Interview | EnjoyUp Games Talks Nintendo Support

Julio Moruno Fernández, Lead Game Designer at EnjoyUp Games: EnjoyUp is a young studio created in 2005. The first team started with JoBi (programmer and designer), Julio (graphics and designer) and Javier Menossi (musician). This is how the first Chronos Twin was released for the GBA system. Later, this game was ported to the NDS, which was the perfect platform for our project thanks to its dual-screen. After that, EnjoyUp signed a contract with Gammick Entertainment to develop Zombie BBQ, and our team grew up to six members.

Cubed3: Can you tell our readers a bit about your background in the Videogame Industry?

Julio: Well, almost all of us started with the Amiga computer. Some started coding, others began making sprites with the classic Deluxe Paint… Later we started working at Bit Managers, a company where we had the opportunity to gain more experience. I was working on projects for companies like Infogrames and Acclaim, on titles like Turok (GB), Tintin or Asterix. We also worked on projects for the PlayStation, PS2 and Nintendo DS. We even participated in some arcade games like Tokio Cop by Gaelco. As you see, our team has a solid background in the game industry…

Cubed3: How well has the DS version of Chronos Twin done so far in Europe? Why was there no US release?

Julio: We are very pleased by the acceptance of Chronos Twin by users and the Press. About the US version, it was not released for reasons related to the current market demands. The current situation makes it very difficult for lesser known titles to get released. But now we are lucky to have the WiiWare and DSiWare platforms, which have allowed us to release our games without depending on publishers.

Cubed3: How long did it take to transfer the game across to both Wii and DSi download services?

Julio: About 12 months for the WiiWare version. We have improved the character design and added 3D graphics. We also improved the soundtrack and gameplay. For the DSiWare version, it was easier because it is much more like the original DS version.

Cubed3: What sort of problems did you encounter during development?

Julio: The main difficulty was the camera tuning, because we had only one screen and had to split it in two, and then had to render two screens at the same time. Apart from this issue, the project was quite fluent once we had a way to transform it from 2D to 3D.

Cubed3: Have you seen Konami's Reflection on DSiWare? The development team says it had never seen Chronos Twin DS before the Reflection project started. What are your thoughts on the similarities between your game and their project?

Julio: Yes, we know about it, and it may look a bit strange they don't know Chronos Twin on DS and they didn't get any of their concepts from other projects…So, there are those comparisons. By the way, we think it is positive to see other games similar to Chronos Twins, because this means the main concept has some appeal…

Cubed3: The original DS release was known as Chronos Twin. For the DX versions, the title has changed to become Chronos Twins. Is there any particular reason behind this decision?

Julio: Actually no, we simply thought Chronos Twins was more appropriated. As for the DX, it stands for “Deluxe”.

Cubed3: The retail version of Chronos Twin was extremely challenging. Have you adjusted the level of difficulty for the DSiWare/WiiWare releases to either make it easier (to encourage newcomers) or harder (to give veterans a good challenge)?

Julio: Yes, we have improved that point a lot; although it is still challenging, because the main concept has not changed. The game is more accessible in many ways now, as we added three difficulty levels, more checkpoints to resume the adventure, and no enemy re-spawning…Well, quite a few small details that improve the game, and ones that we are sure players will welcome. In short, it is more accessible to those members of the public who like this type of game.

Julio: Starting with the new 3D graphics and the many new special effects, such as blooming, fog, normal mapping, lights, particles…We also made a new sound set for the game, the soundtrack has been rearranged, and the quality of both sound effects and music has been improved. Another important point is the gameplay, as we believe it is a new and original concept which, once you try it, you realise how funny it is.

Cubed3: Are there many ideas that you had to leave out due to file size restrictions or constraints related to the deadline?

Julio: Of course, you can always add more details. Games like this give so much. But these things happen to all game developers. Yet this has become a well-balanced product in all aspects. About the file size, the truth is that we did a fair bit to put all the 19 levels’ graphics in (about 70MB’s worth of data). Thanks to data compression techniques, we managed to do it!

Cubed3: If Chronos Twins DX does well, are you looking to develop a full sequel? If so, do you think that you would go the retail route again or continue with the downloadable platforms?

Julio: Well, it's still early to think about a sequel, we need to see public acceptance first. For now, the reviews are good, as we got an 8 at IGN and the ‘Best Game of the Month’ award for WiiWare. We have just started to line up some ideas, as this dual-play system has much to offer. In fact, we are thinking about many of those ideas we left out of this release, like new interesting puzzles and some enemies with unusual behaviour that we would like to include. The next release would be most probably for downloadable platforms as well. Now it is the best choice for us, unless a publisher shows some interest…

Cubed3: Do you have an estimated release date in Europe for both the DSiWare and WiiWare versions?

Julio: WiiWare version will be available on 2nd April, but we don't have a release date for the DSiWare version yet.

Cubed3: Will you be bringing these games to any non-Nintendo formats in the future?

Julio: There is a possibility, but we are happy with the support received from Nintendo, both at software and hardware levels.

Cubed3: What became of EnjoyUp's DS title Break Soul?

Julio: Break Soul is at the moment still at the pre-production stage. It's a pretty big project and everything has to be well thought. We can't give more information on Break Soul for now.

Julio: EnjoyUp Soccer is our current project, and it is progressing well. Also we have to say that EnjoyUp Soccer is not the final name. In this game, many players will have the opportunity to enjoy that retro football feeling again. Many players are missing that sense of fun now…and surprise. What this game will offer above all is the gameplay control, with players able to perform the shots they want and have free control over the play, unlike other current football games, where almost everything is automated.

Cubed3: Will it include online multiplayer so that you can really take your team worldwide?

Julio: It's something we're considering, but we believe that this title needs a fairly high level of precision to be played, and a loss of network data would affect the gameplay too much. Of course, we will consider this possibility, and we will draw our final conclusions after our various tests.

Cubed3: When is EnjoyUp Soccer (temporary name) scheduled for release?

Julio: We don't have a date yet, but we would like it to be next summer.

Cubed3: Akaoni Studio's Zombie Panic in Wonderland has many similarities to your Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ game. Have you worked closely with your fellow Spanish developer?

Julio: Haha, well! The creator of Zombie Panic in Wonderland was the Producer of Little Red Riding Hood´s Zombie BBQ, and we were working for Gammick Entertainment, it was a fun and an enjoyable development process.

Cubed3: How well did Zombie BBQ do at retail in the US, and how is the game currently doing on DSiWare in Europe?

Julio: Currently the situation is difficult for projects without an established IP. Luckily as the times change, the DSi Shop is a really nice way to sell this type of product at good price without intermediaries. There are more advantages than disadvantages. The main problem we see is that the majority of the users don't know that the channel exists.

Cubed3: Will the download version also be made available in the US at some point?

Julio: That's a question for the producer, Gammick Entertainment. Currently there aren't plans for doing this, but can't it is an idea that cannot be discarded. Anyway the product can still be purchased directly on shops in USA.

Cubed3: Zombie BBQ is an extremely enjoyable action shooter. Do you have plans to make a sequel or bring the game to WiiWare at some point?

Julio: We have considered this. It's an interesting product and allows for a wide range of creativity with popular tales and stories.

Julio: Well, of course it will be fantastic doing such a type of product. I bought Nanostray 2, it's an excellent game with good graphics and good gameplay - my congratulations to Shin'en. Personally, as a player I will buy a future Nanostray 3 without thinking. If some day we decide to develop a similar product we will try to do something like Treasure's Radiant Silver Gun. I think they are the best at this kind of product.

To finish, I wish to tell to users that to Chronos Twins DX. I'm sure that they will enjoy the game, or at least won't be indifferent to it due to its originality and creativity. Also we give thanks to Cubed3’s Adam and Mike for their support and, of course, the rest of Cubed3, since without them it would be very difficult for products like ours to become well-known amongst gamers!