It’s time to blast off with our interview with 2Awesome Studio, the development team behind Dimension Drive. Learn more about the company, their debut commercial title, and the partnership with eastasiasoft to bring a limited physical edition to gamers!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hey there! I’m David Jimenez, game designer and co-founder of 2Awesome Studio. I also happen to be 50% of the studio, the other half being Alejandro Santiago who is the programmer in the team.
What was the first console/game you ever owned?
My first console was a NES with obviously Super Mario Bros. I had played on the Atari at my cousin’s before that and I still remember the jump in quality and graphics.
Do you have any fond childhood memories based around gaming?
Of course I do! I have very fond memories of several gaming moments especially with friends. Playing Super Mario World for the first time and finding all those cool colored Yoshis was awesome. Also Zelda: A Link to the Past was a game that made me think about its puzzles during sleep, only to wake in the morning with that “eureka” moment knowing the solution and running to the console to try it. I also remember playing and playing Mega Man X and never beating the end boss. One of the things that I miss from my childhood was the possibility to go to the arcade and queue for your turn to try to beat the other person at Street Fighter. I wish arcades would come back!
For those unfamiliar, can you provide some background as to the origins of 2Awesome Studio?
As I said 2Awesome Studio is basically Alejandro and me. We are both Spanish, but we met in The Netherlands. We moved there to work at the European Space Agency (ESA). We both shared a passion for videogames and all things sci-fi and quickly became friends. Alejandro had already developed some games on his own and when he showed them to me, I wanted in. Therefore, we decided to team-up and develop awesome games together.
So it’s been said that you both were ex-space engineers for the European Space Agency? Tell us more!
As I said we were both working at ESA when we started the studio. We’re both engineers and have a very technical background due to that. So, that gives us an edge on the tech side of game development. However, that also means we needed the help of artists to make our games with great gameplay, but also visually attractive.
Although Dimension Drive is your first commercial release, your studio previously worked on the following titles: Dimension Jumper, Brushed Away, and Energy Rush. Could you share some insight as to the current status of these games?
Dimension Jumper and Brushed Away were gamejam prototypes. You could say that Dimension Jumper was the spark and precursor of what Dimension Drive came to be. Brushed Away was done during the Global Game Jam in 48h with a team of people from different parts of Europe. It was a quirky platformer with some interesting mechanics regarding time. Energy Rush is our internal codename for one of our next projects. I can’t tell you much more than that it will be a platformer. Obviously, being our target to bring some innovation to the games we do would be like saying that Dimension Drive is just a shoot’em up.
Let’s talk about Dimension Drive. First off, congrats on the successful Kickstarter campaign that helped pave the way for the December 7, 2017 Nintendo Switch release. However, you appeared to have had a rocky start to the development of this game during its first Kickstarter attempt back in 2015. Would you care to elaborate?
Thanks! We are really proud of successfully launching Dimension Drive on Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Regarding the Kickstarter story, it’s old news now, but some reader may remember that our Kickstarter got trolled in the last moment. It was a combination of perfect timing and exploiting the rules of Kickstarter at the time. However, to cut the story short, we were led to believe that our Kickstarter had been funded just to take that away from us shortly after the closing time. The story was picked up by press at large and industry people rallied behind us to send the message that what happened to us was not OK. Kickstarter staff itself got involved and helped us launch a second campaign that was successful and even crossed several stretch goals.
For those that have yet to play Dimension Drive, and shame on them, what are they missing out on?
Dimension Drive is a shoot’em up like no other. So, if you are a fan of the genre you need to play it. And if you are not a fan of the genre you should try at least (it may change your mind with regards to shoot’em ups). It’s difficult to describe due to its innovative gameplay, but we like to say that it challenges you to fight across two battlefields on one split screen. You can instantly switch between them to dodge waves of bullets, reach secret areas, or surprise your enemies. Maybe the best is to go to the eShop or Steam and have a look at what you see, I’m sure it will pick your interest.
Prior to the official release, Dimension Drive had racked up a number of well-deserved awards within the gaming industry. What was your reaction to seeing your game get such recognition?
Honestly, I still can’t believe it. One of the most surreal moments that I remember was our first trip to the USA to promote Dimension Drive. We were part of the Momocon Indie selection which was already impressive. The night of the awards ceremony, Alejandro and I were debating whether to go to it or just call it a day as we were exhausted and jet-lagged. In the end, we decided to go to see who would win. Imagine our surprise when they showed Dimension Drive’s trailer on stage and Chris Carter from Destructoid called us up to give present us with 1st prize. That was a changing moment for us as a studio. Of course, nobody can guarantee success especially in videogames but we knew at least that we had a great game on our hands.
The Nintendo Switch and Steam are the debut homes to Dimension Drive. What was it specifically about the Switch that appealed to you above other consoles currently on the market?
The Nintendo Switch is a great console for games like Dimension Drive. It’s great for short sessions on the go, and you always have the ability to play co-op whenever and wherever you want. That pairs up pretty great with shoot’em ups like ours where levels tend to run for about 5 minutes and local co-op is always a possibility. Working with Nintendo was a dream come true and a new milestone as a studio. We went from indie developer to console developers. One of the things I want to say that is not praised very often about the Switch is that not only allows gaming on the go, it also opens up the possibility of developing on the go. For a team like us that is very mobile, that’s a big plus.
Could Dimension Drive appear on the PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, or any other console?
Yes, in fact we just announced that Dimension Drive launches on the 26th of July in Asia for PS4 and Nintendo Switch (the previous release was only for the West). It will also arrive later this summer to the rest of the world on PS4 and Xbox One.
How did you and eastasiasoft meet to release the physical version of Dimension Drive for the PS4 and Switch?
We got in contact with them thanks to another developer that had worked with them previously (Jandusoft creators of Caveman Warriors). They put us in contact and after talking with eastasiasoft,t it was clear that they were a great partner to work with.
How does it feel to be eastasiasoft’s first physical release on the Switch?
It’s a huge honor. When eastasiasoft mentioned this possibility, we jumped right into it. They have a great track record of physical releases on PS4 and PS Vita and they deliver quality and attention to the last detail. So, we wanted to make the Switch physical edition really special by including a great art book with concepts, comics and other designs from Dimension Drive that can only be seen there. Working with eastasiasoft first on the PS4 version and later on their first Nintendo Switch physical edition has been fantastic and we definitely plan to collaborate with them on future titles.
Can you tease 2Awesome Studio’s next project?
I already teased that a bit, but we have more than one single next project. We are not only developing our own games now, but have also partnered with other studios to help them bring their titles to consoles. We expect to launch our first collaboration like that on Nintendo Switch this summer.
What upcoming games are you most looking forward to playing?
Personally, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Since I played the original, I’ve been aching for a second part. Since I develop videogames, I’m very critical with what I play and I tend to overanalyze the games while I’m playing them. With the original Ori, I simply got lost in it, the flow and gameplay was so perfectly balanced that it really made me forget about analyzing its game design.
Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share?
Besides the obvious plug of “go check my game”… well, thanks for the opportunity to have this interview. Oh, yeah, one last thing. I will be at Gamescom, if you or anybody else sees me there come say hi! I love to talk directly to players of our games.
Follow 2Awesome Studio!
http://www.dimensiondrive.com/
