We’re working on a review for Quench, so I got in touch with Axon Interactive to talk a bit about the game. Come check it out!
PS4Blog: Good morning! Thank you for joining us. Could you please present yourself to our readers and tell them a bit about your work?
I’m Tabby Rose, Co-founder and Creative Director for my company, Axon Interactive. My husband and I started the company in 2014 here in Toronto, and we’ve been working on our first game, Quench.Â
PS4B: Quench is now out on Nintendo Switch. What can you tell us about this game?
Quench is a story-based puzzle game about using the weather to guide and protect the herds of animals. You play as Shepherd, who is basically a magic weather bird, and help Shaman, a young elephant and the matriarch of her tribe. Along the way you meet and befriend more animal herds, and also run into smokebeasts, which are these mysterious animal spirits that are slowly taking over and polluting the landscape. It has wholesome themes about the environment, compassion, and working together.
PS4B: How long did it take to complete Quench for its console release? Where there any changes between the planning stages and the game we can now play on Nintendo’s hybrid console?
We’ve been working on Quench for about four and a half years, although it has existed as a concept for us since a game jam in 2012. It was originally going to be a PC-only game, but we approached Nintendo near the start of 2018 about launching on the Switch. So it took about a year to get it ready for that and finish the game. The biggest change for Switch was developing both joystick and touch controls for the game, which we’re really happy about. Quench was already in a late stage of production when we made the decision to launch on both Switch and PC, so a lot of decisions were already set in stone at that point.
PS4B: Are there any differences between the Nintendo Switch and the Steam versions of Quench?
It’s the same game! The only major difference is that Nintendo Switch supports touch input and we thought that would be a great addition. It’s really satisfying to make gusts of wind and lightning bolts literally appear under your fingers!
PS4B: With the game now out there, are you working on a new project? Or are you perhaps taking a short break?
For now, we’re working on supporting the release and fixing any issues that come up. One of our top priorities is adding in more options for accessible play that we weren’t able to complete in time for launch. We do have ideas for the next couple of projects, but the team is definitely in need of some time to relax before we dive in.Â
PS4B: Once again, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Is there something else you’d like to add before we go?
Thanks for playing! It’s great to finally see this project out in the world and people enjoying it!
