Comments (1) The XNA team recently announced the finalists for this year’s Dream Build Play contest.
They are:
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Hurricane 2X Evolution
Kaleidoscope – Developer Interview
Max Blastronaut
Rotorscope: The Secret of the Endless Energy
Sol Survivor – More Info
Recently I posted a trailer for Kaleidoscope, a beautiful looking platformer that uses color to great effect. I was lucky enough to interview the lead designer and programmer of the game, Matthew Stenback.
IndieGameBlog.net: Firstly, could you give us some background info on yourself and the rest of the development team?
MS: My name is Matthew Stenback, I started Morsel Games in May 2009, and I hold the position of lead designer and programmer. Besides me, Morsel consists of two other phenomenal people: Sang Han creates all the beautiful art in our games, and Mattias Häggström Gerdt produces music faster than most people can listen to it.
IndieGameBlog.net: How would you describe Kaleidoscope?
MS: In short I like to say that Kaleidoscope is a charming 2D platforming experience with a strong focus on rejuvenation and exploration.
A screenshot from Kaleidoscope
But to elaborate on that, players take on the role of Tint, an unusual inhabitant of Kaleidoscope, and traverse the surreal world in search of color pigments. Pigments are the key to restoring color and life to the once vibrant and lush world of Kaleidoscope.
IndieGameBlog.net: What inspired you to create Kaleidoscope?
MS: Well it wasn’t this great epiphany I had one day while gazing over the ocean during a sunset or anything, I just wanted to make a game that gave players satisfaction without the use of violence. Don’t get me wrong, I like to chainsaw locusts in half as much as the next person but I feel that players sometimes need to escape to a world that is more relaxed and lighthearted. To capture this lighthearted feel I decided to think of things that were fun and satisfying to me at a young age. A coloring book popped into my head almost immediately and after a lot of pondering about how to transfer that elegantly into a video game, Kaleidoscope was born.
IndieGameBlog.net: Obviously color is a large part of the game, how is it used?
MS: We went through several different ideas during development about how we would use color in the game but ultimately we settled on a few mechanics that we thought were satisfying and intuitive.
Each level starts out in complete greyscale.
At the beginning of each level the world is in complete grayscale and the background music is very simple. As you collect pigments the world begins to color in and the music progresses into a very complex track. Pigments not only color in the world, they also fuel Tint’s abilities. Blue pigments allow Tint to run faster, yellow pigments will make Tint float, and red pigments form a defensive shield around Tint to block projectiles and turn away oncoming enemies. The pigments you collect gradually increase the capacity of your red, yellow, and blue power meters which act like a mana source for Tint’s abilities. Some areas in the world are only accessible if you have enough yellow pigment to float across a large gap, or enough red pigment to shield yourself through a dangerous hall for example. Finally, color is used as an indicator of whether a creature is dangerous or not.
IndieGameBlog.net: What other gameplay mechanics are in the game?
MS: At its core, Kaleidoscope is a simple sidescrolling platformer. There are various enemy types, multiple paths through each level, physics based platforms and objects, and a few different collectible items. In each level the goal is to find a key that is usually guarded by a fierce baddie and then platform your way to the end of the level collecting as many pigments as you can. At the end of each level you are given a grade based on the number of pigments you collected, secret items you found, creatures you saved, and how quickly you completed the level.
IndieGameBlog.net: The art style in Kaleidoscope is very unique, what was the inspiration?
Another Kaleidoscope screenshot.
MS: The art direction stems from a few different urban art pieces I saw a while back, however most of what gives Kaleidoscope its unique charm is Sang Han’s playful art style. We wanted to go for a very Alice in Wonderland type of visual experience.
IndieGameBlog.net: How long has Kaleidoscope been in development and do you have a timeframe for completion?
MS: Kaleidoscope has been in development for about 2 months. We all took a much deserved break after crunching 16-18 hour days for 2 weeks straight to have something presentable for Dream Build Play. The team is just getting back into the groove now and we hope to have the game completed sometime in September 2009.
IndieGameBlog.net: What do you think of your chances in this year’s Dream Build Play?
MS: I am very impressed by many of the entries in Dream Build Play this year, the competition is very stiff. I’ll be quite happy to see Kaleidoscope as one of the top 10 finalists.
IndieGameBlog.net: Are there any other Xbox LIVE Indie Games that stand out to you?
MS: Absolutely! GuruGuru looks very impressive overall, Hollandia has stunning visuals, and Duality ZF should be a blast to play with friends.
Any other thoughts/comments?
MS: I’m really glad to see that the perception of XBL Indie Games is changing. I hope that Kaleidoscope will contribute to pushing the platform in the right direction.
I’d like to thank Matthew for taking the time to do this interview and wish Morsel Games luck in this year’s Dream Build Play competition. Kaleidoscope is currently on track to be completed this September. You can find out more about Kaleidoscope and Morsel Games on their website or follow them on twitter at @playmorsel.
More trailers from some promising looking Xbox LIVE Indie Games this week.
Kaleidoscope
Abducted
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