexuality. Some cultures are absolutely against any sexual content in a game, but are okay with guns and killing, while others are just the opposite. Thus, the filter lets you choose what you prefer.
Speaking of BDSM‘s adult themes, have there been any particular challenges in making a game with such content? Was there any time you felt you had to reel it in?
We did pull back on some of the content, to make it more appealing to a wider audience, but at the same time all that unfiltered content is still in the game, you just have to choose the NSFW options in the game menu. Also, we didn’t put the sexual content in the game “just to say we put it in there”. The idea is that it plays along with the themes of Hell’s debauchery and hedonism, and it plays along with the game’s satirical tone. Some of it is a throwback to early video games but done in a humorous way that pokes fun at it.
As a side note – during development, there was one funny incident where we invited an artist we’d previously worked with to help with BDSM. When we began to explain what to draw for the adult content, he said he took it as sexual harassment. The artist flatly refused. And he returned to his job at a factory where engines for nuclear missiles are produced.
The game and its story come with a hefty dose of satire. What aspects of society were you most keen to satirize with this game?
I think the double-standards of society are our biggest target. For example, as I said before, some cultures are okay with violence but not sex, while others are the opposite. And you’re never quite sure what the exact measure is of “what’s too much” for either. This is just me speaking, but it seems to me that people could channel their energy into fighting hunger, dictatorship, and war, versus worrying about exactly how much nudity you can show in a game before it needs to be censored.
BDSM looks and feels a lot like the old-school shooters we all grew up with. What made you want to return to a more traditional genre?
Honestly – I always loved those old school shooters. It’s really that simple.
When can we expect a release?
We are aiming for September 26. It might slip a little, but this fall for sure. [As of September 19, Cliqist was informed by the developers that the release date had been moved to October 10 for PC, PS4, and Switch.]
Do you have any plans to bring the game to consoles?
At the moment we are aiming to launch BDSM on the PC and PS4, and are awaiting approvals from Microsoft and Nintendo, as we’d like to launch it on the Xbox One and Switch.
Lastly, do you have any other projects in the works you’d like to tell us about?
Yes, we are preparing a small BDSM card game for PC and mobile.
We’d like to say a big thank you to Konstantin for taking the time to talk to us! To keep up with BDSM, you can follow Big Way Games and their progress on their website, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel. You can read our preview of the game here. Don’t forget to check out the trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPLugtCvgrY
