GDN recently had the opportunity to chat exclusively with Darren McGrath, VP of Creative Development at InLight Entertainment about their upcoming DS undead extravaganza, Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys!
GDN: How would you best describe the theme of Teenage Zombies?
DM: Teenage Zombies is most definitely an homage to the B-Movies! I’ve always really enjoyed horror and sci-fi, even as a young kid. Giving a comic book twist to the campy B-movie horror and sci-fi genres really felt like a great starting point. Of course, humor plays a significant role too.
GDN: Is this a game comprised of linear levels with end bosses, or is there exploration and puzzle solving to be done?
DM: We’ve always positioned this as a “thinking man’s” platformer. Lots of battles along the way but the player really needs to use their brains (pun intended). Lots of diabolical puzzles in addition to the mayhem!
GDN: The comedy aspect of Teenage Zombies appears to be quite central to the game’s enjoyment. Did you enlist the aid of comedy or fiction writers?
DM: This title is very much an InLight Entertainment production. We wrote it and did the voice acting in-house. We have some pretty funny people here and it seemed to really fit the lo-fi sci-fi tone that we were going for.
GDN: How important would you say the story and the jokes are to the game?
DM: We’re pretty big on story here. I think that most players are able to compress a great deal of back story and prior knowledge into their gaming experience when they sit down to play. That needs to be acknowledged in the development phase. Combing a couple of B-movie genres with the associated campy humour really felt very fresh to us. Yeah, it’s very important.
GDN: What particular aspect of Teenage Zombies still makes you smile, shout and get all too excited even after the bulk of the development is completed?
DM: That’s a tough one! I think that it’s going to be a really popular game for players looking for something different than the usual take on the genre. If I had to pick… I’m especially proud of the character and the premise.
GDN: What’s the first thing that’s really going to jump out at us the first time we play Teenage Zombies?
DM: I think that the fact the vintage style intro comics are so authentically recreated and actually voiced is quite unique. The comic book flavour is prevalent throughout.
GDN: Even cartoony, comedic games still need a unique gameplay and technological “edge”. What would you say is Teenage Zombies’ edge that’s going to make it stand out?
DM: The look. The backgrounds in particular are stunning! We developed a process for creating them that allowed us to not have to rely the typical tile based approach. I don’t think that I’ve seen a DS game that looks as good as ours. I also think that being able to swap characters on the fly, to best take advantage of their special attributes and power-ups, is very cool.
GDN: Gamers these days tend to expect the unique qualities of a game system, particularly the DS and Wii, to be fully exploited in new games. Does Teenage Zombies make special use of the DS, or is it more of a “classically controlled” title?
DM: Given the nature of the varied play patterns, I’d say that the game mechanics deployed both a classical approach to the controls and also leveraged the unique aspects of the platform. There are lots of mini-games in addition to the side scrolling aspect. These really heavily on the stylus.
GDN: Are there any movie, personal or pop culture references we should look out for in the game?
DM: Ha! There are lots but it wouldn’t be any fun if I told you.
GDN: How much of a learning experience has the development of Teenage Zombies been for Inlight Entertainment?
DM: Honestly, I think that during every game that we’ve ever made there’s always lots of learning associated with it. Optimizing the technology, refining the art and animation process and pushing the design envelope. It’s all about learning new and better techniques every time at bat. That’s what keeps this industry so vital.
GDN: What sort of problems did you face during development of Teenage Zombies?
DM: Probably cart space. We had so many additional things that we’d like to have added. I guess that’s what sequels are for…
GDN: Will there be any multiplayer or online content in Teenage Zombies?
DM: Due to some of the more puzzle based aspects of the game, we didn’t really think that multi-player would have been all that compelling for this specific game.
GDN: Are there any plans for a release on other formats?
DM: Wii are currently discussing other platforms, yes.
GDN: When you’re not playing Teenage Zombies, what other games do you all like to play?
DM: Right now I’m really digging Resident Evil 4 on the Wii.
GDN: When the alien invasion/zombie holocaust comes, will playing Teenage Zombies have prepared us for bitter survival?
DM: Just so long as everyone was playing attention!
GDN: If you had to choose one weapon when the invasion/holocaust began, what would it be?
DM: My hot tub. Might as well be comfortable.
GDN: Do you believe in aliens?
DM: Well yeah… duh!
GDN: If you were bitten by a zombie, would you want your mates there at Inlight Entertainment to: A) shoot you in the head, or B) let you live on as an undead cannibal?
DM: Well, there are probably lots of folks here at InLight who would like to shoot me in the head, so I’m gonna go with A.
GDN: Do you have a message for the gamers of the world?
DM: Buy our game. You’ll dig it!
