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 just a few questions in regards to the undertaking. As a part of the crew, it’s attention-grabbing to listen to extra about his artistic 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 concept for Speedollama come from?
Nicola (N): Speedollama is my fourth recreation (fifth should you depend an unfinished one), and with every new undertaking, I intention to experiment. My earlier video games have been largely point-and-click adventures set in a darkish, cyberpunk universe, however with this platformer, I discover one thing solely totally different—brilliant, chaotic, and enjoyable. It’s like my artistic yin and yang. After engaged on one thing dramatic, I felt the necessity to dive into humor and vibrancy. Speedollama got here from this have to create one thing colourful and fast-paced. And what could possibly be more strange and enjoyable than a struggle 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 individuals have in contrast it to Steel Slug. Does that hassle you?
N: I’ve seen Speedollama described as “Steel Slug with llamas,” and whereas that’s flattering, it’s additionally a bit irritating when individuals suggest I copied it. Positive, there are similarities—any retro, run-and-gun recreation could 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” ingredient the place gamers race towards the clock to collect objects. So, whereas the comparisons are inevitable, I feel 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 danger. I’ll admit, I’m not nice at market analysis or creating video games with a selected viewers in thoughts. I are likely 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 yr in the past, and I took lots of participant solutions to enhance the sport. Sure, the market is crowded, and pixel-art platformers are all over the place, which could make Speedollama laborious to note at first. However I imagine that when individuals decide up a controller and really feel the pace and enjoyable, they’ll see it’s one thing particular.
How giant was the crew behind Speedollama?
N: That is an attention-grabbing query as a result of individuals typically marvel if Speedollama was a solo undertaking. The reply is each sure and no. When you outline a solo undertaking as one particular person doing completely every part, then no—it wasn’t simply me. You, as an example, have 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 individuals contributed to the sport. Nevertheless, if by “solo undertaking” you imply one particular person dealing with a lot 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 part besides create the artwork and music, which was dealt with by you and different gifted of us. However their contributions have been essential, particularly in bringing the sport’s distinctive, quirky visible fashion to life.
The indie recreation market is a troublesome house, 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 contemporary to the desk—it’s quick, eccentric, and lots of enjoyable to play. I can’t wait to see how gamers reply to this wild, goofy journey.
Decide up Speedollama right now on Xbox.
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 will not be for the faint of coronary heart. Are you able to embrace the chaos and show your expertise?
Filled with hilarious splatter components, fast-paced motion, quite a lot of upgrades and weapons, and a great deal of humor, Speedollama guarantees to entertain players of all ages.
The sport’s visuals function pixel artwork to seize a retro-arcade aesthetic, paying homage to late 80s and early 90s video games. Drawing inspiration from traditional titles like Steel Slug and Turrican, in addition to trendy hits like Broforce, Mercenary Kings, and Pizza Tower, Speedollama delivers a nostalgic but contemporary gaming expertise.
STORYLINE
A clever outdated llama has enlisted a bunch of elite mercenaries for an nearly unimaginable mission: to destroy the alpaca military that has waged a brutal struggle to exterminate the llamas and seize world domination. Outfitted with a robust tunneling machine, the llamas embark on a weird journey, burrowing by means of the earth, gathering funky substances, and battling the relentless alpaca forces together with their beastly allies.
