Inside ‘Robo Shark Rampage’

Roboshark Rampage creator Sean Weilage discusses the inspirations behind the endless side-scroller and his goals for the future.

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Review Fix.: What was the inspiration for this game?

Sean Weilage: The original inspiration was to have a narwhal skewering sea life with a lighthearted feel filled with funny moments.  There’s a viral song online that captures this called the Narwhal song.  That was the direction I was set on when given the task to flesh out this game, but I put my personal art style which transformed that first idea into something much darker.  My inspiration was from an image I did of a cyborg shark living in a Tron like world.

Review Fix.: What has development been like?

Weilage: I would love to say development was a breeze and we encountered zero problems.  Unfortunately, there are always challenges when creating any game from start to finish. Problems like updating your engine, which later breaks the game. Art issues like testers not understanding what your user interface is trying to communicate.  Programming issues like fish not disappearing after they leave your screen, destroying your frame rate. Design issues where no one can get past a level because there’s too many fish on-screen.  It all becomes worth it when you see someone playing through the game without problems.

Review Fix.: What games did you play as a kid? How did they influence this one?

Weilage: I grew up on the Nintendo NES and played more games than I can remember.  Then I switched my allegiance to Genesis when it was released. Then, when I could drive, arcade games became a big thing. Legend of Zelda, Altered Beast and Mortal Kombat really stick out in my mind as great games.  Having grown up with pre 3d games I was really able to understand what could be possible with Roboshark since it was going to be a 2d sidescroller.  There were certain games that had design influences on Roboshark; Life Force for the NES which is also a side-scroller you could draw a lot of design parallels, one of them being its basic pet system.  The arcade games Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and X-Men influenced the different horn and pet types.

Review Fix.: What do you think is the coolest feature in the game?

Weilage: I have two features that I really enjoy.  The first one is the upgrade system. It allows the player to use different combinations in gameplay. Play is different depending on your upgrades. The second one is the play style of the wrecking ball. The player has to move their shark in a circle, while their pet acts as a weapon to destroy enemies.

Review Fix.: Bottom line, why should someone play this?

Weilage: Being the artist, I hope you play because you think the art is intriguing and you gravitate towards the overall style.  Being the designer, I hope you feel that burst of excitement when you just barely complete a level.  Being the gamer, I hope you have memorable moments playing.

Review Fix.: This Game would be a blast on the go. Any Plans for a 3DS or PS Vita version?

Weilage: Not at this time…but if you know a guy.

Review Fix.: What are your goals for the game?

Weilage: I actually achieved a lot of goals before it even shipped.  I was given a rare opportunity to create a game where I had a lot of control of how it looked and how it was designed.  As far as goals for the game itself, I want people to have an overall positive experience playing the game.

Hickey Jr.: What are your goals for the next game?

Weilage: My goals are the same for all games… to make some sick art and to make them fun.