Lobodestroyo Interview: In the footsteps of N64 Rareware platformers

The history of video games is characterized by numerous milestones which show how the industry managed to reinvent itself several times. However, while some titles still keep up with the times, other ones are using benefits of older games to create the certain retro feeling. Especially indie developers were able to impress with felicitous mixtures of classic gameplay and a proper pinch of innovation in the last years.

In their upcoming title, Lobodestroyo, the team behind the developer Lefthanded Games will also bring in some classic gameplay elements. While most developers create 2D games when it comes to the retro sector, the 10 guys from Florida, however, venture themselves into three-dimensional realms and are up to revive the Nintendo 64 era. To go further into detail: Their passion and the ideal for the software they are working on are the generation-defining Rareware platformers: Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64 and the likes.

In Lobodestroyo: vs la Liga de los Villanos – spelling out the full game title – you are playing Mutt, a scapegrace from a wolf pack which serves justice in the city of Costa Lucha. When his furry associates and their leader, the legendary Lobodestroyo, vanish into thin air one day, it lies with Mutt to continue their legacy and put the evil Villanos behind bars. Accompanied and supported by Dorado, the polarizing luchador spirit, the unlikely hero is up to explore far-off worlds, collect lots of stuff and earn new abilities.

The project, which was successfully funded on Kickstarter last December, will presumably be available on Wii U eShop next year. We had the chance to ask James Guy, Creative Director at Lefthanded Games, some questions about their upcoming game and could obtain some opinions about the current situation on the video game market.

Lobodestroyo: vs. la Liga de los Villanos is being developed by Lefthanded Games. Can you give us a short introduction of the team and the position you hold?

I am the Creative Director on the project which basically means I’m the ideas guy and the one who comes up with the characters, story and activities players will run into when playing the game. The team is composed of 5 artists who model, build and animate everything, and a group of 3 programmers who pull it all together in Unity. We also have a Sound Tech and a Composer on the team to handle the sound effects and score for Lobo. We’re a small group but we have a lot of talent on our side. The passion and skill these guys have is amazing and I can’t wait to play the game we are striving towards!

That already sounds very promising – but let’s head to the game itself! What’s the main idea behind Lobo and how would you sum up all its features in a nutshell?

It’s an action-adventure game with a heavy focus on collecting and exploration. Players build collections of necessary items and new abilities to be able to unlock new worlds and overcome the assorted boss villains in the game.

When did you come up with the idea of Lobodestroyo and when did you start working on the project?

It’s been kicking about for a while now but I started sewing all the parts together about two years ago. We started officially working on the project in January once we had a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund development.

So, Lobo is a 3D platformer inspired by Rareware-developed titles for the Nintendo 64. However, there are other games that have some influence, too. Can you give us examples of how video game series like Mega Man or Metroid affected your project?

One of the best parts about Mega Man games were the showdowns with the level bosses. Once defeated, the player would gain their abilities. This is something we wanted for Lobodestroyo as well. As the player defeats each of the Villanos boss characters, they will be able to unmask them and thus gain their abilities. These abilities will be useful in exploring areas already visited, to find additional areas, challenges and missions (a la Metorid).

Let’s dig a little deeper into the gameplay: Can you tell us about the world structure, Mutt’s abilities, the boss battles and the different collectables?

The game is broken up into 9 game worlds, each is unlocked through different means but accessed through a hub city called Costa Lucha. Costa Lucha is divided up into three areas, each housing three of the unlockable worlds. Advancing to a new area of the hub will require the player to complete certain tasks in the hub and previous levels before being able to move ahead to new locations.

Today’s experienced players are often annoyed by easy games that even throw unwanted hints at you if you die or, even worse, ask you if you want to skip this “hard” passage just because you lost two or three lives there. Sometimes it seems that today’s developers have forgotten the joy of challenge – the great feeling of dying all the time while managing to be one little step further every new try and finally beating the stage. Will people that don’t like all that “handholding” be satisfied with your upcoming game?

That’s an interesting take. It is certainly true that there was a brutal curve to a lot of the older gaming experiences. While Lobo is a throwback title, we are still aiming to create a game that can exist in the current market. I think there is a happy medium where we can keep both schools of thought happy.

We do have an in-game hint system yes, but it is entirely optional. It takes the form of a character called The Soothsayer, who acts as a mystic/clairvoyant NPC who can help confused or lost players find their objectives. Gamers who want to get to the end without help need not solicit her services. I think that towards the end of the collect-a-thon genre a few titles got a little too big and too hard to inventory. Hopefully this solution will help keep Lobo in the playable side of the pool, whilst not drowning the seasoned vets with unnecessary pampering.

When it comes to the presentation of the game, will you remain true to the art style of the N64 platformers and maybe come up with some incredible Kirkhope-like tunes?

Yes and yes. We will certainly have more modern examples of both but our influences in character design and musical direction are very evidently old-school.

Will there be any in-game differences or exclusive content for owners of a specific platform?

There will certainly be differences as we will optimize each build as best as we can for the various platforms. As of now we don’t have any plans for exclusive content or additional material to be found in one over another.

With a goal of 35.000$, your Kickstarter project had been a pretty humble one in comparison. Can you tell me why most other developers need to raise more than twice as much money, and did you have any financial problems so far?

We were lucky enough to be a part of the Ouya ‘Free the Games Fund’. The program, offered by the guys at Ouya, promises doubled funds raised from a successful Kickstarter campaign providing that the Ouya receives exclusivity of the game produced for a period of time. This allowed us to ask for half as much upfront from our backers and make the campaign less costly to those who want to give us a chance at making it a reality. I can’t stress enough how cool it is that Ouya are offering these sort of promotions and it really goes a long way in showcasing how they are anxious to break into the indie-dev world as an ally of the little guys out there wanting to make games. We are also working for free and everyone on the team is putting forth their efforts out of passion for the project. Not having labor costs is a massive element of why our games price tag is what it is.

The game industry changed quite a lot since the days of the Nintendo 64: Back then, 3D-platformers were the generation-defining genre. Today, even the Mario games are – while still being very good – nowhere near as complex as Super Mario 64 or Sunshine. Obviously, there are still lots of players who want to take part in N64-style, non-linear adventures (and will surely look forward to the release of your project) – but why does none of the “big players” in the video game industry seem to care about this sub-genre? And isn’t it absurd that even Rare – or rather, what is left of it – seems to be eternally stuck in developing Kinect Sports games? Would you like to share some thoughts about this situation?

It is indeed sad that the days of mascot platformers are behind us. Sonic, Crash, Jak, Mario, Spyro and many others are all still relevant today but not as platform figureheads like they once where (Mario being the major exception I’d argue). However I’d disagree with the idea that the games today are any ‘less complicated’ than Mario 64 and Sunshine. More linear? Yes, I think that’s fair to say with platformers currently. But everything goes in cycles. I think those games just evolved into the sandbox games that are very prevalent now; lots to do and see, and a free roaming onus on the player to do what they want in the order they want it. Lobo is a nice mix between the two. Which I hope fans of the good old days playing N64 will appreciate.

What is your opportunity with the Wii U and developing for it? How good would you describe the situation for independent developers? And do you think we can be slightly optimistic that the 3D-platformer may experience a small renaissance on that platform after the 2D-dominated Wii era?

Like I said, everything goes in cycles. I mean, it’s almost cool to dress like people in the 80’s again for heaven’s sake! Time heals all wounds and absence makes the heart grow fonder (or some my clichés would have me believe). Games are the same, and when people want something bad enough, they get it. I think with games like ours getting pushes from the gamers right now, it’s just a matter of time before things go full-circle and we get more titles form publishers.

That sounds mighty fine! Lastly, when can we expect the Lobodestroyo banner to pop up in the European Wii U eShop and enjoy this great game on Nintendo’s latest home console?

We don’t have any specific dates at this time. We are too small to hit any arbitrary dates or make any lofty projections. As I mentioned before the Ouya is getting first crack at a console version due to our agreement with those guys. Wii U is next on the list and will be released in all regions Nintendo will allow us to. I hate to drop a ‘stay tuned for more’ line but really don’t have anything more concrete than that. I hope supporters of Lobo appreciate that we are a small team working part-time on this effort. We have a lot of heart of this project, but we are only human after all.

Thank you very much for answering our questions, James!

No, thanks for asking and spreading the word on our project! It means a lot you’d take the time. Thank you.

Lobodestroyo seems to be become the game Fans of the N64-Rareware-masterpieces have been waiting for so long. The setting is cool and the soundtrack – at least the parts which already have been revealed – has no reason to hide behind the awesome Kirkhope-compositions. The gameplay looks absolutely promising, too, and the parallels to Banjo-Kazooie and Co. are most welcome.

Naturally, we can’t tell how the final mixture turns out in the practical experience by now – but there is enough reason to be optimistic: It is really interesting to see through the continuous updates how fast the game evolves and how dedicated the team is. Constructive criticism is always welcome, taken into account in the development and will be discussed in detail, if necessary. Lastly, James visibly has high demands regarding “his baby”, as he likes to call his project often, and will certainly not rest until everything goes in hands with his expectations – even if it is about the little things.

Sounds like a game that meets your taste? Stay tuned and follow Lobodestroyo on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube or listen to their new podcast via iTunes or StartSelect.net! We are looking forward to the release of Lobodestroyo: vs la Liga de los Villanos in any case and will excitedly keep an eye on the development progress – you can also be certain to catch some new information about the project in our news section from time to time.

You can still support the game via PayPal on the official website and catch some Backer-exclusive rewards. As a backer, you’ll get comprehensive updates on the stage of development, access to exclusive forums with a nice community and many opportunities to make contributions to the game.

verfasst von „Benjamin F.“

Diesen Artikel teilen:

Letzte Aktualisierung: 24.06.2014, 0:32 Uhr