Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We at Joystiq believe no one deserves to starve, and many indie developers are entitled to a fridge full of tasty, fulfilling media coverage, right here. This week, Spencer Nielsen describes the benefits of simple mechanics with his iOS title Invader Zurp, a simple tap game with a deep, visually appealing strategy.




What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is a physics-based shooter called Invader Zurp. You play as Zurp (or formally "Zurp: Destroyer of Worlds"), a little alien critter tasked with raining down mighty destruction from planet to planet on his spaceship. You fly on a rail in first person toward structures made of blocks. By touching the screen you fire super-intelligent smart bombs that home in on buildings, defense turrets and incoming missiles. The "touch to shoot" mechanic is dead simple to pick up but there is a deeper strategy in balancing offense, defense and taking measured risks.

Why develop independently, rather than work for an established company?

The freedom to work on ideas I find interesting and be the person that calls the shots is the reason I left Apple after five years to work on my own projects. Being one part of a large team working on large projects was satisfying and rewarding in its own way but I would always get these crazy ideas that I wanted to explore. The ability to see my own vision through and ship these "crazy ideas" has a reward and personal fulfillment that I value more than a steady paycheck.Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Invader Zurp
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Invader Zurp originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More...