Indiegraph has been a bit dry on interviews lately so when I was emailed to showcase this game I decided to do an interview. I interviewed Jonathon Davis about his new game, Shadow Remnants.
1.) Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have been in the gaming industry for around eight years and have been involved in various projects ranging from video games to training simulation software for the government. I worked on Global Agenda at Hi-Rez Studios who later developed Tribes: Ascend. My partner Ryan is a very skilled environment artist who also knows a good bit of programming.
We have worked on many projects in the past together and we felt we made a good team. We later formed Shorebound Studios.
2.) Tell us a bit about your new game.
Shadow Remnants is a turn-based tactical role-playing game. As you travel through the vast country of Avatia, you will battle against the tides of corruption to uncover an ancient power with a dreadful secret. Using the wide range of character classes at your disposal, assemble a band of followers to aid you in battle. Make your way to the very heart of corruption, crushing your foes with both magic and sheer physical might. As well, the game comes with a map editor so you can make your own maps.
3.) Why do you think the tactical RPG has been neglected and why do you love it?
I wouldn’t say the word neglected but we feel there haven’t been any titles that are as captivating as Final Fantasy Tactics. We sat down for a meeting one day and discussed this very topic. We wanted to make a game that we wanted to play; a game that is memorable through it’s great story and awesome gameplay.
4.) Any interesting stories about the game’s development?
The game has only been in development for a couple months but it was pretty funny at the very early stages of the build because we had cubes moving around and attacking each other with really cheesy sound effects.
5.) How has Kickstarter been for you?
Kickstarter has been very fun. We started this project hoping there were others out there that felt the same way we did. We’ve been working on this out of pure passion. The only regret we have is we wish we would have spoken to the community ahead of time to try to gather an audience. We’ve been working behind the scenes and nobody really knows who we are right now.
6.) Any tips for starting developers?
Don’t ever let anyone bring you down and keep trying. You will experience a great amount of trolling but start small and work your way up. My first game was a MUD back in 1995. I later made a stick figure fighting game. Also, the community is everything. Make sure you market your game correctly. What is the point in a good game if nobody knows about it? There are so many great games that fly under the radar because of this.
7.) Do you have a favorite video game? How long have you been gaming for?
Yes, but there is definitely no way I could narrow it down to one. I prefer classic titles like Super Mario 3, Super Metroid, Zelda: A Link to the Past over Call of Duty, etc. I loved Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics. Ryan’s favorite game is FFT hands down. My cousins owned an Atari back when I was six years old and I enjoyed it but it wasn’t until the Nintendo Entertainment System came out to really make me recognize the future. This is when I knew that I wanted to be a developer. I wanted to know what was going on behind the screen.
8.) Sounds like you have been gaming since close to the beginning. Any parting thoughts?
We thank everyone that has supported us on Kickstarter and we love the gaming community. We appreciate you taking the time to read our story!
Help them reach their Kickstarter goal here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shoreboundstudios/shadow-remnants
Official site: http://www.shadowremnants.com/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nathan. He prefers his last name not to be known. He’s probably a high-class superspy, but we don’t mind. He is the editor of Indiegraph. He’s our point man for interviews, and occasionally he takes a blowtorch to a game to see whether it measures up to his standards.
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