Bust a move
First impressions can be interesting.
In 2018 he returned to games by founding Ichigoichie (stylised as 151A).
Ventura was at BitSummit to showcase the successor to this game, Backbeat.
Like I said, first impressions can be interesting.
That said, it was rather fitting considering the game we were here to discuss.
Each character plays a different instrument befitting the music, which alters how they move.
Multiple solutions to puzzles, where movement determines the sound being played, transforms those solutions into music.
So, we started at the beginning.
In the end, though, blending music and games was perhaps the logical endgame for this love.
But I wanted to do artsy stuff, too.
When I finally got around to starting in games in Japan, I worked at iNiS.
“If the gameplay is not driven by the player’s actions, it’s a terrible rhythm game.
Jumping from this back into games was inevitable to him, but still far from an easy task.
And the only way you could do that is if you’re an indie.”
The studio was founded with the intent to bring together ideals of work and talents from both regions.
“At the same time, I wanted the Swedish mentality, like, don’t overdo it.
There’s a Swedish word, lagom, which means just the right amount.
Not too much, not too little.
The learning experience becomes a transformative gaming one.
Ventura talked about the internal efforts in deciding what direction the next project should take.
“We had a prototype competition internally.
Even in this experience there are the roots of learning music hidden in the Backbeats many systems.
“Although we don’t call them the rules of music.
Were hiding something inside of something sweet.
But by all means, its a puzzle game with mash-ups to the strategy genre like XCOM.”
This even includes the games Geocities-inspiredofficial website.
It also has the more wistful tone to match the game.
“We wanted to produce a feeling that was folksy and positive.
Its a game celebrating that spark of creativity we all should cherish.
