Review Fix chats with Triple Boris President Simon Dansereau, who discusses the company’s new game “Left-Right: The Mansion.†With a cool “Nightmare Before Christmas†look and gameplay odes to “Punch Out,†it’s a self-described masterpiece in your pocket that’ll change the way you look at mobile games.
For More On The Game, Click Here.
Review Fix: What games inspired this one?
Simon Dansereau: The original idea came from Karl Tremblay, who is acting as the Creative Director at Triple Boris. He was inspired by one of his favorite games from the classic NES console: Punch Out. While playing the game recently, he realized that he still remembered all the moves and combinations, even after all these years. Amazed by the power of the brain, he thought of a game that would be based on remembering simple sequences, which people could play to test the limits of their memory. That is when the basic concept of Left-Right: The Mansion was born.
Review Fix: Let’s talk about the in-game art. What inspired that?
Dansereau: The Art Director, Valérie Dupras, gave the ambiance a “Tim Burton†feeling, which mixes cuteness with a little touch of creepiness and mystery. We went for a cartoon universe enhanced by textures and animations to give life to the characters and environments.
Review Fix: How did your time with EA and Ubisoft influence you as a developer?
Dansereau: I owe a lot to my experience at EA. During the eight years I’ve worked there, I learned everything about my job while hanging around extraordinary people. Most of the time I spent in this company was quite positive, even though some of the values they held were going a little bit against my own. This is why a few of Triple Boris’ policies are the result of the things I wish I could have changed at EA and Ubisoft, such as overtime, telework, and work-family balance. Also, these experiences influenced me in using premium over freemium.
Review Fix: What has development been like?
Dansereau: It took more time than originally planned. As we progressed through the development, we had new ideas, and we decided to add a lot of stuff to the game, in order to make the experience even better for the players. So the development has been doing great and we are planning to release the game in October.
Review Fix: With all the competition on the mobile market and in the indies now, how difficult was it for you guys to try and make something that stood out?
Dansereau: We focused on our art skills and used them to create a pocket masterpiece. Our Art Director, not being a gamer nor a video game artist, had a different point of view for the project. So she created a unique and polished design, not inspired by any other game. Also, the gameplay being very simple, Left-Right: The Mansion is accessible to players of all ages who are looking for a good challenge.
Review Fix: Bottom line, why must someone play this game?
Dansereau: Left-Right is a very simple game, and understanding how to play it is really easy… yet it is very mind challenging and addictive! Everyone can play this game, for fun or for the challenge. You can play alone through the campaign, or challenge your friends to the different game modes that are offered. The game is a great and fun way to test the limits of your brain.
Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?
Dansereau: A little masterpiece in your pocket!
Review Fix: What are your goals for this game?
Dansereau: We want people of all ages to appreciate this game in their own way, but also for being an eye-candy challenge. We want the players to share their experience with their friends and journey through the mansion to discover all its mysteries.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Dansereau: Most probably a 3D game.
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