Imagine playing a game where you can use Jason, Leatherface, Michael Myers, Ash, Chucky and more.

Wouldn't that be a true horror fans dream? Well, dream no more because the game DOES exist.

We spoke with Marc Echave abbout TERRORDROME.

Rob Caprilozzi: How did you come up with the idea for TerrorDrome?

Marc Echave: I think the concept of Terrordrome is something universal. I believe that every Horror Fan on this planet has wished that a game like this existed.

You can find films already (Freddy vs. Jason, Alien vs. Predator) or comics (Jason vs. Leatherface, Robocop vs. Terminator, Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash) with the same concept of these horror characters facing off against each other.

I'm obviously a huge fan of horror movies, sci-fi and action as well. I also love video games, especially fighting games. So I thought merging horror icons into a game like Street Fighter would be awesome to play! Thus the concept of Terrordrome was born. I have the skills to make this game, so I thought that I would go for it!

Rob Caprilozzi: Now that you had an idea in place, how did you get this game started? Do you work in the game industry yourself or did you have to contact some industry professionals?

Marc Echave: It actually started right after I discovered M.U.G.E.N. back in 2000.

At that time I was already working in the video game industry as modeler and animator and I knew I could come up with something great with that kind of engine, on my own. The problem is that M.U.G.E.N. requires good knowledge of scripting and coding and it soon became obvious that I wouldn't be able to create anything without someone's help.

I met Kris Kazmer from Mugen Tomb, and asked him if he wanted to help with Terrordrome. Instead, Kris was more interested in co-creating another game, with original characters, that would become "Twisted Fate".

We worked two years on it and we were able to put out a demo with three characters. Eventually, I ended the collaboration because in my opinion things were going too slow. In addition to that, I felt frustrated about the game I've always dreamed of, Terrordrome.

I learned of lot from that collaboration and what it was going to serve me well in the future.

In 2004 I came across the engine "Fighter Maker 2D". I immediately knew that I could pull something off since it didn’t require any programming skills. Everything in FM works with a clever interface, and the engine was powerful enough to let me achieve what I had in mind. This is when it all started to fall into place.

In 2006 the first demo was released with 2 characters, Freddy and Ghostface. In the demo, I've done everything from the modeling, texturing, animation, integration, you name it.

Later, I met "Tenshu" who was intreagued by the concept and decided to help me, but he wanted to redo everything from scratch again. The man is a professional modeler and soon delivered a fantastic model of Ash (it was his idea to include this character) which was way better than mine. Tenshu had set a new quality standard which would lead into the release of the demo V2.

Since then, other guys have joined the team, all professionals. Three of us are in the same company, others met over the internet and living in different countries. They all help me out in their spare time.

Rob Caprilozzi: Who is the rest of the team working with you on this video game and what roles does each team member play?

Marc Echave: "Tenshu" was the first one helping to build a new Terrordrome. He modeled Ash, Leatherface and Freddy. In addition to that, he did all the stages in the demo.

"Mike Tibo" modeled Michael Myers.

Tenshu got very busy with other projects and could no longer continue to produce stuff for Terrordrome.

“Fab” joined the team and modeled the rest of the roster on the website.

I'm responsible for Ghostface and many assets in the stages, but I'm mainly the Game designer and Animator.

Also, "the Acidic One" from the US FMHQ community is of a great help regarding coding, integration and technical advices and fixes.

Rob Caprilozzi: What has been the most difficult thing so far about creating this game?

Marc Echave: There is nothing really difficult about creating the game if you have the resources. The hardest thing is the sacrifices of time and energy.

At first, getting involved in such project is very exciting but then you realize how huge the workload actually is. I had fully dedicated myself to Terrordrome the first year, and then quickly questioned myself if it was worth it.

There were no more weekends. After my day job I would work on it all night. Neglecting your girlfriend makes you seriously wonder why are you doing this. Nobody gets paid on a project like this since it is just a fan made game.

With the help of very motivated and talented people like our staff, it helps to keep this project alive.

In addition to that, the positive and enthusiastic response from the fans keeps it even more meaningful!

Terrordrome is currently half the way done, even though I have less spare time than before, I think we will continue to the end. There has been too much energy and time spent already. Stopping now would make all these years a complete waste of time and meaningless. It will take us more time and effort but unless something big happens, we will carry on and finish this game.


Rob Caprilozzi: Can you give us a rundown of the characters that are playable in this game?

Marc Echave: Sure! Playable characters will be : Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street), Michael Myers (Halloween), Leatherface (Texas chainsaw massacre), Ashley Williams (Evil Dead), Jason Voorhees, classic and undead version (Friday the 13th), Ghostface (Scream), Chucky (Child's play), Tall man (Phantasm), Matt Cordell (Maniac Cop), Candyman (Candyman), Pinhead (Hellraiser), Herbert West (Re-animator).

Rob Caprilozzi: Can you tell us about the stage selections?

Marc Echave: Each Stage is an iconic place that appears in the movie of each character.

For instance Jason's stage is the dock at Crystal Lake. It's not exactly the same as in the movies because I like to give freedom to our modelers to recreate the characters or the stages based upon their own vision. For this one, Tenshu decided to bring a more creepy and mysterious version of the docks and it works out pretty well.

When the character doesn’t have a recurring, we try to create a stage that could possibly fit with the character. Chucky's stage takes place in S-mart supermarket toy section where you can see several Good guys boxes. S-Mart is also the Supermarket where Ash used to work!

We sometimes try to include easter eggs, there's one in Freddy's Lair, can you figure out what is it?

Rob Caprilozzi: Is there going to be a storyline to this game or just a big monster mash?

Marc Echave: We have an original storyline planned. Every character will have at least one connection with another, based upon their own mythologies.

We won't necessary follow the encounters that have been told in movies or comics, but instead we'll try to come up with our own story and vision and give Terrordrome a unique sense.

While we have some ideas here and there, we still haven't figured out the complete story yet. Once we finish the game, we'll brainstorm and come up with a great story I think.

Rob Caprilozzi: Have you been contacted by any of the license holders about using their characters for this game?

Marc Echave: No, I haven't. I think this is because Terrordrome isn't that popular at a level that the owners of the licenses aren't even aware of its existence.

For now, it's just a fan-made project like any other fan-trailer, fan-movie and the like. If Terrordrome reaches a higher level of popularity maybe they will, but I don't think so.

I'm not making money out of it and never will. This game is just a tribute to the movies I love and have been part of my childhood. It can even act like some sort of advertisement for the franchises. Some youngsters who are into horror films and video games may get to discover some characters they didn't know existed. This can happen with less popular characters like Maniac Cop.



Rob Caprilozzi: Are you going to be continually adding more characters to this game or are you at this point set with the characters for this game?

Marc Echave: I'd love to include more of them, but the creation process is so slow and demanding that we'll stick to these and focus on finishing the game first before adding more.

Also, I think it will depend on our own will to continue once the full game is released. In the beginning I had about thirty characters in mind for the game, sequels, prequels and more.

As I mentioned before, releasing a game like this with a small team is already a miracle! If only I could take a year off and get paid at the same time, I would add as many characters as possible. But hey, 13 characters for a horror game is a good number, isn't it? ;)


Rob Caprilozzi: Is this game downloadable for MAC or is it just for PC users?

Marc Echave: Although the engine is meant to work on PC, a guy told me the game was actually running on MAC with CrossOver Games and possibly on Linux via Wine. This is great news!

Many people have asked me (and even ordered me!) to convert it for Xbox or Playstation. Things don't actually work like that. You must possess a dev kit and the license to produce games with them, and programmers (usually one the most expensive people in the industry) to do such thing, which I obviously can't afford.

Besides that, the Engine FM isn't an open source software but a hacked version of the Japanese software sadly not to be sold outside Japan, a shame in my opinion.


Rob Caprilozzi: Where can our readers find out more about TerrorDrome?

Marc Echave: The latest news can be found on the game website: http://Terrordrome-thegame.com. I try to update it every once in a while with news, screenshots of the game progress, wallpapers, etc.

You can also check out and leave a word in youtube where the Official trailer is hosted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BD1qXzHyxc. I often answer fan's questions and give some information there as well. People can PM me or email me as I always try to answer them if time allows me to.


Rob Caprilozzi: In closing, what would you like to say to our readers about TerrorDrome?

Marc Echave: Thanks for your interest in this! Play the game, send me your feedback, stay tuned and spread the word! :)

Thank you Rob for the opportunity to talk about Terrordrome on your website!

Rob Caprilozzi: Thank you for your time, Marc. Keep up the fantastic work on TerrorDrome!

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