Interview: Over The Top Games Discuss NyxQuest

Cubed3's Karn Bianco: NyxQuest was previously known as Icarian, why the change?

Over The Top Games Director Roberto Âlvarez de Lara: There were legal reasons, and although we had duly registered our name, we considered we couldn't afford to embark in expenses and litigation. Some people mentioned it had to do with Kid Icarus, that is not true.

Karn: What inspired the game's setting and story?

Roberto: The game is based in the original Greek Mythology story of Icarus. We had the intention to create a game of a character that was helped by the gods, being the gods represented by the Wii Remote. With this in mind, the Ancient Greece setting fit very well.

On a side note, we intended to have a flying character and control this character with the Wii Remote. When thinking of a flying character we thought about Icarus (later we changed him for Nyx).

On the first gameplay prototype we had the character wings controlled with movements from the motion controller. You had to do brief movements to flap the wings. After a few days my wrist were hurting, so we dumped that idea and made him jump with the press of a button.

Karn: Has the game performed well, sales wise? Are you pleased?

Roberto: We cant comment directly on sales, but we are happy about the overall performance of the game. We are very happy of the good reviews and the good critics that NyxQuest is receiving.

Karn: Have you considered releasing the game at retail?

Roberto: Yes! And this is something we are currently pursuing. We have some very good ideas and prototypes that could work in a "bigger" and more spectacular NyxQuest game. If you know of a publisher interested in a project like this, talk to them about us ;)

Karn: Have you considered a DS version of the game that uses the touch screen?

Roberto: This is something that is very interesting for us, too. The NyxQuest gameplay fits very well with the touch screen and stylus control. This is something that we have in mind for some time.

Karn: Are there currently any plans for a sequel?

Roberto: Definitely. :)

Karn: What's next for Over The Top Games?

Rob: Our current focus is to continue supporting games for the digital download markets. We would like to develop for Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network. We are making our company grow to be able to develop bigger games for these platforms and hopefully we will announce something soon.

Karn: How did the team get their start in the industry?

Roberto: I started making games in my bedroom with good ol' BASIC. I have been making games since i was very young. At one time, I presented my CV and my portfolio of small finished to Pyro Studios and got a job there.

My other team mates had similar stories. Some of them studied Software Engineering, 3D Animation, and classic drawing. Most of us worked for other game dev companies before joining Over the Top Games.

Karn: As an indie developer, how have you found working with Nintendo and WiiWare?

Roberto: It has been a very good experience. They gave us great support and provided very good feedback. Since the start they have been very excited about our game and have helped us in the process.

Thanks to Roberto and the rest of the Over The Top Games team for answering our questions. Remember that you can read Cubed3's full review of NyxQuest: Kindred Sprites right here.