Review Fix chats with Stratospiel creator Vaughn Xavier Haynes, who discusses the game’s origin and current Kickstarter.
About Stratospiel:
Inspired by Toby Fox’s ventures with Undertale and finding out that his college was shut down because of the pandemic, Straospiel creator Vaughn Xavier Haynes suddenly had a bunch of time to get his hands on YouTube tutorials and figuring things out about game development. The game was originally just a battle system where the player can move directly from one fight to another, but as the game developed, he found that it was too short, which prompted him to turn it into a full-fledged RPG.
Review Fix: How was this game born?
Vaughn Xavier Haynes: I wanted to make an RPG that I felt would be more active and engaging than the standard “numbers†game. I’d wanted to make a game for a long time, and once I saw that Undertale was made by one guy, that was my catalyst to actually start working on the thing.
Review Fix: What is your role in the game?
Haynes: I designed, composed the music, wrote the story/dialogue, programmed the code, and drew the character and battle pixel art. Silkanide, our amazing lead artist, drew the tilesets and the screens from the opening scene.
Review Fix: What has development been like?
Haynes: It’s been a lot of fun! It’s a long process, but it’s been really rewarding to see people smile as they play the game.
Review Fix: What makes this game special?
Haynes: Since I made probably 98% of the whole thing, this game is very much “me.†It has a very clear and very specific vision and heart that I think tends to get lost in big corporate productions. There’s some really cool ideas baked into the gameplay and narrative that I think players will find interesting and engaging.
Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?
Haynes: Boswer’s Inside Story, Undertale, WarioWare, and Ace Attorney
Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?
Haynes: When you have a budget as small as this, being economic with the creative choices can lead to some interesting creative solutions.
Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?
Haynes: I think if something works, then it works. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. I love seeing the different directions modern games take with classic ideas.
Review Fix: The marketplace is crowded. How do you think you stand out?
Haynes: There’s a lot of love and heart here. I think it’s a shame that people can’t be sincere without cloaking themselves in 18 layers on irony these days. Hopefully, people will connect with the experience they have here. Plus, people like to laugh :)
Review Fix: How have your previous experiences in industry helped this game?
Haynes: This is my first game ever so I don’t have any experience in the industry, haha. It’s disheartening for newbies like me to read about the stuff going on in these corporations like Activision and Blizzard. The community has been really nice however! I like to think I’ve found my niche.
Review Fix: How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?
Haynes: As a fun RPG with engaging gameplay, lovable characters, and a great soundtrack.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Haynes: The demo’s out and we’re almost done with our Kickstarter! I’m slowly but surely working on the final thing.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Haynes: Follow us on Twitter and Tumblr for updates!
@stratospiel
And donate to our Kickstarter to help get some funding!
kickstarter.com/projects/vxh/stratospiel
Thanks so much for reaching out!
Leave a Reply