Shatter - Breakout meets Geo Wars Out now!!

DL : Tell our readers a bit more about your new PSN game, Shatter ?

MW : Shatter is a game that is inspired by the retro titles like BreakOut and Arkanoid, the kind of classic breaking titles, but totally reinvented for modern consoles and the more modern gaming audience.
We’ve done that by adding physics, great graphics, great sound and a really great soundtrack. Adding much more immediacy and connection through the controls and adding depth to what you can do in terms of those sorts of games. GripShift was a fairly complex game in a lot of ways, which had a steep learning curve that we were never really able to lessen over the different versions that we did. After GripShift, we wanted to find a game that would be a lot easier for people to get into and still have a great amount of depth that we could try.
We looked at games that we played and inspired us when we were kids, that we were still playing today. The one consistent genre that we found was those Breakout games, so we really wanted to see what we could do with that and see how far we could just take that genre.

DL : So like an easy to play, but hard to master kind of game ?

MW : Yes, that’s the classic thing that developers strive for. Easy to get into, hard to master.

DL : Will Shatter support any co-op or multi-player modes ?

MW : Shatter is single player only at this stage but has multiple game modes as well as leader-boards so you can compete against others and your friends.

DL : How long has Shatter been in development, from initial game spark to passing PSN approval ?

MW : Its been cooking for a long time and I guess that’s one of the things when you are self publishing can make a difference. We actually started exploring and doing some experimentation and concepts in late 2007, so its been in development in one form or another for over a year now. We’ve been able to iterate with a very small team.
So for most of the project we’ve only had 3 or 4 people on the project. A very small team who feel very empowered. That’s allowed us to iterate and iterate and to add more polish over time. I’ve no qualms in saying that this is the most polished title we have ever produced, because we’ve had that time to really iterate and improve on what we had and as a company we’ve been willing to make that investment and release when we think the time is right, which is soon.

DL : It certainly looks like it could. Is there an official release date yet, has that been announced yet?

MW : Yes Shatter will be available from July 23rd on the American PSN for $7.99 and for €5.99 and £4.99 respectively, on the European PSN.

MG: Was there a specific reason why you selected the PSN as the distribution method for Shatter? Will we ever see this game on other platforms?

Sidhe: We have found Sony very receptive to working with independent developers, and while the process of getting a title up on PSN is very involved, it is a straightforward one. Shatter may come to other platforms if the title is successful.

MG: From the trailer, it looks like boss battles and unique level design are going to be a dominate feature. Can you tell us more about the approach you took to level design and the addition of bosses?

Sidhe: The addition of physics and complex brick interactions allows for a lot of different gameplay scenarios, but it took a long time and a lot of iteration to really learn to get the most out of what we had available and build compelling levels. We created hundreds, if not thousands, of levels throughout the course of the development, eventually whittling them down and honing them into the set we have in the game.

Bosses were an early addition to the game when we started experimenting with bricks with more complex and intelligent behavior. We then made the connection to more traditional SHMUP boss battles and immediately realized the potential. The bosses provide the gamer another way to use the skills they learn throughout the game, and definitely add a fun, narrative element.

MG: The trailer featured some very cool music to match the unique gameplay. What can players expect from the soundtrack and can you give some insight as to how your tunes were produced?

Sidhe: The soundtrack is something we are really proud of. We worked with a local musician, Module, who produced an original score of over 90 minutes of great music. Initially, he just worked from concept art and early prototypes, but as the game evolved and was fleshed out he evolved the soundtrack also. It was a great collaborative process and a labor of love, the results of which we think gamers will really appreciate.