It’s hard to argue that the PixelJunk franchise encompasses some of the most unique, albeit best downloadable games available on the PlayStation Store. Premiering with PixelJunk Racers back in 2007, to PixelJunk Shooter 2 from earlier this year, the series has dabbled in multiple genres, often offering an iconic visual aesthetics along with simplistic and yet technical game mechanics. Let’s not forget the memorable thumping bass and ‘experimental/techno’ beats from musician Baiyon, in PixelJunk Eden (and the upcoming PixelJunk LifeLike).
The studio behind the PixelJunk series? Q-Games. The Kyoto-based developer has worked with Nintendo and Sony since 2006, most recently releasing Star Fox 64 3D (3DS). The talent overseas is run by none other than the studio founder, father of PixelJunk—Dylan Cuthbert.
PlayStation Universe had the opportunity to have a nice chat with Dylan, to try to get to know the man behind the curtain. Turns out that he’s not that different from any of us; he just lives in Japan.
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PSU: Which game in the [PixelJunk] franchise happens to be your favorite, and why?
Dylan: I can’t really pick favorites, but right now it would have to be SideScroller because it is the center of my attention. It reminds me of the fun I had playing side-scrolling shoot-em-ups back in the ‘80s. Simplistic, but addictive fun. Of course we’ve added all kinds of extra stuff in there, and the liquids from Shooter will make an appearance. However the gameplay itself is vastly different (it’s not twin-stick for one!) and much more approachable in that old-school way.
PSU: So, I believe I’ve prodded you with this question on Twitter before, but whatever happened to PixelJunk Dungeons? I remember the day when a younger version of me got hyped for some make-believe PixelJunk Diablo-clone in my head!
Dylan: We’ve done a few experiments over the years but put them on hold to concerns about originality – we want to make sure we aren’t seen as a “Diablo clone” as you say, so we have to bring something entirely unique to the table even if the core gameplay is roughly the same (ie. explore dungeons, kill monsters, collect treasure).
PSU: Speaking of classic games like Diablo, which games did you play growing up? What were some of your favorites? We see Q work very closely with Sony and Nintendo, and I can’t help but wonder: did you have a platform of choice growing up as well?
Dylan: I played a lot of ZX Spectrum and old arcade games when I was growing up. Out Run probably took the most of my money, followed by Namco’s Starblade a few years later. There were lots of interesting experimental games on the Spectrum and I think that has encouraged me to always be trying new genres through the years. One of my favourite Spectrum games in the later years was a game called Exolon, but Underwurlde (by Rare, as it happens) took quite a bit of my time up, too. Then I got an Amiga and was hooked to Deluxe Paint and F-18 Interceptor, before being thoroughly addicted to Carrier Command.
PSU: Having recently finished PixelJunk Shooter 2, I realized that it’s probably my favorite in the franchise. There are many factors that go into this choice, and one of them (as small a factor in the decision it may be) is the game’s PlayStation Network trophies. Everything from the naming, requirements, art, to the path needed to obtain them all, just seems to work for a downloadable game. After a regular play through, an average player will have gotten most of the trophies, but the rest can only be obtained if you go in an experience everything Shooter 2 has to offer. What kind of work goes into designing trophies at Q? How far into a project do you start planning them?
Dylan: We start designing the trophies at around the 70% or 80% point, when we know what features the game is going to have. We do go out of our way to design the trophies so good players can collect almost all of them naturally. For Eden (which was the first ever game with trophies I think?) we considered trophies to be “achievements,” ie. things you need to go out of your way and challenge yourself to obtain. However, after we released Eden we realized people were much happier collecting them through the natural course of the game so we changed the design criteria for them.
PSU: What do you think about trophies/achievements? Most people love ’em, some people hate ’em, but it looks like they’re here to stay. What type of impact do you think they’ve had on gaming as a whole?
Dylan: I think they’re fine—they shouldn’t take over from the game itself of course, but if designed well they don’t interfere and can encourage the player to explore areas of the game they wouldn’t have before, enjoying it more.
PSU: When Dylan Cuthbert goes home and pops in a game, does he hunt trophies in games he loves?
Dylan: Sometimes, yes, but mostly I play games for the experience first and foremost. Trophies are a second.
PSU: From what we’ve seen on PixelJunk lifelike, it’s hard to define as a ‘game-like’ game, since to my knowledge, there aren’t any apparent goals or challenges the player must overcome. In fact, it’s reminiscent of games from thatgamecompany like Flower or Flow, or even titles like .Detuned or Linger in Shadows, where the player just immerses themselves in a virtual world, and the fun comes from there. How do you think reviewers will approach lifelike? Do you think it’ll face any type of challenge when it’s up on the PlayStation Store beside more traditional games?
Dylan: LlifeLike definitely isn’t a “game” – it’s more of a music exploration tool. It let’s sculpture sound in a way you couldn’t before thanks to the precision of the PlayStation Move. We can read so much data from the angle you are holding it, how far away you are holding it, and this data is minutely adjustable. I am looking forward to seeing people enjoy “playing” with it—it’s more of a toy in that sense than a game— very sophisticated yet easy to control toy that enables you to perform almost professional level club music!
PSU: Where do you see Q-Games in five years? Will the PixelJunk franchise still be going strong on the PlayStation 4? Do you see the team at Q creating a larger game at a $60 price point one day?
Dylan: Maybe! Not right now—although we did just finish making StarFox for the 3DS which is a much larger game than our average PixelJunk fare. It came out rather well I think!
Thanks Dylan!