Independent games, especially smaller ones, often have a hard time making themselves known. Smaller indie games are often obscured by the shadows of both million dollar game productions and better known indie titles alike, and don’t get the attention they deserve. GameAspect.Com therefore hopes to shed some light on these games, and all the wonderful new ideas they bring. This is a feature in which I interview indie developers about their upcoming and recently released titles.
Filling in for Michael who started this series I interview Eric Provan as he and his team develops their new game, Spate.
PixlBit | "It's been quite a journey for the game Spate, from initial conception, to successful Kickstarter campaign, to final release on Steam. Dragged into reality by Eric Provan of Ayyo Games, the game is a dreamy, artistic experience. Ayyo Games might have struggled to make this game, but they didn't do it alone: they were accompanied by classical composer and game scorer Mike Raznick, who approached them during the Kickstarter campaign. The result is a stark audio experience unlike most games. Enamored with both the game and the soundtrack, we caught up with Mike Raznick to talk about how he created the score, his influences, and what he thinks of video game music.
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SteamFirst: Spate is a 2.5D indie platformer available on Steam. You play as a detective trying to track down a wealthy businessman in the X Zone . Is Spate a deluge of fun, or is it a complete wash out?
PixlBit | "For better or worse, games like Braid, Limbo, and other 2.5D “masterpieces” have reconfigured what a platformer can be. Spate, developed by Eric Provan and his development team at Ayyo, is not as complete a package as these games, but is still an astoundingly beautiful work of art, with truly arresting imagery, an interesting story, and a unique and moody soundtrack. However, with its tired mechanics, inconsistent controls, and sloppy (yet forgiving) physics, it is hard to quantify, or to even categorize. It is a conundrum, as it stretches between these two poles – one of artistic genius; and the other of uninspired game design.
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