Interview: WayForward and Microsoft Employees Team up to Create Sour Buddies - Article
by Tyler Treese , posted on 01 March 2016 / 6,198 Views
James Montagna is a very busy man. Besides being a veteran employee at WayForward Technologies, having worked on hits such as Mighty Switch Force! and Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, he's also branched off into making his own indie games on the side. Last year he released the delightful Wii U eShop exclusive Dot Arcade, and now James is back with a fun puzzle game called Sour Buddies.
To find out more about this iOS and Android release, we reached out to James Montagna, who co-developed the release alongside Microsoft's Jeff McGlynn.
VGChartz: Sour Buddies has been summed up as an "action-puzzle hybrid." How would you explain the gameplay to someone who hasn't seen the game in action before?
James Montagna: In Sour Buddies, the player takes on the role of Tucker, who is this sort of anthropomorphic candy representing the titular candy of Sour Buddies. Tucker's job is to arrange the candy on the road to successful manufacture, circumventing the deluded Candy Bosses. This is done by using your using your finger to move Tucker left and right… and then using another finger to swipe up or down, shooting a projectile that re-arranges the candy pieces! The action comes in when the Candy Bosses attack, shooting projectiles right back to skillfully dodge… all while simultaneously solving the puzzle. It starts off pretty straight-forward, but some of the attacks get pretty intense!
VGC: Gamers will be trying to defeat Candy Bosses and complete Challenge Missions. How do these objectives differ, and what can gamers expect to see?
JM: It actually all takes place in the main game mode of bite-sized stages, each representing a puzzle duel with one of the Candy Bosses!
As you've mentioned, we included a series of challenges for the player, incorporating them in a way that players can progress naturally while taking them on. Therefore, they're presented similar to "achievements", and players may even clear a few by surprise. Beyond the main game and challenges, we have a jukebox feature. It's an additional bonus included from the very start where players can listen to and enjoy the great music of Sour Buddies!
VGC: You're essentially merging two well-known genres (space shooters and swapping puzzles), and creating something new. When you came up with the idea, were you surprised at how well these two styles gelled together? Was it tough to come up with the right balance?
JM: I was surprised, but the concept was almost discovered by accident. The first prototype of Sour Buddies took shape over ten years ago! In 2005, I made a habit of sitting in the computer lab of my high school between classes, and sort of experimenting with programming. Many times the experiments were simply dumb or silly exercises. I aimlessly put together a shooter-puzzle type of game in an hour or so, not even sure the end goal of what I was making… and happened upon an idea that seemed to work really well. Later that day, I had already come up with the name Sour Buddies, and the candy theme. I spent the remainder of the school year, and just after my graduation, making a complete PC concept game.
Along the way, I did indeed have to balance the blending gameplay types. If the game went too much into the "bullet hell" or "shmup" territory with the foes, the puzzle was far too difficult. In the end, it seems like we've were able to create something accessible and fun!
VGC: How fun was it coming up with each candy boss? I saw that you recently tweeted that you came up with the idea for Hot Lolly several years ago. So, how satisfying is it finally getting to show off a character that's been in your head for years?
JM: As a sweet tooth and candy aficionado myself, great care was taken to present a variety of interesting foes, each riffing on some specific real world candy with light parody. Weird people like me might try to imagine the taste of that candy while playing, just to get in the right mood.
Every character was created many years ago... and now the world can finally enjoy them! For me personally, it's a bit like opening a time capsule, since I created these characters so long ago. The design tells my inspiration at that moment; I was on a big Takashi Murakami kick, and the Superflat postmodern art movement. So, the universe of Sour Buddies reflects that.
VGC: Sour Buddies is a collaboration between yourself and Jeff McGlynn. How long has the idea been floating around between you two?
JM: I met Jeff McGlynn, the mastermind programmer behind Sour Buddies, when we worked together at WayForward in 2008. Our ambitions complemented one other, and so we naturally clicked with a desire to create something. iPhone apps were just getting popular, and we knew we had to be part of this scene! That's when we started making the current version of Sour Buddies, since it felt like a great time to finally realize the concept game. Little did we know how long it would be to see the light of day.
After a lot of effort in whatever free time we could coordinate, we had a near complete playable version of the game running on iPhone 3G. We even finished all of the game's artwork early on. But we took so long, that retina display came along and we had to re-do it all for modern standards.
In 2011 or so, Jeff moved away to Seattle after being hired at Microsoft. And that really threw a wrench in things!
VGC: With you being in Los Angeles and Jeff in Seattle, how difficult is it to collaborate with someone who is states away?
JM: It was rather tricky, but mostly because we both have our days jobs and various other projects to focus on. Suddenly, Sour Buddies couldn't be as much of a priority. We'd see each other during holidays and visits and whatnot, but it wasn't enough time to get working again. For years, this game was "the one that got away".
This past holiday, Jeff visited me with a surprise. He had completely re-created Sour Buddies from scratch to run on current devices, with all of the original art and music we had created. And to be honest, I was shocked and amazed. I was flooded with emotions to see this thing again after so long. We immediately worked to polish it up to release quality, communicating night and day by text and messenger, with a renewed drive and focus. Because of this, despite our distance, we can finally offer Sour Buddies to the world today.
VGC: You've launched on the App Store just before Valentine's Day. This seems very appropriate considering that the game is filled with sweets. Was this release date deliberately chosen, or was it a happy accident?
JM: My secret goal was to just get the game out before my Birthday, which is also February. Valentine's Day being near was purely incidental, but we saw the opportunity to celebrate Sour Buddies and took it with a Valentine's Day themed promo! Releasing a game around a holiday with a tie-in tends to increase exposure by a little, so that may have been part of it too.
VGC: What led to the decision of releasing Sour Buddies for free? I was surprised to see the price point considering the high quality of your past work.
JM: This game has been sitting with us for so long that our priority was for everyone to experience and enjoy the game above all else. For example, when we started the project, I immediately contacted my friend Andrew Lim (DJ Bouche), and a full incredible soundtrack was written right away. It's a shame because nobody has been able to listen to the amazing music we've been enjoying for years! So, it really comes down to more people being able to enjoy what we have to offer, even if it means we don't see a monetary return on it all.
That being said, the game was still made with funds out of pocket. We do have completely optional ads that the player can turn on, and a tip jar for those who enjoy the game and would graciously like to support our effort. It all goes towards adding some great update content to the game, and supporting future development!
VGC: You're certainly kept busy with your work at WayForward Technologies. How do you find the time and energy to put work into these solo projects, and is it ever difficult to balance the two?
JM: Right, so, I do still work full time at WayForward as a Designer / Director. And I always want to make sure to emphasize what a creative and supportive environment exists there. I’m honored to have chances to contribute to amazing projects like Shantae, and Mighty series games. Naturally, I always prioritize that work, and they get my best effort. But sometimes a creative spark just strikes to work another cool thing, and there's just not enough time to do them all. The only way to scratch that itch is the split my time up, and work on weekend projects like Sour Buddies. I have to admit, however, there's really no so secret to it besides a whole lot of effort balancing time and energy!
VGC: Give us your best pitch on why everyone should check out Sour Buddies on iOS and Android!
JM: I'll give the short version of my best pitch! Sour Buddies is a labor of love spanning across years of development. The result, however, is a simple game that most anyone can pick up and play. Once you learn the basic swapping mechanic, you'll be progressing through a charming cast candy bosses in no time! It features an amazing upbeat soundtrack, character voices by the lovely and talented Cristina Vee, and a series of challenges to keep you coming back!
And if that didn't do the trick… the game is available right now absolutely FREE! So download and have fun!
Sour Buddies can be found on Twitter over at @SourBuddies, while James Montagna and Jeff McGlynn can be found at @JamesPopStarand @jwmcglynn, respectively. More information about the game can be found on its official website, Google Play and on the iOS store.
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6 Comments
Wow its nice to hear that they are able to support their ideas like this. Don't think this is for me though because I'm not into mobile games, but it does look decent. Its great you guys are doing interviews with devs would be cool to see more!
Thanks so much for reading. Will definitely be doing more interviews in the future. If you have any requests (although I can't promise we'll get them) feel free to message me.
This is a videogame site. Stop posting work offers etc.
