Interview | Dakko Dakko on Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails

Cubed3: Can you please introduce yourself and the team at Dakko Dakko?
 
Dan Croucher: Hi, I'm Dan Croucher, producer, and we also have Rhodri (Broadbent), founder and designer, and Thom, Gary and Sam.

Cubed3: What previous games and projects had you worked on before starting Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails?
 
Dan: My background is predominantly with Relentless Software, best known for the Buzz! series on PlayStation, and more recently I worked there on a big Kinect game for Microsoft, called Kinect Nat Geo TV. Rhod has been making games as Dakko Dakko for some time now, but before that was at Q-Games in Kyoto, working on the Pixeljunk series.

Cubed3: We love the game's name! Can you please tell us about the concept and how it came to be?
 
Dan: Well, from the start the game was about being attached to the wall and shooting outwards. Sometime into development we moved to more curved rails. The idea that a second character would exist on the TV as you play came from the Wii U's unique setup, and that character became your pet cat! We like the idea that player didn't necessarily get top-billing in the name...

Cubed3: How do the rails and shooter experience come into play in Scram Kitty?
 
Dan: The rails are key to it all really, especially the shooting. Because you can only shoot directly forwards, but can ride the rails in any direction, the angle and curve of rails decides where you can shoot. With free-flying enemies, the main strategy of the game is using the rails as you ride and jump for maximum shooting potential. It's a new type of platformer/shooter we think, where both parts truly co-exist and inform each other.

Cubed3: Whilst the game does look and sound unique in its visual and gameplay direction, are there any classic shooters that inspired the design?
 
Dan: We've often cited Treasure as a visual influence, then there's some Bitmap Brothers in there, some 80s Saturday morning cartoons - it's an unconscious product of all of our influences really.

Cubed3: Did you always have the Wii U in mind for the project, and what's it like having worked with Nintendo's home console?
 
Dan: Yes, Scram Kitty was a Wii U game from the start, and we've been really happy developing for it. Systems are straightforward, there's loads of power and developer support is great. And then the GamePad and peripherals have been great to work with, as they open up new opportunities.

Cubed3: How does the Wii U GamePad come into play? Could the game be ported to other touch-screen systems, say tablets or smartphones?
 
Dan: We use the GamePad as the main game view, with the TV used as the 'Spectator View' where Scram Kitty appears, so it's integral in that way. You can switch the screens over of course, and we also support the Pro Controller. We hardly use touch to be honest, and we very much develop around physical buttons and controls so purely touch-screen systems are unlikely to be a good home for the game, I would say.
 
Cubed3: Is Nintendo 3DS totally out of the question?
 
Dan: Nothing's totally out of the question! 3DS is an amazing system, and we'd love to try it out, but we want to see how things go on Wii U first.
 

Cubed3: Is there scope for any multiplayer options, or even online elements? If not, can you please explain why?
 
Dan: Multiplayer options is something we'd love to have done, we have a million ideas for that, some so big that we'd be talking about a new game... Online is much less likely to be a good fit for Scram Kitty as it is now, due to lag - we are very much about 60fps and there is so much split second timing in the game that we don't think online multiplayer is a good fit. That said in a future game we'd love to explore other online mechanics - there's a lot of options!

Cubed3: The musical direction is really fitting for game's visual style from what we've heard so far. How do you go about composing the right sort of music for the levels? Will there also be any voice acting included?
 
Dan: Our music is composed by Samuel Baker, who'll also be releasing a Soundtrack soon - I think he takes the visuals as a cue, then the style of play, the pace of the levels. We work closely with him as the game develops to keep it all working well together. He also did all the game SFX, including Kitty's voice, but no, there's no true voice acting.

Cubed3: What elements are there for more novice players?
 
Dan: Every stage has one cat to save that hangs out at the exit, so there'll always be the "easy" way to complete each stage. Then the other cat types demand more skill, but within the same stage. The mechanics of Scram Kitty are very new and unique, so it can take some time to adjust, but then the game opens up the longer you play - as a player's skill in rail riding improves, they find that they can do more, explore more, and start to really master the stages, rather than just getting past them.

Cubed3: What hurdles have you had going at it as part of an independent team?
 
Dan: Well, no real hurdles, but coming from a larger developer, working with big publishers, for me the main difference is that we do everything, and we can only do so much in a day with a small team. However, what has struck me is that a small team does have advantages on the design and implementation side, because we can just decide it, then do it and there's no back and forth with team meetings or publisher approval. Our main hurdle is that we have to do everything ourselves, but that's also our main strength.

Cubed3: What are your thoughts on Nintendo's approach to indie developers in general?
 
Dan: I think they have a good approach. They've been hugely supportive of us, putting Scram Kitty and other indie titles on booths at big shows (including E3) right up next to their first-party titles. And right through development they've been understanding of our size, our resources and how they can best help our game be a big success.

Cubed3: If you could work on any Nintendo franchise new or old, what would it be any why?
What I'd love to do is wield Nintendo's development innovation and power to make a new franchise...

Cubed3: What are your plans for the future - would you consider a sequel or DLC perhaps?
 
Dan: We have many plans for the future, partly depending on how Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails is received. We have loads of ideas for a sequel, and loads of ideas for new games, so we'll have to see how things pan out.

 
Cubed3: Finally, how well do you think Scram Kitty would fit into a game like Smash Bros.?
 
Dan: On his own, useless, he seems to just give advice rather than be good at anything, let alone fighting. But maybe as a pair, with Buddy and his spinboard and flamethrower...