Windows Phone gamers know developer Press Play from their beautiful and creative puzzle platformer, Max and the Magic Marker. The studio hasn't been resting on its laurels since that game's release. Today WPCentral brings you an interview with Thomas Gravgaard, senior software developer and project lead for Press Play’s Windows Phone titles. We’re especially proud to bring you the first screens and details of their upcoming Window Phone-exclusive Xbox Live game, Tentacles.
Slide past the break for the full interview and lots of Tentacley goodness.
Can you tell us a little about your studio?
Press Play is a small independent studio located in central Copenhagen. We have a core team of 8 people working full time on the different versions of our games. Max and the Magic Marker is the best known of our games, having received several awards and general critical acclaim. It is available on several platforms, and [it has] been quite successful. Other titles of note include Explosive Love on iOS and of course the upcoming WP7 game Tentacles.
Forgive me for asking this, but since you guys are located in Copenhagen, do any of you use Copenhagen-brand smokeless tobacco?
No. The guys here that do smoke use regular smoking tobacco.
Getting back to games, how pleased have you been with the performance of Max and the Magic Marker on Windows Phone?
Max has seen the best conversion rate from download to sale on Windows Phone compared to any other platform. So what we need is to get more handsets on the street, then we would be very pleased.
Will we ever see a Max sequel?
We hope so! Max still lives, but I am sorry to say that we have no announcements on a sequel at the moment.
What can you tell us about your upcoming Windows Phone game Tentacles?
You play as Lemmy, a microscopic tentacled creature that is the result of a failed experiment by a mad scientist. Through an unfortunate happening, you get trapped inside the body of your creator, and you have to survive in this new hostile environment. The game is an arcade adventure with a simple control scheme where you move Lemmy one tentacle at a time whenever you tap. You also have a claw that you can use to attack the different dangerous organisms you meet on your way. During your trip you will go through different parts of the body that all have different environmental hazards to overcome. The game is simple to play - but not easy to master.
Approximately how many tentacles will be in the game? Will they come in different colors and/or sizes?
For starters, you will become quite acquainted with the three black tentacles our hero Lemmy uses to move with - and the one that holds the claw. But you will encounter more tentacles along the way that are not yours! Without spoiling things too much, I can say that some will be purple.
Will Analogik (composers on Max and the Magic Marker) contribute to Tentacles’ soundtrack?
This time we have chosen a different Danish act, as we wanted a different sound to the game. The original and fantastic soundtrack for “Tentacles” is made by Rumpistol aka Jens Christiansen. We are really happy with what he has made for us. It sets a great mood for the entire game.
How long has the game been in development?
It has taken around 9 months of production time to make the game and get it running on the Windows Phone.
Does it have a target release date yet?
We do not have a firm date, but we expect it to be sometime in July. So very soon you will be engulfed in the fabulous adventures of Lemmy.
Now that you have XNA development experience, do you plan to release any downloadable Xbox 360 games in the future?
We are of course looking into doing that. Making a game for the 360 would be really great. But we unfortunately have no official plans to disclose at the moment.
That’s it for this interview. Tentacles is coming soon, but Max and the Magic Marker (review) is available right now. It costs $4.99 and there is a free trial. Grab it here on the Marketplace.
