Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Drums of War’

Review Fix chats with Alan Flores (Lead Designer/Founder, Grind Core Games), who breaks down the fun, creative process and inspiration behind his new game, “Drums of War.”

Review Fix: How was Drums of War born?

Alan Flores: I’ve had this idea kicking around my head for a long time – ever since seeing the troll drummers in the Lord of the Rings movies, in fact. I was thinking that it would be a great feeling to walk around pounding drums like that … and fighting! I had previously worked on a PlayStation Move game (Sports Champions 2), so I was thinking controller-wise that might work. Then I sort of put the idea on the shelf, but it wouldn’t go away. So on Black Friday 2017, I went to the store and bought an Oculus Rift and a Rift-compatible laptop – and I spent the weekend coming up with a basic prototype. From there I just kept expanding on the core idea – adding strafing, drum stick hits, more enemies, more levels … eventually turning it into a full game.

Review Fix: Why do rhythm games matter?

Flores: There’s nothing quite like feeling the music. That’s why people like to go to live concerts. I’m about to go to one right now, by the way! Voivod is one of my favorite bands and they deserve their own game :) I think the deep connection that a player can get from a music rhythm game is the next best thing to actually making music. You get to experience it in a truly unique way.

Review Fix: What games inspired this most?

Flores: Well, I had worked on Guitar Hero for a few years – so that was definitely an inspiration. Beyond that, I would say Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for the drum-based locomotion. Overlord was also a big inspiration because you get to play a big fantasy bad guy.

Review Fix: What was the development cycle like for you?

Flores: I’ve worked on this for just under two years, and it’s certainly been up and down. I have collaborators to help me – but for the most part, this has been solo development. And it’s pretty terrifying to be working on something alone – unsure if anyone is going to care when it comes out. But I’ve been able to make the kind of game I want to make, so it’s been incredibly gratifying.

Review Fix: Any fun stories?

Flores: Some of the most fun parts of development were getting the guys from the bands Warbringer and Exmortus involved. We got to nerd out about games, metal, orcs, and dwarves. Conan from Exmortus even provided the voice of the orc player character!

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy Drums of War the most?

Flores: It’s really targeted at anyone who is looking for a different kind of experience. There are lots of wave shooters and escape rooms in VR. And don’t get me wrong, those are some of my favorite VR experiences. But Drums of War is a really different kind of game – that and anyone who’s ever banged on stuff when they were a kid … which is kind of everyone?!

Review Fix: What’s next?

Flores: Early reception to Drums of War has been really positive, so I’m encouraged. If things go according to plan, I want to port the game to PSVR and Oculus Quest. I also plan on putting up a soundtrack edition of the game so you can buy it along with the epic soundtrack that Gabe Castro created.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Flores: Please check out Drums of War. Certainly, I think it’s awesome – but the reactions I get from people who put on the headset and then bang drums and blow up their first dwarf house is pretty gratifying. I think it’s an experience that a lot of people will love!

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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