We’ll be working on a review for Super Scram Kitty, so I got in touch with Rhod Broadbent to talk a bit about the game and its development.
PS4Blog: Good morning! Thank you for joining us. Could you please help us get started by telling our readers a bit about yourself and your work?
Hi there! I’m Rhod, a game developer based in Kyoto, Japan. I’ve been making console games since 2002. I’m probably best known for the PixelJunk series on PS3 from my time at Q-Games, but I also worked on the original Xbox version of Fable and programmed the controls and enemy AI for StarFox Command on the Nintendo DS. I went indie around 2010 and released the first (and quite different) version of Scram Kitty for the Wii U in 2014.
PS4B: On that note, Super Scram Kitty is now ready to go on Nintendo Switch. How would you describe the game to someone who’s new to it?
Super Scram Kitty is a hybrid 2D platformer/shoot-em-up where you jump and blast your way around a winding space station in search of stranded cats. The gameplay revolves around one key feature: your position on the rails determines which way you jump and shoot. By using this to your advantage, you navigate your way through each stage, tracking down the cats and defeating evil cloned ‘Brain Mice’ as you progress towards ultimately finding and blowing up the station’s core.
PS4B: What are the differences when comparing Scram Kitty on the Nintendo Wii U and this new version for the Nintendo Switch?
It’s been pretty much completely overhauled! When I started bringing the game to Switch, I removed the original game’s tether (which had kept the player tied to the rails). Once the player could jump and fall anywhere in the stage, I decided to redesign the stage layouts to take advantage of the new freedom, with more platforming-style challenges.
Then that led me to add a double-jump ‘kick,’ which in turn inspired me to update the collisions so you can smash enemies in mid-air. From there, I tweaked the enemy behaviors to match the new abilities, and after all that, it had become a totally new game – it felt to me like a super-charged version of my original Scram Kitty design ideas, and that led to the new name.
In the process, I also rewrote the visual effects and improved the sound processing so it looks and sounds great on everything from the Switch Lite to the Switch 2 and the TV. Lastly, I think the HD Rumble implementation turned out pretty cool!
PS4B: With the game out now on Nintendo Switch, are you currently working on a new project?
Always! Super Scram Kitty was built on our custom engine, which means a lot of the groundwork for the next game is already done. That allows me to focus almost entirely on gameplay at the moment, so I’m prototyping a couple of new projects, and I hope to be talking about them with you soon!
PS4B: And that’s all the time we have for today. Is there something else you’d like to add before we go?
I hope people give Super Scram Kitty a try, especially if they enjoy unique control schemes and unusual platforming challenges. The game’s top-down view throws out ‘normal’ gravity to open up fresh movement mechanics, and once you master it, you can start pulling off some really satisfying tricks as you blast through each stage.
