Carlos: Hello, Daniel. I’m Carlos Oliveros aka Hombreimaginario, I’m an advertising copywriter and a former reporter and editor at spanish multiplatform mag Games Tribune. Also I was one of the spanish translators for Pier Solar, and am a writer and all-around communications guy at Retro Sumus.
neXGam: Tell us a little bit about the team of Retro Sumus.
Carlos: Retro Sumus is latin for “we are back” or “we are retro”. We knew we didn’t want a name which included -team or -games or anything like that, and went with something we thought sounded more unique. We are a rather small dev team from Spain, whose three founding members had something to do with Pier Solar, one way or another, and decided to try work on something “of our own”. A personal challenge of sorts.
neXGam: Spain seems to be very active in regards to homebrews. Both you and 1985alternativo are doing console games, and after PC releases Locomalito works on a Mega Drive port of one of his games. Is retro gaming very popular in Spain?
Carlos: Man I’m really looking forward to trying Antarex by 1985alternativo again. I hope they bring it to RetroBarcelona as they did last year. So yeah, perhaps “our” generation is big in Spain, a generation missing simple, old school mechanics in games. On one hand, football (and I mean soccer, not american football) games are such big console-sellers year after year, it’s boring. But on the other hand, RetroMadrid and RetroBarcelona are said to be among the biggest retro/indie events in all Europe, so...
neXGam: How did Retro Sumus get started?
Carlos: Well, I had this idea for Ameba, I told Daniel Lancha aka Chui (Pier Solar, Ghost Blade, “4ALL” emulators) about it, he liked it and we agreed to work on it. On the other hand, 3D designer Abel del Dedo worked on that Mode7 stage for the DC and PC versions of Pier Solar, and that kind of encouraged him to create a new game with a similar mechanic/perspective. Chui was the link between us, as he was (deeply) involved in Pier Solar as well. Our composer Juanjo Martín volunteered to join the team as soon as I let him know about my ideas for Ameba. Actually one of the themes that will be featured in the soundtrack was improvised that day.
neXGam: Let's talk about your projects. First, there is Ameba. What can you tell us about the game?
neXGam: TV screenwriters, that sounds very professional. How did they get involved in a Dreamcast game?
Carlos: Well, they obviously share this common interest in videogames. That award was in the “most innovative proposal” category. I think the main reason is, we spaniards don’t really feel talent is fairly appreciated in our country. That’s sadly why spanish scientists, programmers, actors, etc. feel the need to move to, say, Germany or UK or USA. So I guess we all jump at the chance of doing something we not only like but also studied really hard for.
neXGam: And Ameba is not your only project. There is also Xenocider. Tell us about that one, please!
Carlos: Xenocider is our personal, 3D tribute to the arcade era in general and Yu Suzuki’s Space Harrier in particular. So, as all this implies, it’s an on-rails shooter. Truly a forgotten genre! Our main character is a female cyborg with a big thirst for blood… or alien equivalent. So definitely not a hero. Also the game will feature level branching to some degree.
neXGam: So, what was your inspiration for Ameba/Xenocider?
Carlos: For Ameba, perhaps the Missing Parts: The Tantei Stories trilogy for the Dreamcast is a good starting point, but also more recent hits like Xblaze and Steins;Gate. However, I think the main influence is “everything I don’t like” about the visual novel archetypes, so to speak. We simply want to to create something a bit different from what “typical” visual novels got us used to.
For Xenocider, obviously Space Harrier is key, but also with some Galaxy Force here and there and then a little Sin & Punishment influence thrown into the mix. For the enemies and stage bosses, we took some hints from vintage sci-fi and horror movie monsters. Couldn’t help ourselves!
neXGam: Both games are a big contrast in genre. Ameba being a story focused game, and Xenocider celebrating Sega's arcade roots. Do you want to avoid being associated with just specific genres? Could we expect something completely different after the games are out?
Carlos: We hadn’t really considered it that way. What we want is to revisit mechanics we miss about old school games, concepts we feel were underused, that kind of thing. I know Chui specially would like to produce a “save & rescue” kind of game in the vein of Cyclone (by Vortex, for ZX Spectrum), and I would kill for a good-old 2D action platformer. A spiritual sequel to the Shinobi classics, if I had my way.
neXGam: I’d gladly volunteer to help with that one if it happened. I miss those games a lot, and I think many people do.
Carlos: Duly noted. I’ll make sure to contact you when the time for beta-testing comes, huh? ;)
Dev Diaries part 1
neXGam: Kickstarter has been popular with homebrewers. Are you considering crowdfunding?
Carlos: Of course, yes. We are still exploring alternatives, though, but if we finally use Kickstarter, I assure you there will be really nice rewards for backers. We think some of them would be quite innovative for a crowdfunding campaign.
neXGam: Why release both games for Dreamcast?
Carlos: Because we all love the console, simply put. Also, it’s kind of Chui’s specialty. And the idea of contributing to the Dreamcast legacy is almost irresistible ;)
neXGam: Are there any ports in the cards following the Dreamcast versions?
Carlos: Well, Windows/Mac/Linux definitely. After that, I guess probably Android could be done.
For Ameba, we are planning a Saturn version.
Yes, a commercially released indie game for the Sega Saturn. No, not kidding!