Last year Natsume announced details of a new Indie and 2D rebel collaboration program Cosmic protectors (originally Cosmos Defenders) is the first title scheduled for release this year. The game is charging to protect the universe from chaotic aliens who want to steal a tree of life. With 96 levels across from the Model Solo or multiplayer co-story The Story, along with the bonus levels of Survival, Survival and Versus Modes, is shaping up to be a fun shooter and we are eager to give it a go.
The game is still in the fall release of Fall, but we had just had the opportunity to ask Henry Fernández – the only man group behind the Fiery squirrel – about growing Cosmic Defenders while working with a PhD, his collaboration with Natsume and living in Japan as an indie game developer.
Nintendo's health: First of all, for anyone who may have missed the announcement of the Cosmic Defenders, tell us a little about the game and what makes it right on the switch.
Henry Fernández, CEO of Fiery squirrel: The prototype of this game was a single player, but it involved 4 different characters (1 player and 3 CPU-controlled characters). After a lot of testing, getting people to play it, and getting a response, I realized that people enjoyed working with those CPUs a lot; The little AI in this game will do things like help when you're in trouble and you were asked to work together to complete the level. I thought it would be a good idea to put all those new mechanics into a game where your team is made up of real people.
I really like "old-school" games, especially 2D platforms (…) those games somehow made my generation of engineers a big influence on us
The original concept of the game is largely based on teamwork, meaningful message, and action. Due to the Switch mode, I thought a game with these features would be perfect for a concert: a simple game you could play with your friends, collaborate to achieve a common goal, or fight them just for fun.
By the way, even though playing with other people is a lot of fun, the game can be enjoyed in single player mode. Last summer, the only option that requires at least two players is Comparison Mode, but Story Mode and Survival Mode can also be played separately.
We learned from PR that you like to "use old-school stuff" – what games or other influences have been on your mind when creating Cosmic Defenders?
Yes, I really like "old-school" games, especially 2D platforms. The first console I had was the NES, as it was designed by most of the current game developers, and those games somehow shaped my generation of influential engineers. I think we all learned a lot during that period, and all those games had a huge impact on who we are today.
To answer your question, one of the games that served as inspiration and gave input ideas to Cosmic Defenders was Contra: some of the basic mechanics of the game are inspired by that game. Also, even if it's not clear Super Super the series was part of the inspiration, as well Mega Man, Dig a hole, etc. In addition, there are other recent games similar Super Super Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. and World Wario: Shake It! which I have also used as incentives.
What is the biggest challenge you face in all development?
The entire Natsume team helped wonderfully with many aspects of the game, including screenings, counseling, promotions, and more
I think developing a multiplayer game is a lot more difficult than a single player game. The number of features (especially those related to players) multiplies by the number of characters you have in the game.
Something about my particular situation is that I don't have much experience with art. Although I love it so much and do my best to do some interesting things, art is not my strongest ability, and I really have no background in it. Mine is related to programming, so it takes more time to find something that looks decent and can fit the game well.
In the end, evaluating a multiplayer game is also difficult when working on your own. With a single player game, I would be able to find and fix most of the important bugs on my own. When working on a multiplayer game, it really helps to include more people when you debug and test.
Not only are you a one-man team but we understand that you also worked on a PhD alongside Cosmic Defenders. Was it difficult to divert your time between the two? How long has the game been in development?
Yes, it is! I would also like to point out that while most of the production side is made up of a one-man band, there are aspects of the game, such as music, sounds, and art that the help from other people has always been important. The music for the show was developed by Aidan Faas and Stephen Merino. The entire Natsume team has amazingly helped with many aspects of the game, including screenings, counseling, promotions, and more. Gabriel Balda has created the brand, and has been helping from the start of the production on the creative side.
The difficult time between game development and my PhD was, of course, difficult to manage both at the same time. The good part is that my PhD research is about games, game design specifically, and I really enjoy working in this field, so at least I'm very motivated throughout the process. In addition, I was flexible in determining how much time you could spend on both, and that helped a lot.
Being in Tokyo has been a huge benefit in many ways. There are various meetings organized by different communities, Tokyo and Kyoto
The development of the Cosmic Defenders started back in September 2017. Prior to that, there was a jam game, (Ludum Dare) in 2017, where the concept of the game was born. So, the whole development period was around 2 years and 5 months (plus jam game days).
How did you get involved with Natsume & # 39; s Indie program? What was the thought behind the program and, as an indie developer, how has this interaction helped you?
The game is featured in other events in Japan (where I currently live): Tokyo Sandbox, Bitsummit and Tokyo Game Show. I think I was really fortunate to have the opportunity to show a game at those events, because it was very helpful when it came to playing, meeting people from the industry and presenting the game. In addition, I met Taka Maekawa (Natsume's Producer) at one of those events (Bitsummit) and had the opportunity to show it to him.
Since Bitsummit, we've been in touch by email, and I had the opportunity to show him part of a plan that was not presented at the show, some of the incomplete ideas at the time and the philosophy built about Fiery Squirrel when creating games. I think we both liked the idea of working together to improve the Cosmic protectors and try to get the best out of it.
As for the program supporting Indie game developers, I think Natsume can best explain it, but I can give you my opinion on this: I believe Natsume understands what can be very difficult for us, as Indies, are a small group of passionate people who want to create fun games, the availability needed to reach the audience we want to reach. As a way to commend that part of the process, which most of us have no idea about, Natsume thought it would be good to support the Indies with their knowledge and audience, to help us create our own plays for that audience and, at the same time, to be able to introduce new experiences to their audience through the plays we do.
In my case, there are various aspects of the whole creative process that have benefited the Cosmic Defenders and the Fiery squirrel. It really helped to have Natsume's feedback on game-related ideas during the creative process, game design, art, sound, etc. In addition, as I mentioned earlier that one of the difficult aspects of this type of game was QA and Testing, Natsume helped a lot with this part, fixing the game's flaw and helping improve its quality. In the end, though, I think because of their sales knowledge and amazing audience, hopefully more people will know about the game and have the opportunity to enjoy it.
It really helped to have Natsume's feedback on game-related ideas during the process, specifically game design, art, sound
With events such as Bitsummit in Kyoto, the Japanese indie scene is thriving right now, and from the outside everyone seems very friendly. Has living and working in Tokyo been a benefit in terms of networking with the indie dev community?
Yes, absolutely. Being in Tokyo has been a huge benefit in many ways. There are meetings organized by different people in the community, Tokyo and Kyoto (I think there are many places but these are the ones I know), attending these events is really good, because you have the opportunity to meet people from the industry and have fun. You have the opportunity to show what you've been working on (prototypes, ideas, announcements), or to see what others are doing. In fact, the first time I showed Cosmic Defenders (then Cosmos Defenders) was in Tokyo Indies, which is one of the things I mentioned. If I lived in Tokyo, I wouldn't be able to attend these meetings.
In addition, events like Bitsummit, Tokyo Game Show and Tokyo Sandbox are great to show gamers what we, the indies, are doing. The cost of attending these events during our stay in Tokyo is very low: we do not have to pay for a plane ticket, and sometimes we do not have to pay for accommodation, which is very helpful.
I would also like to point out that living in Japan has been an amazing experience, and getting closer to Japanese culture and people can help us learn more and improve as we work. Not only from the field of game development, but also from lessons and even personal life. With friends, you have the opportunity to see how different you are, compared to Japan and Asia in general and you can learn a lot of things to do and to do interesting things.
The game started with & # 39; Cosmos Defenders & # 39; Why change the subject? Skipping legal reasons or something less?
Mainly because the new title better illustrates what the game is about. We decided to choose something that suits the game's genius and its content in a better way.
We have to ask – where does the name Fiery squirrel come from?
There is no deeper reason for the name, but I can explain how I came up with it. When I was about to release the first game in Fiery squirrel, a mobile game called Fluff Eaters, I wanted to get it out under a new name specifically designed to make games, so I decided to look for some fun (very nature-related) things that were somehow related to me and not unique.
I thought that if I came across a strange or strange animal that lived in Venezuela (my country), it would be easier to have at least a different part of the name I wanted. Among the interesting animals I found, there was the Fiery squirrel, which lives in the most rural and wild country in the world. I started to learn more about it and found out that kind of stuff (so to speak Wikipedia) The exchange, the place and the solitude, which somehow resemble certain aspects of my personality, I thought was well worth what I was looking for.
Plus, the word (at least in Spanish) sounds funny, sometimes people laugh when they see it and I think it's a good thing.
Cosmic protectors are set for & # 39; & # 39; year & # 39; – what are the news on the day of the concrete release? And what’s next for the Natsume Indie program?
We are currently followed by a pre-release second quarter. But as for what's new about Natsume & # 39; s Indie program, I'll let Taka Maekawa respond that …
(Wanted Maekawa, Natsume Inc: We are currently discussing some interesting topics with many skills. Hopefully there will be more announcements soon.)
Finally, between working on your PhD and the game, did you ever have time to enjoy other games on the switch?
Yes. I won't say I have much free time, but I definitely play whenever I can! Some of the games I got a chance to try on Switch are: Zelda: Breathing in Wildlife (amazing game), Cuphead (my god, this is nice and fun), Celeste, Pokemon: Let's go, Eevee!, GRIS, again The manufacturer of the Super. I still have a long list of games I want to play, but I think it will be after the release of Cosmic Defenders!
Many thanks to Henry (and to Mr Maekawa!) For taking the time to answer our questions. We have organized responses in several areas to improve readability. You can follow the Fiery squirrel On Twitter and we will let you know when the due date for the firm is set.
Do you like the look of Cosmic Defenders? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the general area.
