Robert Anderson is a senior software engineer by day and project lead for a team in the largest property portal in South Africa. In the evenings and on the weekends he works solo in the indie game industry under the name of Devil's Peek Games. For the last two and a half years he has been building a rather unique puzzler by the name of ORB. Today we have conducted an interview with him.
What kind of puzzle games do you like to play? Is it different from the puzzle game you have developed?
I have always enjoyed a good puzzle adventure game. Titles that Sierra are famous for such Police, Space and Kings Quests, as well as the many awesome titles from LucasArts such as Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. It also goes without saying that the more modern puzzle games such as Portal, Braid and Fez are high on my recommendation list. In truth, I enjoy most forms of puzzle games, even good old Tetris.
The Puzzleverse combines many puzzle elements from different styles of puzzle games - picked up and conceptualised through the years of playing games - as such I believe the Puzzleverse is quite unique.
What sort of impact you are expecting the game's abilities to achieve?
I believe that any game needs to keep the player learning as well as adequately rewarded for taking the time to learn. Not only does it make the player want to continue playing the game, but it also leaves them with a sense of accomplishment and victory. At present, The Puzzleverse contains 12 abilities, 6 of these abilities change up the puzzle-scape and as a result, give the player more freedom and choice over how they go about solving a particular puzzle.
When it comes to physical ability and skill, I also believe that the game is very good for practising your hand-eye coordination - especially when trying to solve a puzzle in the lowest move count and shortest times possible. All in all, a proper reward system in a game is essential, and aside from the many awesome puzzle elements the player will get to interact with, I believe that these abilities will keep the game fresh and the player on their toes.
Which aspects do you consider are your strengths in indie game development?
I like to believe one of my biggest strengths lies in my ability to tackle complex coding challenges. However recently I have discovered that I'm not too bad with PR either :)
How much time do you spend at your game studio? In your opinion, what is most rewarding about being a game developer?
Given that I have a day job, I work on my game in the evenings, the weekends and pretty much anywhere in-between. The most rewarding thing about being a game developer? Other than learning many many new skills - watching someone enjoy your game.
Which game(s) inspire/s you the most? Why
For me, the game that inspired me the most, and actually got me back into making games was Ori and the Blind Forest by Moon Studios. Why? This game is one of the most amazing platform games you will ever play - from the gorgeous artwork and top quality immersive soundtrack, down the characters emotion and feel of movement. For me, Ori and the Blind Forest represents an extremely well rounded Indie Game, and should be played by everyone! - well done guys!.
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