The fingerprints of Red Fly Studio co-founders can be seen in titles such as Star Wars Galaxies, BloodRayne, Nocturne, FIFA Football 2005, Anachronox, SSX3 and Deus Ex.
At the moment, Red Fly Studio is finishing The Mushroom Men games for Wii & DS. The heroes of these action-packed platformers are the mushroom men, the mutations caused by meteor from outer space. The green space dust affects in animals and plants, and the hell breaks loose when they start a war with each other.
Austin, Texas-based Red Fly Studio is also developing the Wii version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, so the KonsoliFIN readers have a great opportunity to take look in the near future. And also producer Chad Barron's (CB) and lead designer Ryan Mattson's (RM) favorite pizza toppings.
A big hello from KonsoliFIN and our readers! What does "Finland" bring to your mind?
CB: Fjords and some of the most beautiful women in the world!
RM: Tervetuloa (welcome)! That's the first thing that comes to mind. I'll be honest, I forgot most of my Finnish after college. Lenkkimakkara comes to mind. What a great staple food to have.
We are anxiously waiting for Mushroom Men to be released on Wii and DS. Do you have an idea when it will be released in Europe?
CB: It will be in Q4 of this year. We are currently going through focus groups and mock reviews to make sure we get as much consumer feedback and polish into the game.
Mushroom Men is a basic (?) 3D platform game, but it looks refreshingly new and astonishingly good looking. How did the idea came up in the first place?
CB: We like to think of the DS game as a 2.5D platformer (2D side scroller in a 3D environment). For the DS title, we had some great technology provided by Zen Studios in Budapest, who were also the development team for the DS project. The idea was originally the brainchild of Dan Borth and Kris Taylor (co-founders of Red Fly Studio). And then along came Gamecock Media Group who loved the idea of the Mushroom Men universe.
Are the mushrooms a nod to Mario games?
CB: You got it! Dan and Kris wanted to do a game set in an oversized world. So while they wanted to pay homage to Lorne Lanning and his Oddworld series, Dan brought up the idea of having mushrooms be the focal point as a homage to the Mario games.
How do the Wii motion sensing and DS Stylus controls work in the gameplay (is every button used and what to do with Wiimote?)
CB: For the Wii, we wanted to use as much of the functionality of the Wiimote as possible. But we also didn’t want to change up the controls too much so as not to deviate from a norm that a lot of Wii players are accustomed to. The stylus is mainly used in the DS game for the Grapple Hook and to utilize the interactive screens (Inventory, Map, etc..).
RM: We use some of the motion control of the Wii Remote, as well as the infrared capability. The Wii Remote as a pointing device provides a lot of opportunity to do some interesting things in a real-time 3D action-platformer, as we’ve already seen with some of the great games on the Wii right now.
How do the stories differ in Wii and DS versions from each other? Wii version is a sequel, is it?
CB: The DS game (Rise of the Fungi) is a prequel to the Mushroom Men universe. It lets the player get to know the general story of the Mushroom Men origin, whereas the Wii game is a continuation of the DS game. The Wii game (The Spore Wars) is considered a sequel since the game takes place after some time has passed from the DS conclusion and lets the player a whole different style of gameplay. But the good thing is you don’t have to play one game to understand the other. By playing both games, the player will get a broader view of the Mushroom Men universe.
In terms of difficulty, is Mushroom Men a game also for hardcore gamers?
CB: We specifically tried to make the games enjoyable for everyone. The DS game just received an E rating from the ESRB here in North America, so that was a big relief, since that is what we were going for. So we are hoping that not only will beginners like the games, but that veterans as well will have fun with it. As for the Wii game, we included a more open ended style of gameplay to really let the player explore the enviroment. And like the DS game, we are hoping that veterans will enjoy this style of gameplay. Sounds like I need to let you get some hands on experience with Mushroom Men and you can let me know what you think!
Primus bass player/vocalist/front man Les Claypool composes music for Mushroom Men, which must be a great honor. Did you feel he's the man that could make the right kind of oddball music for an oddball game?
CB: Kris Taylor (mentioned earlier) is one of Les Claypool's biggest fans. When Mushroom Men was in pre-production, Kris made it a goal to get the game in front of Les to see, if he would be interested in composing some original music. With the help of Gamecock, Les joined the team and has really turned out some awesome tracks! We are already getting emails from Claypool's fan club that can't wait to get their hands on the game!
RM: I don't want to spoil it, but the music that Les has created is fantastic. He was really able to grasp the aesthetic of the Mushroom Men world and illustrate that aesthetic in his tracks.
You also develop the Wii version for Ghostbusters, which looks highly promising too. Could you name one feature of the version why Wii owners should buy it in a first place?
CB: Well, for starters let's state the obvious – if you own a Wii, and you are a Ghostbusters fan, then you should own Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the Wii. *Otherwise, if you don't, other Ghostbusters fans will consider you a traitor to the franchise and will come knock down your door and will hold an intervention, possibly a tickle fight – true story! *Additionally, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is all about shooting and wrangling ghosts with an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on your back, and destroying tons of expensive furniture along the way, so what better way to act like a Ghostbuster then being able to use the Wiimote as the Proton Stream with the comfort of destroying your own living room!*
I asked this same question from LostWinds lead designer Steven Burgess (from David Braben's Frontier Development): the most fun aspect of developing games for Wii?
CB: I am going to let our Lead Designer Ryan Mattson take this one. Personally, It is just an interesting format with the motion controls that it has the opportunity to let the player really connect with the game.
RM: Developing for the Wii has, on one level, given us a chance to experiment with new ways to control the main character in an action-platforming game. I think the exciting thing to see with the Wii is ways in which tried-and-true features are changed with a new player interface. How does the interface itself constrain players, and in response to that, how do we, as developers, innovate our features to develop a more exciting connection with players? The other great part is that the console reaches such a broad audience. My parents weren’t afraid of picking up the Wii Remote and bowling 10 frames in Wii Sports.
Your developer blog features also pics of your kids. How does the family life go hand in hand with game developer job?
CB: Personally, I am single, so it doesn’t really affect me. But at Red Fly, we really try to keep a balance where people with a family don’t have to alter their normal behavior for being with their kids. While game development is not your typical business acumen, we really try to make sure people don’t neglect the most important things in life – health and family.
KonsoliFIN BBS features a thread where gamers list their four (4) favorite pizza toppings. Please tell us your favorite four toppings, with or without mushrooms.
CB: Easy! Hamburger, Sausage, Black Olives and Extra Cheese!
RM: Pepperoni. And cheese. Sometimes prosciutto. And pepperoni.
Huge thanks for this interview! Any other message to Finnish gamers?
CB: We love to hear feedback from the gaming community, so feel free to post on our blogsite! www.redflystudio.com
Thanks to Alistair Hatch at Gamecock Media Group for arranging the interview.
