Super Skull Smash GO! 2 Turbo is releasing on PS4 and Vita next week so I got in touch with TACS Games to talk about the game’s development for it’s PS debut. Come check our interview!
PS4Blog: Hi! Thank you for joining us this morning. Can you please help us get this interview going by telling our readers a bit about yourself and your work?
My name is Thomas Hopper, I am the main human behind TACS Games. I’ve released a whole bunch of games over the last few years as a solo indie on all the various platforms but recently I’ve joined forces with Poppy Works for porting and publishing so I can focus more on the actual game part of making games.
PS4B: You’re releasing Super Skull Smash GO! 2 Turbo next week for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. How would you describe the game to someone who’s never heard about it?
The Evil king is back and he’s causing trouble again in the kingdom of bones! SSSG!2T is a game about purifying a haunted land by exploring levels and destroying skeletons. You’ve got to search the whole level to find them but when you do find a skeleton it’s a three step process:
1) Jump on that skeleton.
2) Take his/her skull.
3) Smash the skull against a shrine.
Lots of things can get between you and smashing that skull. There are platforming challenges, other monsters, environmental hazards and giant robotic bosses. In between smashing skulls there are also some puzzle levels where you can earn additional hearts to improve your chances in the skull smashing game. The levels are also packed with secrets. See if you can discover such hidden delights as ‘Barry’s coin’ on level 13. Each level can also be played to find hidden collectibles or set time records. There’s lots to do in skull smash 2.
Super Skull Smash GO! 2 Turbo is the sequel to one of my very first games. I released Super Skull Smash GO! on PlayStation Mobile many moons ago and it’s a game I am very fond of but does looks a little dated now. I’m glad to see that I’ve improved a little bit when it comes to my art and game design.
PS4B: How long did it take to develop the game for it’s PlayStation release? Where there any particular challenges or hurdles you had to overcome?
The idea for this game has been around longer than the original game. This is always the game I wanted to make. But the actual development cycle was about 7-8 months in total. That includes the great work Poppy Works did porting and release. The only real challenge was to make sure the game worked perfectly on the PS VITA. That’s why I chose it as my lead development platform. Every design decision was made to ensure the game was VITA perfect. I worked hard to ensure the game is retro pixel perfect. No drift or fuzz, no half pixels or sprite distortion.
PS4B: As you mentioned, you’ve released ACORN Tactics and Octocopter: Duble or Squids for Nintendo Switch, so I was wondering if you’re considering bringing Super Skull Smash GO! 2 Turbo to the Nintendo hybrid console.
There’s actually a couple of significant hurdles to overcome in bringing the game to Switch. I would love to see SSSG!2T on Switch and I have given my blessing for that port to happen but it’s out of my hands right now. For the forseeable future the only portable console you’ll be able to smash skulls on is the PS VITA.
PS4B: And that’s all the time we have for today. Would you like to add anything else before we go?
In only a few more days I will have gathered enough strength to break free of this mind prison and my true self will form once again in your kingdom. Only then will you understand why they call me ‘Evil King’. My magics are more powerful than anything you could imagine. Darkness will fall and skeletons will run around like they own the place. You will cry out for help but only my bone men will hear you. No one will save you from this skeletal menace. Evil King is best. Evil King is large and commands dead things. That is all. Evil King out.
