As part of Games On Deck's "Road to the IGF Mobile" feature, we talk to Yuan-Hsi, designer of Yuan Works' IGF Mobile 2008 Audio Achievement finalist Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles, a GP2X arcade-action puzzle battle game featuring three skill levels, a Story Mode, a studio-recorded soundtrack, minigames, and hundreds of extras.
Games On Deck: What kind of background do you have in the game industry or in making games?
Yuan-Hsi: We (Yuan-Hsi and Yuan-Hao Chiang) have learned and honed several skills necessary to make video games for the best part of a decade. Since there is no academia for most of our areas of expertise, we are mostly self-taught when it comes to games. I, Yuan-Hsi, am a game designer, artist and animator of many mediums (including pixel art) as well as a musician (including chiptune and limited sound formats), while Yuan-Hao specializes in programming, planning, and game flow, but he is a game designer and artist as well. We have worked on many independent projects as well as contract work for other companies on almost all areas of gaming.
GOD: What motivated you to make your game?
YH: We both grew up in the video game era and making games has always been our dream. There is almost no game development industry in Latin America, so we had to work a little extra hard to be at a competitive level. We made our own little company because sometimes working at a bigger one deprives you of an artistic freedom you keep being independent. Of course, we will continue our contract work, but if possible, we would like to work on as many independent projects with our distinct Yuan Works touch as we can.
GOD: Where did you draw inspiration from in its design and implementation?
YH: Well, Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles is a puzzle game, so all great games in this genre throughout video game history have served as inspiration one way or another. However, the engine and modes are very original, and we don't think they have been brought to this extent in a puzzle game ever before. We longed for a traditional game with the arcade quality and refinement of the late 90s, but instead of waiting for it, we decided to give it a shot ourselves! We simply make games we would like to play. If other people like them as well, even better!
GOD: What sort of development tools have you been using in the production of your game?
YH: We have worked mostly with proprietary tools developed by Yuan-Hao. The introduction, animations, cutscenes, and many other graphic implementations were done with our "SceneAnime" program. It was the same with the sound effects. One exception this time was the music: since we had a chance to use streamed audio, I (Yuan-Hsi) worked at a professional recording studio to offer the highest quality for the soundtrack.
GOD: What do you think the most interesting element of the game is?
YH: Well, in my opinion the strongest aspect of our game, which distinguishes it a lot from any other one, is the (much autobiographical) Story Mode where you learn little by little not only how to play this game, but how it was created, what our aims and obstacles were, how fulfilling it was to finish it, and how it became a dream come true. I would dare to say that it makes our game stand out even more than the complex gameplay itself, because it provides a seldom seen window to the souls of those who create games in a traditional way, in this case our own selves.
