Bake 'n Switch VGS Interview!

[DarkTone | 986]

I managed to catch up with 2 members of Streamline Games for an exclusive interview for their new game on Kickstarter, Bake 'n Switch. A fun Couch Co-Op game Coming to the Switch and PC.

Disclaimer. I have backed this project.

 

Can you tell everyone who you are and what it is you do?

 S: I'm Stefan Baier. I presented the Bake ‘n Switch Kickstarter, and I'm one of the original founders of the studio.

I: Hi guys, my name is Izzal Amaani, Head of Production here at Streamline Games.

 

How did you get your start in making games?

S: I got started making game levels for Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, and DOOM in the nineties. We made a game called Gunman Chronicles, which was about dinosaurs, robots, and cowboys in space. From there I co-founded a company in 2001, and that's Streamline

I: I started off as a Project Manager for the art assets for Street Fighter V and Marvel vs. Capcom infinite. I then had the opportunity to be the Producer in charge of mission, level, and backend systems for Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts with CI Games. As well as launching our own IP, Nightstream on iOS and Android. 

 

What games did you grow up playing (if any)?

S: Classic adventure games like Day of the Tentacle, Civ II, Dune 2, Quake, Doom, Unreal Tournament. All the good stuff. 

 I: Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Master System II, Super Mario 64, Lylat Wars, Pokemon Yellow, Starcraft, Warcraft III, and of course, World of Warcraft. 

 

What is Bake 'n switch?

S: Bake’n Switch is a violently cute couch co-op brawler that starts easy, then gets challenging – but always stays fun and cute.

 I: An adoughrable game about beating Buns and feeding them to Guardians of Dough to make them your friends. 

 

What are some of your favorite parts of Bake 'n Switch?

S: I think the cooperative team play that we managed to pull off. When everything works out, and the court gets unruly, and you pull off some crazy stunt as a team – that's gold.

I: For me, the PVP modes are extremely exciting. There's something about stealing someone else's stack of Buns and baking them that gets me every time! 

 

What are the toughest parts of making the game?

S: The initial year tends to always be the hardest because there are so many options, so many directions for the design, and each direction can be treacherous and confusing. Once you find something, even if it seems strange and incomplete, you have to stick with it to get somewhere – and that can be tough and scary.

I: I echo Stefan here, the initial year was definitely the hardest. Trying to find what is the "meat" of the game was hardest for us. We had a lot of cool systems in place, but which ones do we keep or cut to further purify the game to its core essence? This was the debate we had for the longest time until we were finally happy with what we had. Other than that… of course, launching the game! Gotta squash them bugs!

 

There are so many doughy animals in the game to bake. Do you have a favorite? 

S: I like the Fluff Fox and DoughDough the best. I love Fluff Fox's cheeky behavior, and I like the Doughdough's derpy animations and desire to fly.

I: I love Lil' Bun and the Doughrilla. The way Lil' Bun chomps on other buns is the cutest and most unexpected thing. The Doughrilla pummeling baddies never gets old either.

 

What about the Bakers? Do you have one you prefer to play as? 

S: If I want to beat up Dough, I tend to play Rosemary with her new special ability, or otherwise Thyme with his buff to attacks.

I: Haha, I have a favorite, but I can't talk about this character just yet. 

 

As of writing this, the game is on Kickstarter. Did you expect such positivity for this project?

S: It's impossible to really set expectations for Kickstarter before you do it. We are definitely humbled and happy to see the response to the game was as good as it was. 

I: We've taken the game to many roadshows and received positive feedback. So to say we were expecting any bad feedback would be an exaggeration. But we were definitely touched to see the positivity that we received from the public.

 

What can we expect in the future from Streamline Games? 

S: For the near future, we are focused on Bake ’n Switch, but we have already started work on some other prototypes. It's still too early to talk about those, but they span a variety of genres. I think what you can expect from Streamline Games will be variety. We have different teams with different interests, and that shows in the games we make.

I: We have a couple of other ideas currently in the early prototyping phase that we've been eagerly working on behind the scenes. What people can expect from us would be games with fun bits and bobs of quirkiness that come from the personalities of each of the teams. For example, Bake ’n Switch is a game that, if I were to introduce you to our Producer, Elizabeth, would make you say, "huh... this all makes sense now!" So we hope to emulate that with our next games.

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/streamlinegames/bake-n-switch-play-apart-together?ref=user_menu

Huge shout out to Stefan and Izzal for answering these. The project ends soon so hurry and check it out!

 

[Estil | 1,265]

Is Bake n Switch sponsored by Shake n Bake?