We managed to get an interview with the creator of the game BAFTA award winner Dan Pearce to ask him a few more questions about the game and how it came to be.
Hi Dan! How are you feeling knowing your first solo release is due...?
Pretty nervous! It’s been a long time coming, and the game’s been iterated on a whole bunch, so it feels really weird to know that it’s going to be public.
Do you feel there has been a good amount of buzz around the game?
Yeah, I’m quite happy with the level of buzz. A lot more people than I was expecting seem to be familiar with the game and what it’s trying to do. We’ve already had some great Let’s Plays go up, and some review scores I’m really happy with. We’re very lucky that everyone’s been so nice and supportive.
You left University early, do you think this hindered any of your gamedev knowledge at all?
Not at all, quite the opposite. When I was at university, the way we were taught was so linear and poorly explained that I usually ended up on Google anyway. Dropping out gave me more time to do that, work on my own projects, and get networking in the industry. That last one being the most important thing.
You also worked for Tall Tree Studios, what made you decide to go solo?
It’s not so much me going solo as me finishing what I started. 10 Second Ninja was in development before The Tall Trees was formed, so I’m just taking some time away to get 10 Second Ninja out the door. I’m continuing to work on games with Jack de Quidt (the other half of The Tall Trees) once everything with 10 Second Ninja has died down a bit.
What would be your advice be to other game developers who have not pursued a higher education course?
Make games and put those games out there. Get hurt, get praise, get valuable feedback, build connections with player, press, and other developers. You will learn so much from having people share their experiences in the industry with you, and it helps if you have a project to show them while they do that.
Did games like Super Meat Boy influence 10 Second Ninja? (Who are your biggest influences?)
I think Super Meat Boy influenced the design of the game a lot, though I didn’t realize until people started pointing it out to me. I watched a disgusting amount of Indie Game: The Movie when I started working on 10 Second Ninja, and I definitely think some of Team Meat has seeped into the game. The work of Vlambeer and Adam Saltsman were pretty big for me, too. I wanted to get the “game feel” right, and those guys know how to deliver on that.
Space Robot Nazis and Ninjas?! How did you end up on this for a final idea for the game?
I didn’t want story to be too important to the game. You should be able to skip cutscenes and still have a good time. Without having any sort of premise to set it apart, the game lacked personality, so I decided I wanted to put a spin on a traditional good vs evil setup. I decided pretty on to make it a reflection of how the internet likes to just good and evil, and how polarising it can be. Mildly annoying things or kind of cool stuff is referred to as “worse than Hitler” or “totally ninja”; the game is a good vs evil story through that lens.
We have seen some hilarious YouTube videos of the game being played, do you think the idea of making players somewhat frustrated in game makes for a good viewing?
I do think it makes for good viewing. When it comes to video content, it’s generally good to try and get a reaction out of someone that’s very expressive. Horror games are great for this, same goes for comedy games like Surgeon Simulator.
Do you feel that the rise of indie titles (like various other platformers Super Meat Boy, Thomas Was Alone etc..) has aided the buzz around this game?
Oh definitely, as has the rise of communities that share game content. A few people have actually mentioned to me that we haven’t had too many good standalone platformers recently (outside of Newgrounds or Kongregate). The go to genre for indie games has shifted away from platformers a bit and horror games seem to be becoming that if they haven’t already. I think indie games are potentially more varied than they have ever been before, and that definitely seems to be helping indie games grab the interest of a wider, less niche corner of the market.
We are thoroughly enjoying playing the game and are looking forward to kicking more robot nazi butt! Do you have any other games in the pipeline?
Like a sequel or something? Nothing yet, but maybe if the game does well, who knows!
An interesting insight into how 10 Second Ninja came to be! We are sure that Dan has got lots of other exciting projects up his sleeve which we look forward to hearing about.
Special thanks to Beena from Mastertronic for helping us organise this interview!
Special thanks to Beena from Mastertronic for helping us organise this interview!
TheGlimGlam x
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