Review Fix Exclusive: Terrian Saga: KR-17 Developers Talk About the Game’s Inspiration

Review Fix chats with “Terrian Saga: KR-17” developers Gregory McKnight, Matthew Carmichael and Daniel Davis, who discuss the game’s development cycle, it’s addictive gameplay and hopes for the future. A side-scrolling action romp, “Terrian Saga: KR-17” will easily grab the hearts of anyone who love Mega Man, but will keep it a few seconds longer thanks to awesome gameplay and intelligent level design.

Review Fix: What was the development cycle like for the game? Any surprises?

Gregory McKnight: I often say the development of KR-17 was the greatest game I’ve ever played. The project started off as a small idea I had to rehash a game Matt and I made 10 years ago. I grabbed a freelance programmer from the forums and we sailed off! I added a few friends to the mix and the game really started shaping into something we were very proud of. The decision to do a Kickstarter was to determine how far we would take the game. A successful Kickster and two conventions later, here we are being interviewed on your awesome site – a surprise in itself.

Daniel Davis: A lot of it has been by the seat of our pants. There were a lot of things that we assumed would be easy that were incredibly time consuming, then a few things that we assumed would be difficult that just shaped themselves up pretty quick. Trying to allocate so many variables within such a small team has been a challenge (and will be handled better in the future,) but all in all it has been a super positive experience.

Matthew Carmichael: Eating, sleeping, drinking the art style… which changed last minute because I thought it would be a good idea. Pixel animation was another area that turned out incredibly different than I would have expected.

Review Fix: There’s lots of content in the game. Are there any plans for additional DLC?

McKnight: A multi-player arena both coop and vs. where players control some aspects of the passive traps during the play would be awesome.

Davis: We always thought a multiplayer feature could be a good addition in the future… Carmichael: Definitely would like to a see a multiplayer feature added; I’d also love additional secret areas, enabling players to unveil more of the lore.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite gameplay element of the game?

McKnight: Grenades. While designing levels I composed enemy placement to compliment the fluidity of the game i was searching for. In places where the flow was bottlenecked you’ll find complimentary explosive boxes. This is a landscape designed to promote risk-taking adventures – simply spamming your laser isn’t going to show that terrorist you mean business.

Second favorite? Doing speed runs, getting the high score, challenging other players to try and beat it.

Davis: I feel like J1M (your companion missile) opens up a lot of exploration and non-traditional approaches that a lot of players seem to underutilize. Designing puzzles that require using him in different ways was one of my personal favorite parts of the development process.

Carmichael: I think the changing environments are my personal favorite thing; a sense of adventure is captured really well throughout the game via those transitions. Also enjoy the boss challenges and level events…

Review Fix: How big a place do you think the retro community has in the consumer base today?

Davis: Far bigger than I think anyone would have imagined- even like five years ago. Obviously there is an attractiveness to video games that LOOK like video games, and don’t pursue realism. Though we have tried to not fall into the trap of trying to trick people with nostalgia into buying our game- we have worked very hard on making sure that the story and gameplay are solid experiences in and of themselves, and not reliant upon the older looking graphics.

Review Fix: What games directly influenced this one?

McKnight: My favorite game on the Genesis growing up was Rocket Knight Adventures because of the adventures he’d encounter. I was a kid and pretty damn terrible at the game, but I stuck to it because seeing what the next zone looked like was fantastic. (For those of you kids, we didn’t have the internets to see what the game looked like) This sense of exploration was a huge influence on the design for KR-17. I wanted players to progress for the hope of seeing the new locations KR and J1M discover – at first it’s scary and probably deadly, but when you get used to being there you can loosen up and blow shit apart.

Davis: I think people well versed in ‘90s platforming will recognize some basic design aspects that are influenced from all kinds of games. There are some parts that really remind me of some of the Epic Megagames sidescrollers (i.e. Jazz Jackrabbit, Jill of the Jungle) and a lot of parts that pay some tribute to more mainstream stuff, your Megaman X action, exploration aspects reminiscent of Super Metroid, colorful and vibrant design like Sonic 2. One game that we had talked a lot about from the beginning was Commander Keen.

Review Fix: How is Terrian Saga different from those games?

McKnight: There are plenty features Steam has perfected I wish had been around back then. Achievements create a new way to tell the story – giving outsider insight to the origins of the game. The leaderboards in KR-17 display your level run-time and compare it to other players. I’m a follower of the growing speed-run community and there are all sorts of shortcuts hidden in KR-17, find them – get the high score – KR-17 will reflect your first-place position.

Review Fix: For those who didn’t grow up during the 2D era, why should they check this game out?

McKnight: Games today are rife with cinematics and flashes, smashing the ‘A’ button will flail your character around the room smashing goblins with hammers, round-house kicking a gang of thugs through a wall, or assassinating someone with a stiletto through the neck, placing them quietly on the ground and dragging them to a corner. After you’ve had your share of ‘A’ smashing, it feels good to grab control again, knowing your well timed jump/laser/grenade combo is why the room is full of smoking piles of robot debris.

Davis: One approach to design that I think is important and will always have a place is the idea of introducing solid, basic controls and then pushing the player to hone them. The idea of timing, and making them using these somewhat simple ideas in different ways and work their minds to solve puzzles, all while the environment and game itself is working to thwart them. Then filling out the rest with a good looking presentation and engrossing story… What’s not to love?! But in all seriousness, the game isn’t a cakewalk, and beating it will certainly earn you some bragging rights. So I’d say, at the very least, you should check our game out if you want a solid challenge that will entertain you with a story that contains a lot of heart.

Review Fix: What are your long-term goals for the game?

McKnight: As a part of the Terrian Saga, KR-17’s future is going to be very active. Throughout the saga KR-17’s story will progress until we meet back up with him in the fourth chapter.

Davis: We tried to create a couple memorable characters with a relationship that is entertaining and likeable, and would love people to remember and recognize them for the foreseeable future. We hope that with this, we’ll garner interest in the story to keep people coming back for the rest of the saga.

Review Fix: How do you want it to be remembered?

Davis: I just want people to enjoy the game, and to come back to it. I hope it’s memorable enough for people to feel compelled to recommend it.