Review Fix chats with Omid Karimpour (Managing Director, Dark Pyre Interactive) on why Star Titan is a must-play game on iOS and Android and how retro-game mechanics inspired its on-screen mayhem.
Review Fix: How was Star Titan born?
Omid Karimpour: Star Titan was born out of our love for Japanese mecha anime, arcade style run-and-gun games like Contra and Metal Slug, and things going boom! We were surprised by the lack of original run-and-gun IPs on the mobile market – so we jumped at the opportunity to provide a nostalgic blast to the past whilst still creating something new.
Review Fix: What was your role in the game?
Karimpour: It really was a team effort. When you have a small team like ours, each team member ends up wearing multiple hats. Of course, we all have our strengths – but together we were able to have a unified vision from the get-go.
Review Fix: How did you get involved in the industry?
Karimpour: For all of us, it was simply the love of the craft. As avid gamers, we’re all passionate about the language of game development – from coming up with ideas to turning them into finished products.
Review Fix: Are there any sequels in the works?
Karimpour: Who knows what the future holds in store?
Review Fix: What was development like?
Karimpour: It was a rollercoaster of constant brainstorming and tweaking. Being an ambitious project, development was challenging throughout – but we all had a unified vision of what Star Titan should be.
Review Fix: What makes Star Titan special?
Karimpour: Star Titan is the glorious return of retro run-and-gun games – with a few modern twists! The controls were developed from the ground up for mobile devices – along with the music, unique characters, and striking art style that really make it stand out. Our game is premium – and it relies on the player’s own skill rather than pay-to-win mechanics found in F2P titles.
Review Fix: What games influenced it the most?
Karimpour: We grew up with games like Metal Slug, Hard Corps Uprising and Zone of the Enders. We wanted to bring that experience to the mobile market – and I think we succeeded!
Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?
Karimpour: We had to animate the run cycle for Behemoth (one of the Titans in the game), so we recorded our producer running in the garden and rotoscoped that. The programmer got married halfway through development – and the artist injured his good hand. Thankfully, our canine mascot, Xena, helped us through the ups and (many) downs during development.
Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?
Karimpour: Meticulous planning is essential! We learned to allow ourselves more planning time to fully come to grips with the scope of the project. Time management and coordination were key factors in finishing the game – as well as daily standups to keep the game on track.
We also learned that ambition needs to go hand-in-hand with perspective – so you don’t end up biting off more than you can chew.
Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?
Karimpour: Old games set the standard for gameplay mechanics. There’s a reason why a game like Super Mario Bros. is considered a timeless classic. However, the advancement of game technology paved the way for us to be more creative with tried-and-true mechanics. For example, in Star Titan, you can angle your shots by dragging the shoot button up and down!
Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?
Karimpour: There are a few! Playing Smash Bros. Melee into the wee hours of the morning with friends in high school – and Smash Ultimate at launch. The ladder in Snake Eater gets an honorable mention as well. Finally, the online gameplay in Age of Empires II blew me away.
Review Fix: How do you want Star Titan to be remembered?
Karimpour: As a great action game that will hopefully usher in a new wave of mobile run-and-gun games.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Karimpour: Aside from a number of projects we have in the works, we hope to build upon the experience of making Star Titan – and create even bigger (and better) games in the future! We also plan to expand to more platforms such as the Nintendo Switch.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Karimpour: If all goes well, expect to see more of Star Titan in the future!
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