An exclusive interview with developer QubicGames.
Is the idea/concept of Indie games going in the right direction?
I believe that regarding concept of games there are no rules, no right or wrong. That’s the beauty of the art; everybody is free to create what they want. Only each player/viewer can individually judge a concept. Now there are more and more indie games because the video games are more popular and because the platforms are more welcoming (iOS, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, eShop…) and propose easy solutions to reach players. And that is definitely a right direction to go, which is beneficial to everybody: the players, the developers, the publishers, the console makers and the art of gaming in general (for any type of game, digital or not).
Is AiRace Speed considered a sequel to AiRace?
The idea of AiRace Speed came to life thanks to the success of the DSiWare games AiRace and AiRace: Tunnel. The latter has however much more influenced AiRace Speed and brought the concept of high-speed racing through tunnels with a sci-fi environment.
It is important to say that AiRace: Tunnel was originally created as a bonus mode to AiRace. We wanted to give a solo challenge with a good sense of speed. That’s how the ideas of tunnels came to life. But in the last moment we decided to divide the games into two separate products. And the result is that AiRace: Tunnel found a big success on its own. It provided players with a fun and interesting game play experience.That’s why we have decided to bring to the 3DS a new AiRace game following the concept of high-speed racing through tunnels with a sci-fi environment. And AiRace Speed was born.
What would be the main point that you would sell me on to play AiRace Speed?
It’s hard to choose one point but I would say: speed! However to make it a bit more complete but still short, here is the pitch I would give you: AiRace Speed is a futuristic racing game providing a challenging and unique sense of speed and adrenaline. It is regarded already by many as one of the best racing games on Nintendo 3DS, especially at its low price of $4,99 (or 4,99€ or £4,49). It is available in America, Europe and Australia. It will be released later in Japan.
AiRace Speed is the third game of the successful and highly rated AiRace series.It takes speed to a whole new level and provides a frantic gaming experience:Fly across 18 adrenaline-fueled tracks, take control of 5 high-tech jets, enjoy stunning graphics and immersive 3D effects, compete in online global leaderboards, and try to unlock 42 special achievements.
Better comparison for AiRace Speed: Mario Kart or F-Zero?
F-Zero is closer to AiRace Speed than Mario Kart for two main reasons. The first is that you race across futuristic tracks with high-tech vehicles. The second is that you reach extreme speeds. However the game play of AiRace Speed is not so similar to F-Zero because in AiRace Speed you fly in all directions without gravity limitations.
AiRace Speed looks like it takes full advantage of the 3D effects. Is a decision like how much 3D will be used a predevelopment option or is that a mid development option?
That was definitely something we had to decide and take into account from the start of the development. For us it was always clear that combined with the high-quality graphics, the 3D effects of AiRace Speed must put the players in the middle of the action. It was a really crucial point because we believe that the visual experience is extremely important for this game. Visually we want to deliver adrenaline and set the best conditions for the players to enjoy flying their jets with tight controls.
A good 3D effect must be in the same time strong and clear. It must be impressive but not disturbing. It isn’t an easy thing to implement. And for each game it needs to be thought in a relevant way. We’ve already used the 3D effect for our game 2 Fast 4 Gnomz. But using it for AiRace Speed it is a completely new challenge. It is necessary to have an extremely clear display of the environment when flying at very high speeds inside tunnels. The player should be able to entirely focus on his attempt of flying as fast as possible.
To reach that, one of the difficult things was to properly balance the contrasts and the colors in the levels.
