Given how well the simulation and role-playing genres work together, making the easygoing farming experience of Harvest Moon more engaging by adding RPG elements turned out to be developer Neverland’s chocolate and peanut butter. The sub-franchise has garnered a fair share of success on the DS, Wii and PS3, so its leap into the next generation was highly anticipated. Does Rune Factory 4 grow a four-leaf clover, or is the series sowing seeds in barren soil? READ MORE
WayForward’s Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Kickstarter campaign comes to a close this week, having already reached its needed total and heading toward stretch goals. We talked to Matt Bozon, series creator and WayForward’s creative director, about the origins of the franchise and where it’s going today.
Snackbar Games: What was the original inspiration behind Shantae? What was the impetus behind the use of Metroidvania mechanics?
Matt Bozon: My wife Erin designed the character – a hair-whipping belly dancing genie – and I created the world around her. At the time (1994), Super Metroid had just appeared on the scene, and the Castlevania series had only Simon’s Quest in terms of an exploration-style approach. So even though many of the mechanics (hair-whipping, sub-items, day and night) were inspired by Castlevania, the feel of the world and the quest were more like Metroid or Zelda: A Link to the Past. This has become more formulaic as of late, but back then there were very few examples of how to make a game like this. We looked at Goonies 2, Rygar and even Gargoyle’s Quest as examples. READ MORE
Kingdom Hearts is a concept that ostensibly shouldn’t work, but does anyway. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the level of care and love that went into crafting it is so apparent that you simply can’t help but succumb to its charms at least a little. That said, the game is starting to show its age over 11 years since its initial release, and now is as good of a time as any to give the title a fresh coat of paint. READ MORE
A Hat in Time, a new 3D platformer from Gears for Breakfast, is in the final hours of its Kickstarter campaign. The game’s big hook? It aims to bring back the collect-a-thon subgenre, popularized by games such as Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. Recently, we were able to speak with Gears for Breakfast’s Jonas Kærlev about the project, the genre and more.
Snackbar Games: How did Gears for Breakfast start? Was A Hat in Time the first project your team pursued?
Jonas Kærlev: We originally began with only a handful of people who offered their free time to help with a rough prototype. Then in early 2013, we gained more talented members who helped bring the game to where it is now. We created the Gears for Breakfast company to represent us as a team on Kickstarter, and we chose the name because it really sticks with you! A Hat in Time is our first real game. READ MORE
Before E3 even started, we knew we’d see the new Wii U Mario Kart. Now that we have, it’s clear that it doesn’t stray too far from the series’ past, but it does add a new element that can turn things upside down. READ MORE
