Have you played A Robot Named Fight? Then make sure to check out our interview with developer Matt Bitner!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Matt Bitner and I’m the sole developer of A Robot Named Fight!. I’m based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. When I’m not working, I am a bass player in two different local bands, and I spend a lot of time playing/thinking about/reading about/watching Dungeons & Dragons. I’ve recently gotten back into MTG as well. I have a gorgeous wife and two super bad dogs.
What was the first console/game you ever owned?
It’s hard to say. The first game I remember playing is Transylvania on the Apple II. After that, I know I had a Sega Master System that I’d play Ghost House and Wonder Boy III on.
Do you have any fond childhood memories based around gaming?
Most of my fond childhood memories involve gaming. I remember pouring hours into the demo for Diablo and being in clans for Quake II. When I was really young, both my parents were teachers and had access to photocopiers, so when I would rent games I’d have them photocopy the instruction manuals and I’d use them as coloring books.
Prior to developing your first video game, A Robot Named Fight!, you had graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Film. What career were you looking to pursue?
I really enjoy film and at the time, I was considering screenwriting. However, I kept finding myself coming back to game development.
What was the motivation for teaching yourself all the aspects of video game development?
I got my first taste of game development by modding Doom and Quake. I was really into level design and making textures. I wasn’t particularly good at it, but it was cool to see stuff I made inside games I loved. It was several years later that I tried to start a game project with a web developer friend of mine. We were in a band together, so that covered music. He eventually got too busy to continue and I taught myself AS3 to try to finish the project (spoiler: it never got finished). Therefore, I kind of picked up all the skills in different ways over the year. I taught myself how to animate for A Robot Named Fight! I’m a perfectionist in ways and can be rather single-minded at time, so it worked out well to control every aspect of development.
Your biography states that you worked in the industry for a few years before completely focusing on A Robot Named Fight! Can you elaborate as to where you worked and in what role(s)?
I worked at a local company called Hitcents for about five years as a programmer and game developer. I helped ship Draw a Stickman: Epic, Battlepillars, and Draw a Stickman: Epic 2 while I was there, along with several other client-based projects. It was a good experience that allowed me to grow both as a programmer (I learned Unity 3d while at Hitcents) and as a game developer. I left in August 2016 to make A Robot Named Fight! and thankfully they were really cool about it. In fact, Hitcents helped me publish ARNF on the Switch this past April.
Let’s talk about A Robot Named Fight! This metroidvania game looks like it came right out of the SNES-era. With a captivating soundtrack, 4 billion procedurally generated levels, permadeath, and fast gameplay, what inspired you to dedicate your time to build this title?
I’ve had the idea of a procedurally generated metroidvania in some form or fashion for the past decade. Originally, it was going to be much more inspired by Diablo II and Mega Man. After playing Rom hacks like Super Metroid randomizer and roguelites like The Binding of Isaac, the idea evolved into what it is now. I love the exploration of the classic 2D Metroid games, and I wondered what it would be like if they were endlessly replayable.
What would you describe as the differentiating factors that separate your title from others in the genre?
There are only a handful of other games that have tried to combine the roguelite and metroidvania genres. I feel fairly comfortable saying that ARNF is the only one I know of that doesn’t sacrifice key aspects of one genre or the other to make the blend work. Sundered has “fixed” areas that defy a purely random world map. Dead Cells does away with backtracking and the interconnectivity of a Metroid-style game for the most part. Chasm, coming out soon, avoids permadeath and a lot of roguelite trappings. ARNF tries to fully embrace both genres, and even randomizes the key path through the game and items needed to traverse it. Another thing that I think sets ARNF apart is that I’m continually growing and expanding the game. Since the initial launch on Steam last fall, I’ve added two entirely new environments with their own enemies and bosses, more items, shrines to donate scrap, and many more rooms for each environment. I’ve been able to add these features as free content for players because of the generous support of my patrons on Patreon. I plan to continue updating the game for awhile longer, too. I’m not quite finished telling this story yet.
Having recently released on the Nintendo Switch, what are your thoughts on the console?
I think the Switch is a great console. I really like how versatile it is, too. You can game on-the-go or on your TV at home, which is great. When I play ARNF on the Switch, I feel like I’m a kid again, playing on my Gameboy. Also, since I made the game in Unity, it was super easy to port it to Switch, too.
Would you like to give a shout-out to the other member of your team, Kayla?
It was awesome getting to have complete creative control over the game, but had I done everything entirely by myself I would have lost my mind. If it weren’t for my wife, Kayla, I don’t think anyone would even know that the game exists. She’s headed up all of the social media efforts for the game and helps me at every con I attend to promote the game. She also provided the opening narration and inspired the asymmetrical co-op included in the game. She keeps me sane.
Now that A Robot Named Fight! is available on Steam, Windows, and the Nintendo Switch, what’s next for you?
I’m going to keep supporting ARNF with additional content updates for awhile longer. I hope to have an alternate to each of the main environments and a few other fun features, plus more items. I also have a few ideas in my head for my next project, so I may start fleshing those out sooner or later.
What upcoming games are you most looking forward to playing?
I’ll be honest; I’ve been so in the trenches with ARNF development that I haven’t kept up with many upcoming games! I know Chasm comes out in the next few days, and I’m excited to check out how they approached a procedural Metroidvania. I’m hyped for some other indies like Death Trash and Blazing Chrome. I’ll be psyched to see a new Metroid Prime title come out, and my wife is way hyped about Death Stranding. I got to play some of Super Meatboy Forever at PSX, and it was rad, too.
Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share?
A Robot Named Fight! wouldn’t be what it is without the support of the community that has grown around it. I have a really active Discord channel where players can talk to me about ideas, let me know about bugs, help with playtesting, and a lot more. Here’s a link: https://discord.gg/YSpswSR
If anyone wants to support the game, you can become a Patreon supporter at http://patreon.com/arobotnamedfight or make a one-time donation at http://ko-fi.com/arobotnamedfight.
f you want to keep up with the project in other places, I’m on Twitter @RobotNamedFight and A Robot Named Fight! On Facebook.
Follow A Robot Named Fight!
https://twitter.com/RobotNamedFight
https://www.facebook.com/ARobotNamedFight/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/603530/A_Robot_Named_Fight/
http://patreon.com/arobotnamedfight
http://ko-fi.com/arobotnamedfight
