After engaged on the pixel artwork for Speedollama, I now have the possibility to take a seat down with Nicola Piovesan, the sport’s designer, to ask him a couple of questions in regards to the undertaking. As a part of the crew, it’s fascinating to listen to extra about his inventive course of, the challenges we confronted, and what went into making this quick and quirky recreation.
Let’s begin from the start. The place did the thought for Speedollama come from?
Nicola (N): Speedollama is my fourth recreation (fifth should you rely an unfinished one), and with every new undertaking, I goal to experiment. My earlier video games had been largely point-and-click adventures set in a darkish, cyberpunk universe, however with this platformer, I discover one thing fully completely different—shiny, chaotic, and enjoyable. It’s like my inventive yin and yang. After engaged on one thing dramatic, I felt the necessity to dive into humor and vibrancy. Speedollama got here from this must create one thing colourful and fast-paced. And what might be more strange and enjoyable than a conflict between llamas and alpacas?
What are the sport’s standout options?
N: The retro-arcade really feel is the very first thing that hits you—from the pixel artwork graphics to the gameplay mechanics. However what actually stands out is the pace. Speedollama is designed to be one of many quickest in its style, particularly in later phases when gamers unlock pace upgrades. It’s intense.
Some folks have in contrast it to Metallic Slug. Does that trouble you?
N: I’ve seen Speedollama described as “Metallic Slug with llamas,” and whereas that’s flattering, it’s additionally a bit irritating when folks indicate I copied it. Certain, there are similarities—any retro, run-and-gun recreation may have them—however Speedollama does its personal factor. It’s not only a horizontal side-scroller; it develops vertically, making it extra of a platformer. Plus, it has procedurally generated ranges and a “collectathon” factor the place gamers race towards the clock to collect gadgets. So, whereas the comparisons are inevitable, I believe we’ve crafted a singular expertise.
Isn’t it dangerous to launch this recreation an indie market saturated with so many pixelated platformers?
N: Completely, it’s a threat. I’ll admit, I’m not nice at market analysis or creating video games with a particular viewers in thoughts. I are inclined to go together with my intestine—if I like an concept, I’ll run with it. That stated, I do hearken to suggestions. We launched a demo a few 12 months in the past, and I took a variety of participant ideas to enhance the sport. Sure, the market is crowded, and pixel-art platformers are in every single place, which could make Speedollama laborious to note at first. However I consider that after folks choose up a controller and really feel the pace and enjoyable, they’ll see it’s one thing particular.
How massive was the crew behind Speedollama?
N: That is an fascinating query as a result of folks typically marvel if Speedollama was a solo undertaking. The reply is each sure and no. In case you outline a solo undertaking as one particular person doing completely every thing, then no—it wasn’t simply me. You, as an example, had been the lead pixel artist, and we had a pair extra pixel artists, two animators, a music composer, voice actors, and a small crew of beta testers. In whole, round eight or 9 folks contributed to the sport. Nevertheless, if by “solo undertaking” you imply one particular person dealing with many of the improvement—coding, writing, stage design, enemy AI, UI, sound, and even advertising and marketing—then sure, it was largely my work. I did every thing besides create the artwork and music, which was dealt with by you and different gifted of us. However their contributions had been essential, particularly in bringing the sport’s distinctive, quirky visible model to life.
The indie recreation market is a troublesome area, little doubt. There are tons of platformers popping out each month, and standing out is a problem. However I’m assured that Speedollama brings one thing recent to the desk—it’s quick, eccentric, and a variety of enjoyable to play. I can’t wait to see how gamers reply to this wild, goofy journey.
Wishlist Speedollama in the present day, and choose it up on Xbox proper now.
Speedollama
Chaosmonger Studio
$8.99
$8.09
Speedollama is a quick platformer shooter that units a brand new benchmark for pace within the style. Bursting with quirky humor and vibrant pixelated carnage, this recreation shouldn’t be for the faint of coronary heart. Are you able to embrace the chaos and show your expertise?
Full of hilarious splatter parts, fast-paced motion, a wide range of upgrades and weapons, and a great deal of humor, Speedollama guarantees to entertain players of all ages.
The sport’s visuals characteristic pixel artwork to seize a retro-arcade aesthetic, harking back to late 80s and early 90s video games. Drawing inspiration from basic titles like Metallic Slug and Turrican, in addition to trendy hits like Broforce, Mercenary Kings, and Pizza Tower, Speedollama delivers a nostalgic but recent gaming expertise.
STORYLINE
A sensible previous llama has enlisted a bunch of elite mercenaries for an nearly not possible mission: to destroy the alpaca military that has waged a brutal conflict to exterminate the llamas and seize world domination. Outfitted with a strong tunneling machine, the llamas embark on a weird journey, burrowing by the earth, accumulating funky substances, and battling the relentless alpaca forces together with their beastly allies.