Review Fix chats with Alex MartÃn Ugalde (Co-Founder, Santa Clara Games) to find out what inspired the retro shooter and how the game will impact the two-person studio.
ABOUT 8DAYS:
G.O.D. Inc. is the world leader in the Private Military Company (PMC) sector — bringing peace to those conflict areas where its clients have strategic interests. In 8DAYS, players take on the role of Lola “Wasp†Cruz and Mike “Ghost†Doe — two of G.O.D.’s expendable mercenaries. G.O.D. and 8DAYS Magazine are modern instruments used to keep the masses under control. G.O.D. is primarily a peacekeeping force, and the 8DAYS Magazine keeps public opinion in line.
Review Fix: When did the initial idea for 8DAYS come to you?
Alex MartÃn Ugalde: The idea came to us at the beginning of 2015 just after we finished our first game, HassleHeart. We learned a lot of things from our first game — about developing, but also about sales, marketing and most importantly, player tastes. That’s when we saw the opportunity to make an action video game with lots of bullets, a co-op mode (to maximise fun!), and a story to unveil through gameplay.
Review Fix: What games inspired it?
Ugalde: Mainly arcade games from the ‘80s like Commandos, Ikari Warriors — and of course, the original Metal Gear for MSX! We’re huge fans of Mr. Kojima. We are fond of arcade action games. We love how they managed to keep you playing even if the game was hard.
Review Fix: What do you play for fun when you’re not developing?
Ugalde: We play games like Dark Souls, Zelda, Metal Gear, Hotline Miami — and lately, we’re playing a lot of Hearthstone.
Review Fix: What has development been like?
Ugalde: Very intense and tough! We’re a two-man studio, and the development took almost 20 months to complete the game. The planning was very strict due to the sales window — so failure was not an option :) The first version of the game was more like a vs. game but we reached a point where it wasn’t fun to play. That was a huge problem for us. So we decided to redesign the mechanics and start from scratch — and then 8DAYS appeared! We lost almost 3 months of work — but with the perspective of time, we think it was worth it.
Review Fix: With all the competition in the indies now, how difficult was it for you guys to try and make something that stood out?
Ugalde: It is very difficult nowadays to stand above all the noise where tons of indie devs (big or small) are creating digital games. As a small indie development studio, competition is something that we like to have, but the most challenging part is gaining visibility and traction around our game.
Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy 8DAYS the most?
Ugalde: Very nice question! We have learned that there are two target audiences for 8DAYS: teens, and adults like us — who have played this kind of game when they were kids … who used to spend their coins in the arcades like we did ;) But at the end of the day, anyone who enjoys action and shooting games will get a kick out of 8DAYS.
Review Fix: Bottom line, why must someone play this game?
Ugalde: Simple: to have fun shooting everyone who tries to stop you! 8DAYS challenges players with easy to learn but hard to master gameplay mechanics. It also offers a story that’s gradually revealed through the levels — including plot twists, mass media critic, hidden secrets… You can play 8DAYS just for the fun of playing an arcade game — but if you pay attention, you will discover an intricate plot!
Review Fix: How do you want 8DAYS to be remembered?
Ugalde: The game that put Santa Clara Games on the map. The turning point that allowed us to make it to the console market. We have big plans for the future, and 8DAYS plays a huge role in this.
Review Fix: What are your goals for the game?
Ugalde: Our main goal is for people to have fun whilst playing the game — and of course, we want to sell enough to allow us to develop our next title, Project: Laredo. But ‘nuff said.
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