Orbital Media Interview
They talk about various topics, their next title: Juka and the Monophonic Menace
Tags: Juka and the Monophonic Menace Categories: Features, GBA Features
Posted by Jake McNeill on Jul 19th, 2005
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We recently had a chance to interview the staff of Orbital Media, the creators of the surprise hit Racing Gears Advance for the GBA. We spoke with Steve Shatford (President & CEO), Rob Adams (Producer/Lead Design) and Nick Hutchseon (Assistant Design/Level Design) about where they’ve been and where they’re headed, and had a look at their next GBA title, Juka and the Monophonic Menace. Read on:
Digital Entertainment News: First, some general questions about Orbital Media. Could you give our readers a bit of a brief history of your company?
Steve: The company was put together creating a couple of development teams from individuals who worked on many prototype hardware platforms in the past (ie: CD-32, Atari Jaguar, N64, etc). Four years ago when we started, we saw too many developers just quickly slap together titles with low production values just because they were handheld games. We recognized a need for someone to come in and commit the same kind of time and resources that console games were getting. Our mantra is to raise-the-bar, with their technical knowledge and the common vision producing “AAA” portable games.
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DEN: Where do you see yourselves one year from now? What about ten years from now?
Nick: I believe that the Game Boy Advance has more life left in it right now than most give it credit for, but eventually, business in the handheld market is going to move to the PSP and the DS. I believe that within a year, we will be working exclusively on DS and PSP titles. As for ten years from now, the handheld market will continue to grow rapidly as the technology gets better.
DEN: Orbital’s upcoming lineup includes titles for the GBA and DS. Has your company looked at the PSP?
Rob: Our focus is handheld gaming, but we take a long hard look at all the new systems that hit the market. PSP titles are in the works!
DEN: Any opinions on Sony’s handheld you’d be willing to share?
Nick: I’m very impressed with it. It is a very capable platform. I also like the more traditional handheld layout that Sony decided to go with.
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DEN: For that matter, any thoughts on the consoles, both present and upcoming? Have the folks at Orbital decided to keep their focus primarily on the handheld market?
Rob: The handheld market is our focus; we believe that with our commitment to quality titles that we can become leaders in this area. All the new consoles are impressive, I’m really waiting to see how the different strategies pan out for the big three.
Nick: Yes, the handheld market is our arena. Though I don’t like to rule anything out!
DEN: Going back to the DS, it seems that most of what you have coming up for Nintendo’s handheld is largely enhanced versions of your GBA games. Will Orbital be working on original DS projects as well?
Rob: The simple answer is yes, we have DS projects that take full advantage of what DS has to offer.
Nick: Pirate Battle is a title that’s currently well underway for the DS. It’s really something to look forward to on that system; there’s nothing really like it on the horizon for the DS. We’ve come up with some interesting ideas for Pirate Battle using the dual screens and wireless connectivity. There’s no doubt that the DS version is going to inspire.
DEN: And in regards to the GBA, many game companies are starting to shift their development over to the newer platforms, but Orbital is still working on numerous games for the system. What is your opinion on this difference in strategy?
Nick: Well, I’m not sure I’d call it a difference. There are still some releases arriving for the GBA, so we’re really in that boat still, as we’re just wrapping up Scurge and Juka. Again, I think people are underestimating how long the GBA has left, especially now that Nintendo has released the GB Micro. Pirate Battle is still slated to appear with both a DS and a GBA version, due mainly to the GBA’s large user base.
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DEN: On to Juka… First off, please tell us a bit about Juka and the Monophonic Menace.
Rob: The story follows the adventure of a young alchemist in training, Juka. One day, he learns that the people from the local village have begun to go missing, so he gets involved in finding out what happened to them. As he travels to the village, strange robot-like creatures appear along the path, and Juka is forced to defend himself. Before long, Juka finds himself on a quest to save the land from the evil Monophonic Menace. The potion system makes Juka a very interactive game. Mixing up different kinds of potions allow Juka to do all kinds of things from moving rocks and walls, to putting enemies to sleep. There’s quite a bite of interaction with the environment as he goes around shaking trees and plants to gather ingredients for these potions.
Nick: The pattern-based combat really adds a different angle to this title, making it much more than your average adventure game. It adds a puzzle element to the core gameplay that really makes it stand out. Simply hammering on a button will get you nowhere. The game rewards the player more for anticipation and good problem-solving skills.
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DEN: What would you say distinguishes this game from the huge crop of titles for the GBA? What separates this game from the pack?
Rob: The first thing will be the graphics; it is an amazing looking game. The artists have really out done themselves with this title.
Nick: Yes, the art is definitely amazing. I’ll also mention the puzzle element of the pattern-based combat again. That’s really something I’ve never seen in any other title. Also, unlike your typical handheld title that lasts only a few hours, Juka will keep people entertained for 25 hours of gameplay.
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DEN: How linear is the game? Is it something level-based like a standard action game, or exploration-based like an action-adventure?
Rob: Action-adventure was the target we were aiming for, lots of interaction with the world objects, lots of items to collect. Because the game is so large, we always wanted the player to feel like they had a mini goal in mind as well as the over all goal, to free the villagers. Each step in the game leads you closer; we don’t do any weird side quests that could cause focus to be lost. That is very important when talking about a younger gaming audience. Side quests that are meant to prolong game play for veteran game players are standard fare for this type of game. We felt it was more important to stay on track and always move towards that final goal.
Nick: Yes, the game does follow a linear tack. Like Rob said, we felt that a single track was the best approach to take, especially with young gamers. Oddly enough, the game was far less linear in its initial form. But we ran into a few problems with that avenue of design, and through focus group testing some features were too complex for our target gamers to appreciate.
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DEN: What were your inspirations for the game? Where did the idea for Juka first originate?
Rob: Early in the development we talked a lot about classic illustrated children’s stories and how this game was coming together reflected those stories we remembered growing up. Disney’s classic animations were big inspirations for our artists. The cell style for the game came from our love of the old animation shorts.
DEN: What would you say is the target audience for the game? When you imagine someone popping a game out of their GBA to play Juka, what game were they just playing?
Rob: I would say they were just playing Zelda, Banjo or Spyro. That is the age group we are aiming to reach. It’s simple enough for young gamers. But just like games like Spyro, we think a lot of older players will be drawn to the deep gameplay.
Nick: Also one of the classic Mario games, maybe. I’d like to think that Juka, despite its innovative nature, has some appeal to fans of more classic games.
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DEN: Hearing you talk about the game back at E3, I remember that one of the things that was said was that the game tested particularly well with young girls. I also remember some interesting jokes about this having to do with bossing guys around, but seriously, what is it about the game that makes it appeal to both sides of the gender line?
Rob: The art style of the game and the pacing of the game are the biggest factors. We don’t want the players rushing from room to room; there is something to do in each level. You could be battling bad guys or shaking plants, because you need ingredient to make potions with or you’re talking to villagers. You can take your time with this game, and that lends itself to having the players using their own imagination in conjunction with the game. That alone opens up the game to allowing the player to play with the Juka character, rather than having the Juka character an extension or a function. We give Juka a personality that people can relate to, and I believe it makes a difference.
Nick: The lack of emphasis on violence might be something else that the female gamers appreciate. When it comes down to it, Juka is a game that’s more about environmental interaction and problem solving than about hacking your way through enemy-infested levels.
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DEN: Juka is an interesting exception in a lineup full of games Orbital is developing both for the GBA and DS. By contrast, Juka is being made specifically just for the GBA. Why is that?
Rob: The age group we are targeting is the biggest reason we keep Juka to the GBA. The other reason is the time and budget we already had a lot invested in this game. We decided to in order to do the game any justice on the DS we would have to rework it from the ground up. So we are saving all those gems for Juka DS in the future.
Nick: It seems to me that the biggest reason was simply where the project was at when we had the option for DS integration. By the time that option came up for us, the game was essentially finished. We decided then that, given the fact that we might not be able to do anything really fantastic on the DS without taking a lot of time doing it, we’d just stick to our schedules. We will always choose quality over making a few extra sales.
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DEN: Okay, now tell me something about this game that you’ve never told anyone before.
Nick: Hmmmm… Well, we have a Snow Yeti character who’s named after Rob, because Rob’s office is always freezing cold. I guess that probably qualifies, right?
DEN: Anything else you want to tell the world about this game before it comes out?
Rob: It’s not what you expect; it’s a little different from the norm…simply a fun innovative game.
And with that, our interview concluded. Thanks again to Steve, Rob and Nick for your time! And to our readers, be sure to keep an eye out for Juka and the Monophonic Menace, due to hit stores on August 25. And while you’re looking, keep an eye out for Rob the air conditioning-loving snow yeti!
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Tags: Juka and the Monophonic Menace
Posted by Jake McNeill on Jul 19th, 2005 and is filed under Features, GBA Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
