3D Dot Game Heroes shown off at brand new Nottingham event. Hello Games using “guerrilla” tactics to get Joe Danger to market.
After-hours meetings generally aren’t high on anyone’s radar straight after work – no matter how ‘relaxed’ they might be. So, only the folks behind GameCity could come up with yet another spectacular idea that also borders on the slightly insane.
Last night we dropped by Antenna, Nottingham, to take part in the inaugural GameCityNights session. The festival organisers are planning to invite developers to Nottingham once a month to share stories and connect with students. From the moment the “geometric themed snacks” arrived we could tell that the night was going to be typical GameCity mischief.
There was a lot packed in for just one night. SouthPeak Games were there and presented 3D Dot Game Heroes. Released in Japan last year on PS3, it’s a call-back to some of the original 8-bit adventures of old. You create your own character using individual pixels, then explore an open world filled with quests.
Demoing the title in front of the audience was Rob Burman, European PR manager at SouthPeak. He said: “[It’s] as simple as possible, in terms of the gameplay. Like those old 8-bit NES games, you literally can play the game with just a couple of buttons.”
He showed the character creation editor, which allows you to create six separate animations to be used in-game. Jumping into a Zelda-like dungeon – or ‘temple’ as they’re known here – Burman showed what would happen if a shark took on a giant snake. Initially appearing as just a fin guiding across the ground as menacingly as it’s possible for colourful pixels too, when the shark struck it switched to one of the player-created attack animations, rising up to charge the snake.
Innuendo aside from its width- and length-increasing upgradable sword, 3D Dot Game Heroes looks pretty charming. The game is set to arrive on 14 May.
Next We Are Colin, iPhone developers from Derby, gave a very brief summary of their history. They’ve developed four titles for Xbox Live Indie Games and iPhone so far, including Cavemen vs. Aliens and Screw the Dealer.
John Sear, programmer at We Are Colin and ex-Lionhead, said the studio has captured a broader audience – including those in education – with one of their latest titles, Word Search Rush. Originally developed using XNA, the studio are now bring the title to the iPhone market.
The build we saw had been completely reworked with a seven-by-seven grid. Instead of adhering to a word list, you find as many words as you can related to a specific theme, such as colour. Right now they’re also looking for help from iPhone users to help them polish the game. Drop them a line if you’d like to be in their upcoming closed beta.
After waiting patiently as the night grow darker, Sean Murray of Hello Games took the stage at last to unveil Joe Danger and share the story of these four virtuosi.
Hello Games was established in mid-2008, by Sean Murray, Grant Duncan, Ryan Doyle and David Ream – all formerly in prized positions within the industry, at studios like Criterion and Kuju. Despite not knowing the difficulties that awaited them as indie developers, Murray said: “I think we were driven by the passion of doing it… and probably naivety.”
Joe Danger is an arcade stunt racer. Players guide Joe, the daredevil stunt rider, over piles of cars and through flaming rings. There’s a strong focus on its combo system.
Murray compared the production of indie games to guerrilla warfare, saying that Hello Games try to use their size to their advantage. “That’s what indie games are – small groups, like us, actually trying to compete with hundred-man teams,” he said.
Influenced by the games they grew up playing – Sonic, Mario Kart, ExciteBike – and their backgrounds in racing and arcade studios, Joe Danger is the embodiment of Hello Games’ collective dream. “That is the only way we could compete – to make something that’s valuable to us,” said Murray.
He also spoke about the challenges they’ve met trying to get a publisher. “These kinds of games probably aren’t that interesting to publishers,” he said. A raft of fruitless meetings and bizarre requests from publishers (“I want to feel the emotion of the bike”) prompted Hello Games to go it alone when it came to promotion. Since they announced Joe Danger late last year the media response has been highly supportive. It’s even been nominated for two IGF awards.
Seeing the game in motion for the first time ourselves, we can say that it’s definitely one to watch. The presentation is slick, with a stupendously upbeat soundtrack that’s sure to be playing on iPods post-release and warm visuals that give a heightened reality to its Evel Knievel-inspired world. Gameplay is quick and comfortably agile. There’s also a combo system and creation suite which add further depth. It’s the type of arcade game that quickly becomes a routine pleasure. After this brief taste we’re looking forward to seeing much more of Joe Danger later this year.
With such alternative delights on offer it was a blissful evening.
However, there was bit too much for such a late event, with quizzes and an update from the National Videogame Archive adding to the already substantial schedule. But it wasn’t hard to see the GameCityNights’ premiere was testing the waters. From the turnout, people do want to engage with developers at impromptu events such as this. A little less will certainly do the next one some good, though.
Aaron Lee
Tags: 3d dot game, gamecity, hello games, joe danger
