Alpha: With me today, all the way from Sweden is Joakim Sandberg! He is here today to answer some questions we have about Iconoclasts, a sidescrolling Metroidvania-like action, puzzle, and platformer.
At least, I think I got that right! Can you better try to give us a sales pitch as to what Iconoclasts is, in terms of the story and gameplay?
Joakim: That's a good, quick summation, really! I'd cut the 'vania, but otherwise very succinct.
Iconoclasts is indeed an action-platformer with some exploration and a world to experience, but with a larger focus on its set-pieces, characters and bosses. You follow Robin, an illegal mechanic being hunted as a sinner, along with Mina, Elro, Royal and several others with their own agendas and problems. With young Robin's big wrench she tries her best to survive, fighting monsters and skipping obstacles, but also keeping her unending willingness to help others, naively hoping to be able to make anyone she meets happier.
Alpha: Now, this game started all the way in 2012, isn't that correct? What has the journey for Iconoclasts been like since then?
Joakim: The game had its prototype made before 2010, or at least very early 2010. I went on to try something else, but returned to it that year and that's when development truly started. The first public alpha release happened in early half of 2011 as I had some personal issues and lost motivation with the project and was set on abandoning it, but public reception eventually brought me back to it. Even with that, it's been a hard road, mentally and motivationally. But I've kept working on it to this day, giving it almost all of my time. There's been ups and downs, many frustrations and many personal problems, but hey, I'm here now, finally backed by people giving me a kick in the butt to finish this thing off!
Alpha: So, you now have a partnership with Bifrost Entertainment. What has that relationship been like, and how has Iconoclasts benefited from it?
Joakim: The relationship is good! They're great, productive people, and they're still going at it despite my “fluctuations”! I'm always surprised when other people may have any form of interest in helping me in my crazy endeavors, and this time it's really appreciated as it's made making the game feel that much more secure, and also not as locked down to old game engines as the game has been. That was another cause for concern regarding the game's future.
So the major benefit is that the game won't be stuck in a piece of software I've been using, that had its source abandoned years ago. This way, we can hopefully reach many more people. We will also have more active eyes on the project's actual quality, whether I want to or not, having been very closed about my work. Faster, useful feedback! I'm still making the game itself, and they are in charge of actually making people able to play it - a very important aspect to video games - and enjoy it and experience it well.
http://i.imgur.com/gzOwkal....
Alpha: As a fan of Dark Cloud, I really enjoyed playing as a mechanic who wielded a wrench as a weapon. What kind of weapons can Robin expect to use in combat?
Joakim: I've been a long fan of making the most out of less tools, and rather have the tools you get work together to create new gameplay mechanics. Robin is all about her over-sized wrench. She'll stick with it, upgrade it a couple times, and then rely on a few types of shots for her handgun. Something I very much like about a focused group of ideas is you don't actually tell the player what you have to use next by handing you the next of 20 items right before you need it. At some point an obstacle will look like it needs a new solution, and you try things to find out something you could do all along.
You will be swinging around with your wrench, electrifying things, activating machines and all those fun things, even parrying and deflecting with it, the key skills for any mechanic. The gun will have features beyond knocking things out, like rolling bomb pellets into place to open up a path, or even electrifying your shots when combining the features of the wrench.
Alpha: Of course, you are using combat against a variety of enemy types. My favourite has got to be the reindeer, who was not as friendly as I assumed it to be. What kind of foes can Robin expect to run into?
Joakim: The enemies in Iconoclasts like to have a strategy. A lot of them are placed where the approach changes whenever they're placed somewhere new. Basically, the game is an action-puzzling game, and that goes for the enemies as well. It's a game less about shoving away whatever's in your way, and more about figuring out how to breeze past them with strategy.
Alpha: Is it... just you? Did you do all this? Can you tell us a little more about you, Joakim?
Joakim: Iconoclasts and its content has been a very long solo project. There hasn't been anyone else until recently, and I'll continue to be the one to finish the game content itself. That goes for anything you play, see, read or hear in the game. It's pretty much my final attempt at making a game like it, as I've been wanting to since I was a kid. The scope has been a bit ridiculous, and it's been my life for soon-to-be six years, with some previously mentioned "hiccups". It's been a long road!
As for me, I'm just some late-twenties guy from Sweden, looking to finish his game, and who occasionally draws some art recreationally. That entirely sums up my current state!
http://i.imgur.com/qrCp0bq....
Alpha: The world of Iconoclasts has some pretty neat exploration! I've noticed some cleverly hidden areas that hid treasure boxes. In these treasure boxes were resources. What exactly are these resources, and how important is exploration in Iconoclasts?
Joakim: Iconoclasts is heavily narrative-driven, and likes to change up its action and set-pieces. It's not a classic "metroidvania", and much more of a Monster World 4 or Metroid Fusion. As you say, there's a bunch of secrets to be found, and areas to revisit, but it is its own, focused adventure narrative. If you played the games mentioned, you get a sense of the progression. Most of all Metroid Fusion, one of my favorite games.
The items you find will help you to unlock power-ups and learn more about the world.
Alpha: Going back to the presentation here, I absolutely love the style of music used in Iconoclasts. Can you give our fans a better description of the mood you try to convey with music? Were there any inspirations with your soundtrack?
Joakim: I think my music, in its current form, approaches a more modern chiptune and MIDI found in systems in the later '90s. But it's not much of a conscious attempt to do so, it's mostly how my music turns out, haha. I hope to cover a wider range someday, but I am happy you - as well as others - find it very fitting! I may just love music more than video games as a medium, because I would be nothing without it.
All of my ideas stem from listening to a specific music track, usually when I'm out biking, walking or running. Basically anytime I'm least able to jot ideas down, frustratingly, but regardless of that it's thanks to music. It's most commonly other games music, as I believe it gives me ideas in the sense of that music having been composed to accompany gameplay. It makes my ideas form in my head, fitting that music. But I have plenty of types of music to thank, as well. There's something to enjoy in every single genre. Even when I don't find a song good, I can still love it for what it tries to be, what genre it is, or just ironically. I couldn't mention a single inspiration. I rarely love an entire album or soundtrack.
http://i.imgur.com/eUHu9RR....
Alpha: Now, the sin of hobbies is of course Robin's flaw, as she just can't help but be a mechanic. I find that I am very curious about the story here, and I've managed to find some answers by talking to some NPCs! Will players be able to explore more about the lore and background of this world? If so, how?
Joakim: The immediate plot of Iconoclasts follows Robin and a few people that tag along with her. You get to see how they handle living in this world, and how they struggle with relationships and goals. Meanwhile, a lot of their situation is due to the world they're in, and as such you learn about the world in the background, and from where you go and what you see around you. I like that approach of trying to have a core, personal focus on interesting characters doing what they do, and whatever that may lead them to, and accompanying that with mysteries about the details of the situation and world they live in! They will of course come across pivotal situations that affect the world, but most of all it's about them surviving, or helping others survive.
The plot of Iconoclasts is, on first impression, about a world with the quite classic scenario of a shady, controlling government. In this world there exists a fuel called Ivory that is immensely efficient and powerful, and is considered divine as a result, making you not allowed to handle it without express permission, or you need to be a person of the faith. Mechanics are those that get closest to Ivory, so it is a job very meticulously mandated by the government. All jobs are assigned by them in this world, but mechanics are especially noteworthy. Robin, our main character. has learned how to fix things from her father, and at the start of the game finds herself helping out the settlement people with any problem they may have, so they don't have to pay. But she can't keep doing that forever, as there eventually is far too few calls for actual mechanics to do their job. And eventually it does fall down on Robin and her family, and that's where it all sets off, and you get to find out more about how this state of the world has come to be.
I have always wanted to tell a story about interesting characters dealing with specific mental and social problems for a long time. It's a challenge!
Alpha: Now, Robin isn't the only character you will get to control. Can you tell us how the party system works?
Joakim: At times there will be boss battles and set-pieces that have you control other characters to push through. I did it because I thought it'd be neat.
Other than that, the party system is mostly narrative. People will follow you along, share in your experiences and help (or hinder) you.
http://i.imgur.com/VS5CCmG....
Alpha: Puzzle solving is required often in Iconoclasts, and I found myself enjoying it a lot! What can fans expect to find in terms of puzzle design?
Joakim: The puzzling ranges from placing things where they need to go, opening doors and finding keys, to mid-action puzzles, quick execution and equipment trickery. At the core of it is the wrench, which will have a multitude of abilities and ways to move you around. There are types of obstacles you operate differently depending on your arsenal, so you may want to move an elevator with your electrified wrench letting you fire a bomb, electrifying it, in the direction of the battery that operates the elevator. The game is a large obstacle course a lot of the time, again bringing in the influence from games like Monster World 4. But without the ice pyramid level.
Alpha: I have to say, I really enjoyed the boss fights in the game! As a game designer, what is your approach to designing boss fights?
Joakim: I've had a vast affinity for bosses in my video games. It's been tough years recently as bosses have been quite faltering in games, but in recent years they're luckily clawing back, being carefully considered and put in the games and places they should be. When I released my previous commercial game Noitu Love 2, around the time when Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba, I got a reputation for bosses. I hope to keep that going here, as it's pretty much the events I aim to reach in any game with action in it. I usually like to design a boss with a strategy not unlike a Zelda game, but this game caters to both the glowing weak points and the barrage of shots until a boss surrenders.
Alpha: Lastly, with all this talking going on, I have to urge readers to try this game for themselves! Can you tell us where they can download the alpha and see for themselves what makes Iconoclasts so special? And where can our fans follow you on social media?
Joakim: People can go to http://www.konjak.org to check out my old work, and find a playable Iconoclasts alpha, derived from the alpha I released in 2011. It is not entirely representative of the final product, etc, etc. It's newer than 2011, but released as another check on how it ran for people. It still runs on the old Windows-only engine, so you may have issues, but I hope not!
Bifrost is found at http://www.bifrostent.com. My work updates are found at http://www.twitter.com/@kon... on Twitter, whilst I talk about random garbage, as well as my work, at http://www.twitter.com/@kon... . Or if those are not interesting, please visit the tumblr http://konjakonjak.tumblr.c... Thanks <3.
http://i.imgur.com/DjgFCeh....
Day 32 | Joakim Sandberg
According to Rockstar Games, all footage shown in the GTA 6 Trailer 2 video was captured on a “PS5”, not a “PS5 Pro”.
In 2028 at minimum according to leakers it's estimated that the pc version is 18 months behind the console version.
Also you can bet that if the next gen consoles come in 2027 it's likely they will be given priority over the PC version just like with GTA v where the PS360 version launched first then the PS4/Xbox one and even later the PC version.
Similar thing with GTA IV PC came about 1.5 years later.
It will come to PC but don't hold your breath
Here is the now confirmed legit rumour that states PC is 12 to 18 months behind
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ga...
I don't think there's really going to be a whole lot in it, higher resolution, maybe a bit better on detail here and there? They both have the same CPU and even if Pro runs it better I don't think either console will be more than 30-40fps with dips.
CPU will be a limiting factor, and you can bet R* will want double dippers with console to PC and also console to next gen consoles.
Pc gamers are going to lose there minds knowing this was captured on a PS5
welcome to reality
No gameplay is lame. But I suppose rockstar usually waits til close to release for a full gameplay breakdown.
Celebrate the holiday by getting some of the best Star Wars games compatible with your Steam Deck. Which one is your favorite?
Little Nightmares III receives an Advisory 16 rating in Singapore. Set in a haunting world, the horror adventure features new protagonists, eerie environments, and disturbing encounters.
I love Metroid Fusion and it's great to hear the game is inspired by that.
I also love hearing about all the games with interesting/fun boss battles lately.
Was able to download the alpha from the link in this one. Thanks, now it's time to test it out
Good interview.
reminds me of shovel knight !
hope i can get this soon
looks and sounds cool. The art is very nice from the screenshots.