Ten Questions With... John Davis (Q-Games)

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Nom Nom Galaxy Website

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Buy your Early Access copy on the Steam Store page

Q-Games have already released a few titles in the very popular PixelJunk series, but Nom Nom Galaxy marks the first time that they have done so via Early Access. We had a chance to check out the game recently and loved the wacky world of soup manufacturing that it throws you into. To find out more about the game we badgered John Davis from Q-Games for some answers, so check out what he had to share.

Can you give our readers a quick introduction of yourself and the studio?

Q-Games is an independent game developer located in Kyoto, Japan. We’re probably most known for our PixelJunk series, though some old school gamers may know about our connection to the StarFox series. Our president, Dylan Cuthbert, worked on the first two StarFox games on Super Nintendo, and we also did the StarFox games on DS and 3DS.

How did the idea for Nom Nom Galaxy come about?

Nom Nom Galaxy was born from our love of sandbox games, like Minecraft and Terraria. We wanted to make something similar to those games, but more PixelJunk-like. We wanted something like those games, but a little more goal-oriented and something anyone could pick-up and play.

What are the games that influenced you and how?

We had a “Top 5” games list on the Q-Games forum a couple years ago. I’m a bit indecisive, so it was pretty hard to narrow it down to just five. I think I get my love of platforming and exploring from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Final Fantasy Tactics fulfills my strategy needs. I love MMOs, and World of Warcraft is probably the one I’ve spent the most time with. I cut my teeth on multiplayer games with Descent during lanfests. Tie Fighter squeezes in my Top 5 thanks to my love of Star Wars.

What features of Nom Nom Galaxy are you the most proud of?

Nom Nom Galaxy isn’t quite done yet, but I’m really proud of the dynamic environment we’ve put together. Everything is connected, from the ground that you walk on to the plants and animals that populate each planet. If you destroy the ground under you, things are going to fall. And if you use up your natural resources, they’ll disappear. We want to continue to improve those systems so each planet has its own personality.

What was the biggest challenge while creating Nom Nom Galaxy?

The biggest challenge has been meeting the goals we’ve set out for ourselves. Namely, creating a 2D sandbox game that’s easy to pick-up and play. It’s difficult to walk the line between ease of play and depth for hardcore players. That’s what we’re working on now.

What aspect of the game was the most fun to create?

For me personally, I enjoy working with Yamatron, our artist, on creating new robots to help the Astroworkers. Robots perform many of the mundane duties in your base. But Yamatron has imbued them with so much personality. It’s a pleasure to help him create them.

How is your experience with Steam Early Access?

It’s been great, thus far. We’re getting lots of feedback and updating the game weekly to reflect a lot of it. It’s allowed us to continue the project and promote it while we’re working on it, also.

What are the future plans for Q-Games Ltd./Nom Nom Galaxy?

The NNG team is focused on finishing the game! I can’t talk about what the rest of Q-Games are up to, though.

What is the most unusual thing on your desk right now?

I try to keep my desk pretty utilitarian, so there isn’t anything too out of the ordinary. Next to my desk I’ve got a Char Aznabel Custom Gundam phone charger though!

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks to GamerRamble for giving us the opportunity! You can check out Nom Nom Galaxy on Steam Early access now, and get more information about it and other Q-Games projects on Twitter (@PixelJunkNews) and on Facebook.

We want to thank John for telling us more about the game and sharing that awesome photo of the Gundam phone charger. We recommend that you follow his advice and check out Nom Nom Galaxy on Steam Early Access, but don’t blame us if you become hooked and can’t tear yourself away from your own little soup empire!

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