Crafting a believable justification for purchasing a new piece of hardware is tough, especially when you have to answer to your parents, significant other, or even yourself. Was the $250 for a PlayStation Vita worth it? Did you really need to buy Lumines again?
The team at Drinkbox Studios have your back.
Tucked underneath the pile of PlayStation Vita launch titles hides the indie game Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, the (rather speedy) sequel to February’s Tales From Space: About a Blob on PSN. It has been described as the result of dropping Katamari Damacy and Mario into a blender. As you maneuver the blob around it engulfs everything in sight, and as it grows it’s able to gobble increasingly larger junk. It’s no assembly line however, the levels are designed to be explored in every direction. Later in the game, the blob will gain level-altering abilities like magnetism and flight.
Critics are praising the game for its fresh style, and unique gameplay, even going so far as to call it the best launch game on the handheld.
Chris McQuinn, one of the designers on Mutant Blobs Attack was kind enough to chat about the process of developing for the Vita, and some of the features cut from the game.
Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is Drinkbox Studio’s second release, the critical reception has been very positive, especially among the larger-scale PlayStation Vita launch titles. How does it feel?
Not going to lie to you, it feels great. One of the biggest fears you can have as an indie developer is to be drowned out by the mega marketing machines of larger titles. To get noticed, and then to be so warmly received has been exciting.
[pullquote_right]Is blowing into the microphone a good control for jumping? No, a terrible idea. Is swinging a boot to hit the Blob across the screen good? Yes![/pullquote_right]
When did the plan to bring Mutant Blobs Attack to the PlayStation Vita begin?
I forget the exact timeline, but at some point around when we released About a Blob, Sony approached us with this powerful handheld device they were developing. There wasn’t a plan to make a sequel for About A Blob until we saw the early Vita, then realized the wicked next-gen platforming content we could create with the combination of touch screen/dual analog sticks. Sold!
How different was bringing it to a brand new handheld compared to PlayStation Network?
Pretty different. When making games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 you understand the constraints and expectations pretty well. With the Vita we had a console-style device that was different because it had a variety of unique inputs and would be played by people on-the-go. Having no existing games to directly compare ourselves to, we spent a lot of time worrying about whether we were using the device in the right way, and thinking about what people would expect from Vita games. We’ve received positive feedback for using the Vita in a cohesive way, but to be honest, before reviews started appearing we weren’t quite sure how we would stack up to other titles.
Is the Vita a system you will develop for again?
The Vita was a really great platform to develop on for us, so future development is definitely on the table.
What was it like adapting to the handheld experience, and the unique features of the Vita like its rear touch panel?
The adaptation was a somewhat difficult process, although fun one. The approach was to iterate as many ideas for a range of uses with the Vita inputs, always keeping in mind that the handheld experience had to be enhanced, not made “gimmicky”. Is blowing into the microphone a good control for jumping? No, a terrible idea. Is swinging a boot to hit the Blob across the screen good? Yes!
Where did the idea to create the Tales From Space series come from, and more specifically Mutant Blobs Attack?
Mutant Blobs Attack was born out of a desire to really continue the story from About a Blob. We felt the world in the Tales from Space series had a lot more to be explored, to show that the humans were these absent minded beings that needed to be dealt with. The humans mutated our main character, cruelly treated all of Blob-kind, and brought destruction upon themselves.
How did Drinkbox Studios begin?
The studio was formed after a larger studio, Pseudo Interactive, closed its doors. Some of the guys didn’t want to leave the city, and at the time there were no real other choices for them in Toronto, so [they] decided to form their own studio.
DLC was released for About A Blob, are there any plans to release any for Mutant Blobs Attack?
Good question, and one I don’t really know the answer to. Do you think I work for these guys? :) DLC really comes down to if we have the bandwidth in the studio. There’s not many of us here, and we’re usually stretched pretty thin between projects. So we’ll see!
Do you think Sony’s initiative with digital downloads on the Vita is going to be beneficial for independent developers?
Anything that makes it easier for independent developers to get a game from their studio to the market is beneficial. I think that’s why you see this explosion of great games on the App Store, the barriers to entry are much lower. So ya, not requiring a game to be sold in a box is a definite plus for ease of development.
Could you tell us something we don’t know about Mutant Blobs Attack?
There were some really great Blob abilities that had to get cut – my favorite among them was Morph, where the Blob could take the shape of any object that it could absorb. Pretty awesome I know. :)
What’s next for Drinkbox Studios?
There’s a few projects we have going on in our secretive labs. What I can talk about is Guacamelee which we’re really excited for. This game is going to be fantastic. You’ll be able to check out both Mutant Blobs Attack and Guacamelee at PAX East!
If you’re a Vita owner and haven’t gotten your fingers on Mutant Blobs Attack, I’d suggest you gather the $8 and download it on PSN immediately.
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