Cubed3 Exclusive Interview | DK-Games Get Fizzy

CK: My name is Christophe Kohler. I’m 34 and the owner of DK-Games.

MM: How long has DK-Games been in the industry? What experiences does the team have?

CK: DK-Games was created in 2006. We worked on a 3D life simulator ('My Little Flufties' on DS, PC and PS2). As DK-Games is a gathering of independent workers, the teams change for each project. There are currently 10 people involved in DK-Games, from junior to senior.

MM: What is the aim of Fizz, and what are the core gameplay mechanics?

CK: The central and principal game board is composed of twenty-five points, each with four antennae. Each antenna can contain four colours. The goal is to create energy flows by aligning colours. When a loop is created, points are destructed and others points come into the board. The simply and addictive concept of Fizz is to last as long as possible and get the highest score. It's also a game of reflection where chance plays a large role. The well defined presentation and layout of Fizz is similar to a board game, where the player can turn and move antennae with the central aim in finding different combinations in order to create energy loops.

The principal element of the game is energy and by combining the correct colours, energy fluxes are formed. The bigger the energy loops, the more points the player receives. This basic game principle is supplemented with bonuses and setbacks. Bonuses are special antennae that help the player, whilst the setbacks take the form of broken antennae or exterior elements such as asteroids, meteorite showers, etc., which hinder the players progression by destructing nodes (meteorites, aliens), changing colours (magnetic storms, Pulsars) or blocking movement of the node (magnetic spheres).

MM: Can you please describe what a 'Spatial Puzzle Game' actually is? How does it differ from a regular puzzle game?

CK: 'Space' is the main theme of the game. We thought it would be a nice idea to have spatial ambiance in the visual and audio. The game itself uses a system of satellites and antennas that can create and transmit energy. Gameplay and the spatial theme fit very well.

MM: How will the dual-screen aspect of the DS be used and how will touch-screen use be implemented into the final game?

CK: The action takes place on the touch screen. The other screen has been used to display score goals and secondary pieces of information like the nature of incoming event when an alert is noticed. This way player can focus on the game and check secondary info. on the second screen when he likes.

The game is played using the stylus. The player has to rotate (circle movement), move (straight lines) and repair (scratch screen) elements on screen. This makes intensive use of stylus. Moreover, some events [appearances] like aliens or magnetic spheres need to be hit quickly multiple times.

MM: There are at least two teams of characters in the game. What are the differences between the Nexten and Xtrem teams and was their creation inspired by anything or anyone in particular? Are there other teams included in the game as well?

CK: There are 5 different teams. Each is composed of a boy and a girl.

The choice of a character will not have influence in the game. These are only avatars. You can select them if you like their style or if you like their functions; there is one team of computer scientists, warriors, pilots, scientists and artists.

MMK Will multiplayer be via local wireless only or will the online Wi-Fi Connection be utilised as well?

CK: The multiplayer mode can be played in local wireless mode. You can play with up to 4 players through 2 modes and 40 difficult levels.

MM: What inspirations have you drawn upon in the creation of Fizz?

CK: I liked the idea of having a puzzle game based on diagonals instead of usual blocks. I also wanted to create a system where player has many combination opportunities, this is how the loops system has been set up (the goal of the game is to create energy loops, any size). To bring more dynamism to the game I added the “don’t cross the streams” rule (reference to the ‘Ghostbusters’ movie).

From that base, Bruno (the game designer) and me started thinking about the details, points system, game modes and funny events. We are proud of the result, I hope many people are going to have fun with it.

MM: Do you think the idea of Fizz would translate well onto Wii? Or would it be more suited to the WiiWare download service?

CK: The main idea would well fit the Wii because the game is full of different motions. We have many ideas for a sequel and a “Super Fizz” game would be nice on Wii.

Fizz would also be nice on WiiWare. I’m going to think about it.

MM: What are your general thoughts on WiiWare? And is it something you will actively be looking to support in the near future?

CK: I’ve been waiting for the WiiWare service since year one. I think it is a really good idea and I cross my fingers that it will meet success. For independent teams like us, this is a way to touch the market with interesting games. You might know that the classical distribution system is really aggressive and it is very hard to gain money through it (developers only receive a small portion of the money from the global sale price). I’m convinced that the future is based on download systems, so I’ll support it.

MM: You are currently an official developer for Nintendo's Wii. Do you have any projects for the system already? And can you tell us anything at all about what you have in the works, please?

CK: We have several concepts ready for the Nintendo Wii and we hope we’ll be able to start one soon. Wii is a perfect platform for us because we can focus on game quality instead of technical consideration or game size. Our goal is to develop games with strong ideas and good gameplay. We have interesting projects for DS and Wii filling that philosophy, we are taking (and will take) much fun from developing them.

MM: Is there any particular reason for DK-Games focusing on more family-oriented projects at the moment? Is this personal choice, or more due to the audience thought to be making up a large portion of DS owners?

CK: Our goal is to focus on gameplay and produce middle size games. This is mainly because our teams are small (6 people max.), as are our development processes (6 to 8 months). This way we never get bored of developing a game and we keep our energy at maximum from start to end.

Working on kid or family-oriented games is more fun for developers. That audience focuses on gameplay instead of technical aspect. This matches perfectly with our primary goal.

MM: What games are you looking forward to in the future?

CK: 'Tribes War' will be my next game. This is an “intelligent party game” featuring many fresh and funny ideas. That game will perfectly fit the DS. I hope I’ll soon come back again to speak about it.

MM: Finally, what games are you playing in your own free time at the moment?

CK: I’ve finished God of War 2 on PS2 and I’m playing Resident Evil 4 on the Wii. I already have gone through it on GameCube but that game is definitely worth being played again.

MM: Thank you for your time!

CK: Thank you for your interest in Fizz.