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Interview

Interview with the ImpactBlue Studio, the creators of Polyforge

Some games are “Fun”, some games “Look” great, and some simply “Sound” amazing! When we were first introduced to Polyforge the words used by the developer to describe the game were something along the lines of, “A Symphony of Shapes, Sound and Color…” he wasn’t lying…

Polyforge – a lot like Monument Valley – is a game as much as it is a work of art. The almost unbelievable level of devotion toward beauty we sensed when playing this game simply blew us away.

Original Review: Check it out!

Before we start, we’d like to thank Tony Luk from the ImpactBlue Team for participating in our interview, and for spending some of his valuable time answering our questions. Thanks Tony.

Now without further ado our interview begins.

 

Ok first up, why did you decide to make Polyforge?

After releasing Sky Hop Saga, which was a 2D endless runner with some RPG elements mixed into it, I wanted to build something that was a bit more simple, and caters to a more casual audience.

I wanted it to be single tap and timing based, and revolve around the concept of shapes and an increasing number of sides. I did this whole research on polyhedrons and the whole science and mathematics behind them!

After a bit of conceptualizing on paper, I got a working prototype with procedurally generated polygonal bi-pyramids (basically the diamond shapes you see in Polyforge) which got more and more complex with each shape you completed. I showed a bunch of friends and got a very positive response. Things got competitive pretty quickly once I implemented leaderboards which was great! The core mechanics of the game has not deviated much since. The best ideas are really the simplest I think.

One of my friends was telling me “Dude that spinning shape, is so freaking zen”, and that really stayed with me. It lead me to build upon that whole concept of making Polyforge not just an addictive, simple game, but also a visual and sonic experience that would really draw in the player. A lot of time was spent on the visuals and sound design to ensure that they work together with the game mechanics to create a single cohesive and immersive experience. Games like Monument Valley were definitely huge inspirations for the overall design.

 

Awesome! We definitely agree that the best ideas are often the simplest, but we also know for a fact that keeping your simple idea simple can often feel like an impossible task.

We truly admire your ability to keep Polyforge simple while creating such an amazing game.

So what programming language and/or software did you use when making Polyforge?

Because all of the shapes are procedurally generated, C# Unity is pretty much the only tool I needed to use which is pretty awesome because in my previous games there was a lot of painting and animating to create all of the 2D assets.

The other major tool I used was a soft synth called Native Instruments MASSIVE which I used to create all of the sound effects and music in Polyforge.

I’ve also started using Google Sketchup to do some 3D modelling. It is great for low poly stuff, which you will see in the form of special levels in the upcoming Polyforge update 🙂

Not a whole lot to complain about with regards to the tools. They are really flexible and pretty much allow you to build anything once you’ve put some hours into it.

 

Ok, here is a difficult question. What was the hardest problem you needed to overcome when developing Polyforge?

Definitely the sound design! Polyforge started off with a very upbeat rhythmic track with shattering “crystal like” sound effects. Needless to say because the shooting in Polyforge can be quite sporadic it just got very annoying and actually distracted the player.

I’m very happy with the sound design I’ve ended up with.

 

Last question. Where do you get your inspiration or ideas from?

Everywhere really. Games I play, shows I watch, music I listen to. So much inspiration can be drawn from the world around us, both the natural and man made. I try and keep my mind open to new ideas all the time, and so when inspiration strikes I make sure I note it down for later.

 

A few words to Polyforge fans on Edamame Reviews.

Look out for the upcoming Polyforge update. Some new game ideas have been brewing away too, so keep an eye out on my Twitter feed where I post regular updates.

Follow Tony Luk on Twitter

 

Lastly a few words on how you feel about Edamame Reviews and our service.

You guys are awesome. It is rare for a review site to be able to get back to all of its applicants, and I hope you guys will be able to keep this up as Edamame continues to grow. It really does give the new guys a fighting chance in this very, very tough market.

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