Interview and Preview of Monaco, IGF Grand Prize Winner - News
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 26 March 2010 / 5,309 Views
Earlier this month in San Francisco, the Game Developers Conference played host to the Independent Games Festival. The event brings together the top ten finalists of one of the largest indie game competitions to showcase to the game industry. The week concludes with a swanky awards show full of bow ties and booze.
I had the chance to play Monaco, the biggest winner of the night, which took home an award for Excellence in Design and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. I have to admit, when I first saw the game, my first impression was "THIS is the game that won the grand prize!?". However, as the VGChartz crew was packing up to go home, I asked Nick, "Is it bad that the only game I really want to keep playing from GDC is Monaco?"
I'll leave most of the explaining to Andy Schatz, the creator and entire development team for Monaco (Yes, he made this whole game on his own). Be sure to read my hands-on impressions after the interview.
What is Monaco for our readers who haven't yet heard of the game?
"Monaco is a co-op action stealth game, think Gauntlet crossed with Hitman. The game is set in an Ocean's 11-style universe, with each player taking the role of a Locksmith, Prowler, Hacker, Cleaner, or one of a number of other unlockable classes. You can play with up to four people on a single screen, or over the internet. And you can play single player too! You can follow development on Facebook or Twitter at http://www.monacoismine.com. Or you can just tell me to hurry up already and finish the game."
So, tell me a little bit about yourself and why you decided to make Monaco?
"I've been a game developer all my life, but professionally for the last 10 years. I went indie 5 years ago, and I've always had a hard time imagining myself going back to a salaried life. But I made Monaco because I was desperate. I was close to broke, lonely, and ready to give up. I took a break from the game I had spent the last year on, and started making Monaco for kicks. The game was fun after only a week, and so I just kept the momentum going. Five months later and here I am!"
Where does the name Monaco come from?
"The game is set in Monaco, which is a tiny country on the Mediterranean. Monte Carlo, the famous racing and gambling city is the heart of the country. It's also my lifelong ambition to beat the actual country out in "monaco" google search results. I'm currently at position 32."
You won two awards at the Independent Games Festival last week in San Francisco, including the Grand Prize. What was your favorite game in the competition (you cannot choose your own)?
"I love the haunting atmosphere of Trauma, Super Meat Boy is hilarious bubble-gum-fun, and Limbo, Shank, and Owlboy are all absolutely GORGEOUS to look at. There wasn't a single finalist that wasn't incredible in its own right."
In this age of HD and realistic graphics, what motivated you to make a game that looks like it belongs on the NES?
"Graphics are not the same thing as art. If a game's visuals reflect the design of the game, they enhance the play experience of the game, and they evoke some sort emotion, it is a successful piece of art. Gamers know this.
The hardware that a game runs on has nothing to do with it's beauty. Realism is only a single style of art, and the more we explore other areas of visual art in games, the smaller a niche it becomes."
When I played the game at GDC, it was a total blast, but I was playing with other people. Are there going to be any modes or features geared towards the single player?
"I personally love playing the game single player. It becomes more of a careful stealth game. And there will be hundreds of hidden items to find, other strategies to explore, and speed run high score boards online. It's really a game thats built to be played by yourself OR with friends. Or your enemies. That's what backstabbing is for."
How many classes of characters are there in the game? Also, the Redhead was not playable at GDC, but I'm dying to know its special ability.
"Currently, there's 4 characters plus 4 unlockable characters in the game. The Redhead's secret ability is her sexy walk. She can lure guards away from their posts and then knock them out with poison perfume. Plus it's well known that redheads are bad luck and not to be trusted."
When can I get it, where, and for how much?
"The game still has a significant amount of work left, it will be on the PC and at least one console, and it will cost one billion dollars."
Well, thanks so much, Andy. It's been a pleasure. Is there anything else you'd like to say to the VGChartz community?
"I know Monaco is weird looking, but it's incredibly wonderful once you experience it. Kind of like artichoke hearts, boba, or having a child. Please reserve judgement until you've tried it. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Just like artichoke hearts."
Also, monacoismine.com.
Thanks, Andy!
The level I had a chance to play was taylor-made to GDC. It started by explaining how Super Meat Boy won big at the Independent Games Festival, so it was up to you and the other finalists to sneak around the Moscone Center and into the awards show, steal the trophy and escape without getting caught by the guards (You can view Andy's video on the level here). It's very tricky and more complicated than you may think. I failed miserably the first couple times I played. You need to first shut off the power supply, sneak around the guards and attendees (because those suckers will rat you out). There are also gold nuggets to collect throughout the level. If you are a perfectionist, you'll want to collect these or else you won't be able to get 100% completion on the level. Watching the game in YouTube just doesn't do it justice. In the end, the game is just an all-out good time. We will be seeing more of Andy in the future on VGChartz, so stay tuned to keep up to date on all the latest happenings surrounding Monaco.
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Wow, now that dude has it going on man!
LOu
www.anon-vpn.cz.tc
of course he said at least on console in the same sentence as 1 billion dollars but hopefully it will be on a few.
Hopefully PC and one console means 360. I've been interested in this since it was on CO-OP a while back.
Nice, now that is some pretty cool stuff.
Lou
www.anon-browsing.eu.tc
I need to keep an eye on this game. LONG time ago, I had an idea for a side scrolling platformer game along the lines of this, called something like "Force of Four", where different characters would have different abilities.
Artichoke hearts and boba changed my life. How did this guy know that? I will believe anything he says, and I will have this game.
