Gameitall(Owner)
Back in February of 2014, Kitfox Games announced their newest title, an RP called Moon Hunters, via Square Enix Collective – a platform that allows indie developers feedback on potential games and possibly receive promotion in exchange for a percentage of raised funds on successful crowdfunded projects.
Moon Hunters went on to receive a ton of positive feedback and moved to Kickstarter, where their incredibly modest funding goal of $45,000 (CAD) was reached in only three days and eventually ended having been funded nearly 400%, reaching approx. $179,000 (CAD).
We were lucky enough to talk to Tanya Short, the designer and producer Moon Hunters to hear a bit more about the game – a myth-weaving co-op RPG that changes with every play through.
I absolutely adore the pixel art for Moon Hunters, it’s more robust than what you typically see in pixel art games and the shadows are a very nice touch. What inspired that art direction for the game?
We knew from the beginning that the game would be about ancient mythology, and that we wanted it to be procedurally generated. With that in mind, it was clear that it was going to be a pretty big endeavour, much bigger than our previous game, Shattered Planet. So to evoke both a “fond remembering of a previous age” kind of feeling (like mythology has), and also save on production costs, we decided to go for pixel art! But since our art director, Xin Ran Liu, is a very talented concept artist and illustrator, he saw it as a challenge to use that tool to make the most beautiful art he could, using modern techniques instead of sticking to old, retro restrictions.
Where did the idea for the game come from, did you guys draw inspiration from anywhere?
I’ve always loved the occult, and ancient mythology. Our primary inspiration was the Epic of Gilgamesh and other elements of Mesopotamian mythology. I loved how in ancient mythologies, gods and goddesses were different depending on who you talked to — with different names, rituals, and powers — yet remained the same entity. Inanna and Ishtar and Astarte are theoretically the same goddess, but have rather different interpretations and symbology.After a few thousand years, the Israelites writing what are now called the Dead Sea Scrolls invented this crazy new technology called monotheism, and disrupted everything. And that’s where Moon Hunters starts.Moon Hunters is primarily a monster-killing, silly party game though, so our “telling” of this conflict is very simplified, with a fictional, almost Saturday-morning-cartoon veneer on top.
Moon Hunters features 4 different character classes, how do they play differently from each other and do you have a favorite?
We actually have 6 character classes! Two are unlocked while you play. The Spellblade is a quick melee character. The Ritualist is a ranged, shooty character. The Witch is mid-range, between the two. The Druid is a shapeshifter, with a melee-focused dog form and mid-range leaf attack. The Songweaver is a support character, mostly boosting other people she plays with, while the Sun Cultist creates areas of damage, and is the only one that can hurt other players. My favorite changes every day!
How do the choices that you make when building your mythology affect the game?
It’s actually a bit of a personality-test RPG! Getting different personality traits change the kinds of interactions you can have with some characters, and how your hero’s constellation in the night sky will be recorded, after each playthrough.
How much of an impact would you say that your choices make on the world and how the player(s) is viewed in it?
It’s hard to describe. A pattern of deceptive, selfish behaviour will get you a reputation of Cunning, which some people like, but most people don’t. If people like you, they might tell you things! If they don’t, they might make your life harder. But in the end, being remembered as Tanya the Rat or Tanya the Spider is just as valid as being remembered as Tanya the Rose or Tanya the Hawk.
Many developers are aiming for a particular skill/difficulty level when creating games, either making them incredibly difficult for the hardcore gamer or more relaxed for casuals. What kind of difficulty were you aiming for with Moon Hunters?
Anyone who plays games regularly should be able to play Moon Hunters *with a friend* and enjoy themselves, but if they intend to experience the whole game — unlock all the characters, get all the endings, etc — or if they want to play alone, then they’re going to need some skills.
What would you say is your biggest accomplishment with the game so far?
I received an email in my inbox a couple of weeks ago from a Kickstarter backer who played the beta, and said that our game “made her dreams come true”. Whenever I am a little sad or disappointed, I think of her.
Moon Hunters was one of the first games to be featured in the Square Enix Collective – do you think that the visibility it provided had a big impact on what the game became and how well it was received on Kickstarter?
I think it helped us a lot! Square Enix Collective is a great program, and our game was really appealing to their audience, I think, so we were able to reach some people that Moon Hunters maybe couldn’t otherwise. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we’d had Square Enix for the final release publisher… but we couldn’t resist trying to go “full indie” and do it all ourselves, this time.
Was the crowdfunding intimidating and did it add to the pressure of expectations from backers and fans?
Yes and no. Yes, because we definitely knew that people were watching… but no, because every time I met a Kickstarter backer in person, they were clearly such wonderful people who were cheering us on. Obviously I am trying very, very hard to make them happy, but that’s the privilege of success. If you can’t handle people being excited for your game, then your games might be doomed to obscurity forever.
Kitfox released its first game, Shattered Planet, in 2014 – were there any lessons that you’ve learned creating it that helped when putting together Moon Hunters?
Absolutely. I had worked as a designer on MMOs previously (Age of Conan, The Secret World), and I had made plenty of small games as a hobby, but I had never released my own game commercially. The lessons in marketing, business development, and entrepreneurship were huge! Specifically though, I mostly realized that building your audience is extremely important. And even more specifically, I learned to trust my instincts and stay away from mobile free to play, haha!
The release is coming up rather quickly! Is there a lot of nervousness and excitement going around the studio?
YEP! We’re excited. Some people are going to love it to pieces. So we’re just making the best game we can without worrying too much about the haters. Beyond that, we just have to be ready to roll with whatever happens on launch day.
If you could give your past self one piece of advice after having made these games, what would it be?
Consider why and how you are doing procedural generation. Proc gen is best for games you play 100+ times — the in-between “play a few times” game is strange, new, risky territory, Tanya! Also, tweet more often!
Any extra advice for aspiring game developers?
Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. There are no comparisons in art — everyone has their own story, their own experiences, their own advantages and disadvantages. You are neither better nor worse than anyone else. You are you, and they are them, and all you can do is your very best. Make space for other developers who may have different or more disadvantages when presenting their work in a biased, uncaring world. Let’s help each other.
Moon Hunters is set to release March 10th, 2016 on Steam.
