Gamasutra: We talk with Finnish developer Frozenbyte about their quirky 2D platform action title Trine and the challenges of developing physics-based puzzle games.
Scandinavian developers Frozenbyte have recently released the PC version of Trine, a hybrid action/platforming 2D scroller where the player was any one of 3 different characters at a time. The concept is novel and the art style is lovely, far above what you'd expect from a small indie team.
Talking with Lauri Hyvarinen, CEO of the company, our topics included the challenges facing developers of physics based puzzle games, the place humor has in games, and how well the game's been received, among many other things:
Poor reception hasn't killed this series. A document released this week by the EU Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), confirming projects it plans to help fund in 2018, has revealed that a number of indie studios are working on new games.
VGChartz's Taneli Palola: "Pulkkinen is a relatively new face in the video game industry. Thus far he has worked exclusively on games developed by Finnish game studios, but I wouldn't be surprised if at some point in the near future his music begins to attract attention from elsewhere as well. Given that he is only 34 years old he likely has many more years ahead of him in the video game industry."
"One of the oldest and most integral genres in video gaming is platforming. In the simplest idea, these games involve progressing an avatar through a series of obstacles by jumping from one platform to another. Originating back in the 1980s, platformers are not a pure genre; there is a tendency for other game types to mix in with platforming. For example, Contra gave rise to “run and gun” games; these are a cross of platforming and shooters."-- PlayStation Enthusiast
