Interview
JoyMasher

Developers of Oniken, Odallus : The Dark Call, and the newly released Blazing Chrome! Before Blazing Chrome, though, we were lucky to get to talk to these guys a little about what goes on behind the scenes.

The Switch Effect : Can you tell us a little bit about the history of Joymasher , how was the company formed?

JoyMasher : Sure thing! we have been making games for a while but it 2012 we decided to make it official. Oniken was already in its final stages of development at this point. We just loved retro games and we were discovering we also loved making them hahaha.

TSE : How many people work at Joymasher. What are there roles and responsibilities?

JM : Two people, me (Thais) and Danilo. Danilo is the main creative force and I’m the logical force. I organize and make things happen, Danilo is a great artist and designer. For Blazing Chrome, we are working together with Iuri, who is the programmer. Each game is different and we invite different people on board.

TSE : Joymasher makes really cool games like Oniken and Odallus as well as the newly released Blazing Chrome. Where did the ideas come from to make these individual games and what were your inspirations for them.

JM : We mostly get inspired by things around us, such as movies, series, cartoons, comics, books. Oniken was really inspired by Hokuto no Ken, ninja gaiden and Terminator, while Odallus had Conan, Ghouls n’ ghosts and Highlander. We never use only one source, all games are a mix and match of things we love. 

TSE : For the viewers that haven’t played any of these games can you explain to them what each game is about.

JM : Oniken is a fast-paced platformer that takes you back to the 80’s and its overkills. Odallus is a contained non-linear exploration game about evil forces, outside and inside oneself. 

TSE : Who came up with the graphic style for all of your games, each one is different and unique.

JM : Oh, that’s always on Danilo. He is a great artist and you can actually see how he evolved since Oniken.

TSE : What made you make a run’n’gun game like Blazing Chrome in 16-bit and not bring the design style to a more modern one.

We love pixel art and we feel there is so much more to explore in it still.

TSE : Were there any lessons learned from Oniken and Odallus that were applied to Blazing Chrome?  

JM : A bunch, both artistically and on the design of things. We mostly learn a lot by watching people play our games, including on youtube video (keep posting those, guys, we learn so much from y’all), to the point we keep updating our games based on those videos. For instace, Odallus was patched for design fine tunning up to six months after its release.

TSE : Are there any challenges or difficulties when making games for the Nintendo Switch?

JM : The controllers are something interesting because they are such a classic Nintendo design and yet so different from everything else. It took some time for us to be sure what to do with them.

TSE : What does the future hold for Joymasher after the Blazing Chrome. 

JM : Oh, we have to wait and see 😉 [and I’m honestly not being a dick here, I sure as hell don’t have a clue by now hahaha]

TSE : Oniken and Odallus were exclusive to Play-Asia for the Playstation 4 as well as the Nintendo Switch. Will Blazing Chrome become a Play-Asia Exclusive as well in the distant future for both the Nintendo Switch and the Playstation 4?

JM : I don’t think so, though I’m not sure since it is our publisher’s final word in this one.

TSE : Do you have any advice for other game developers who are also hoping to create quality games for either the Nintendo Switch or Playstation 4? 

JM : Start small, compromise on smaller things but keep going.

TSE : Before we end this interview is there anything else you’d like to share?

JM : I just hope you guys like Blazing Chrome as much as we do!