Here we are, back with yet another exciting Developer Spotlight! Today we are taking a moment to shine the spotlight on Orna by Cutlass Software! Before we start we would like to thank Odie for collaborating with us and for taking the time to talk with us about Orna! 😃
Thanks Odie – Let’s go!
*Some answers have been edited for clarity.
/// Thank you for taking part in our latest Developer Spotlight! Before we start talking about Orna, could you please start by telling us a little about yourself and why you are making games?
Sure! I’m Odie, and I’ve been writing code and playing RPGs for decades now. It took quite some time, but I finally decided to merge these interests and start making games.
I founded Cutlass 2 years ago as a tiny passion project and have loved doing this. The community has been very welcoming, and I’ve loved turning years of ideas into a playable product gamers can enjoy.
/// Moving on to Orna, in a nutshell, what is this new game all about?
Orna, to me, is where old meets new. It’s full of nostalgic RPG features: pixel art, turn-based combat, class progression, and a boatload of items, spells, bosses, shops, and enemies. These nostalgic features are then blended with modern mobile technology: geolocation, online social features, and so on.
The game scratches an RPG itch that I was personally feeling quite a bit with today’s offerings. I also wanted to take a stance against the pay-to-win model and give players the opportunity to enjoy a classical RPG experience without any compromises.
/// Every game has a backstory, and we would love to know the story behind Orna! Why did you choose to make this game?
The idea was actually a bit of a mistake – I wanted to learn a little more about geolocation technology and thought a simple game utilizing it would be fun. It didn’t take long until my favorite RPG features started naturally working themselves into the project, and Orna was born.
Eventually, I posted an early version of it on Reddit to see if there could be any interest from the community, and the response was overwhelming. The game has matured quite a bit from then and an amazing community has formed around it.
/// Are there any funny or exciting episodes from the development phase of Orna that you can share with us?
Oh, I’m sure there are a ton, and the community could share quite a few! My favorite may be when a bug in an early version of the game caused dozens of bosses to spawn on everyone’s screen. It was quite a blunder but caused quite a laugh.
/// Where from here? Is there anything you would like to add to Orna in the future, or perhaps even a new game on the horizon?
There are still quite a few features and content updates I’d like to add to Orna, and I don’t see myself halting additions to it anytime soon.
But, there will always be an itch to start another project… Maybe a sci-fi RPG?
Edamame: Sci-fi RPGs are the best! You should do it 😉
/// Are there any secret developer tips for playing Orna you could give our readers?
Finding enemies called “Mimics” in the early stages can lead to some great rewards. They are a little rare, but they drop a ton of items when defeated (they’re relatively easy, too).
Like many RPGs, this game is bound to get pretty grindy at later stages. Make sure you play it at a pace that you enjoy!
/// A question you would like to ask your future self next time we shine the spotlight your way!
Where did you go from here?
Thanks again to Odie for participating in our Developer Spotlight, and for taking the time to talk with us about Orna! We look forward to talking with you again sometime soon! 😃
Get Orna on App Store / Google Play