A cute hero may not be a necessity for a hit App Store game, but Henrik Jönsson of Divine Robot certainly doesn’t see any harm in turning the adorable factor to 11 in Blobster. We were eager to learn more not just about Blobster’s charming mug, but also how Henrik strived to make a platformer perfectly suited for touch-based devices.
Chillingo: How did you come up with the initial concept for Blobster?
Henrik Jönsson: I had been fascinated with the possibilities of the touch screen for a while, and had been nurturing this idea of a control system where you stretched and prodded a life form to make it do stuff. All of us at Divine Robot grew up with 8-bit platform games and it is still one of our favorite genres. When we juxtaposed those two things — hey, presto! We knew we were on to something, and the embryo for Blobster was right there.
Chillingo: How did you come up with the Blobster character? Do you think an adorable hero like Blobster is crucial for a successful iOS game?
HJ: There are several great games without adorable heroes that I really love, but with my background in animation and graphic design I have always held a deep love for appealing characters. We knew right away that we wanted a likeable and character-focused game with Blobster. Blobster came to life in his current form almost immediately.
As a designer I find it interesting to see how stripped down, how clean and simple I can make a design and still create an emotional connection with the audience. On and off it was debated whether we should give him a mouth or other attributes, but in the end the clueless big eyes made a stronger impact, and kind of makes you want to take pity on his mouthless and muffled little self!
As a designer I find it interesting to see how stripped down, how clean and simple I can make a design and still create an emotional connection with the audience.
Chillingo: How long did it take Divine Robot to develop Blobster?
HJ: Well, although it’s been a labor of love, I am almost embarrassed to say we have spent over a year in Blobtopia! This is largely down to us being such perfectionists and practically rebuilding the game from the ground up a few times. Developing Blobster has been a fantastic experience, and we have developed a great process for doing this stuff now. Hopefully our next title will not take quite so long!
Chillingo: So many platformers on the App Store use traditional videogame controls mapped to virtual buttons, but you took a different approach with Blobster. Why do you think Blobster’s controls are better suited for touch screens?
HJ: Building a great experience for a touch device means adapting your concept to be native to touch, and not simulating a control system from a different platform from a different time. To me, this would be like tying reins to the steering wheel in a brand new car.
We think the platform genre adapts wonderfully to touch, stretch, and tilt controls. We built in both tilt and tap controls for left and right movement to cater for all tastes, but in the end it is the immediate tactile interaction between your finger and Blobster that is most important. Another aspect is the fact that as a graphic designer, I loathe cluttered displays. I think we have managed a good balance between required controls and a clean, uncluttered visual experience. We hope players will like it, too!
Chillingo: How important is it to inject a story or narrative into a non-RPG or non-adventure game?
HJ: You know, I used to think it was not important at all (I’m such a boring pragmatist, aren’t I?), but I have changed my mind! As you know, we were just ramping up production on Blobster when the Deepwater Horizon blew up and we were all so peeved about this that we wanted to work a green and environmentally conscious storyline into the game. As the story became part of the game, and it made Blobster a kind of green hero, we all felt it made us care more about him and his world. (Or maybe it’s just me who can identify as a clueless Blob when it comes to sustainability.) Either way, who doesn’t love a little story?
Chillingo: Are there one or two things in Blobster that you are particularly proud of?
HJ: I am hugely proud over my wife, who has worked so hard in designing many of the Blobster levels while tremendously pregnant with twins. Looks like we will get three babies: two girls and a Blob, all around the same time! I am also very proud to be working with such a talented guy as Nils, who has single-handedly written Blobster from the ground up — a few times.
False modesty aside, I also feel pleased that I have managed to maintain a fairly stringent art direction through a long and rollercoaster-like development cycle!
Chillingo: Can you talk about your approach to color in Blobster? It’s such an underrated part of game design.
HJ: I agree, it is underrated! I might have some kind of mild synesthesia, but in my design work I can physically feel proportional geometric harmonies and colors. These feelings can be quite strong, to the point where I sometimes feel that I am about to roll off the couch when visiting friends who are challenged in terms of interior decorating. In my opinion the gaming world all too often used to just go wild with colors so garish and wildly distributed they would make me feel seasick. It’s heaps better now than it used to be in my opinion.
In Blobster we wanted to create a kind of retro-platform look and feel, but keep it modern and clean at the same time. I have worked with a dissonant palette between foreground and background to make Blobster and his immediate obstacles pop visually, and still managed to tie the two together through visual cues.
The first rule of visual gaming is readability. If you have to spend more than half a second looking at the screen before you understand what is going on, you have lost. The second rule — at least in my book — is make it look great. I will leave it for our players to determine to what degree we have succeeded in this endeavor!