Nibris is one of those companies that just seem to get more and more attention even though it has yet to release any games. But why is this? Well, because of the concepts on offer for its DS and Wii projects. Cubed³ caught up with the Polish team to see what it is up to right now.
Cubed³’s Adam Riley: First of all, the latest builds of ROTR and Double Bloob we played have developed considerably since we last saw them. Do you have finalised release dates for these two DS games yet?
Nibris: Double Bloob – Q4 2007; ROTR – Q1 2008
AR: And what is happening in terms of publishers – do you have one already, or will us be using the upcoming Leipzig Games Convention to attract them?
Nibris: We have publishers, but not for all territories.
AR: Starting with ROTR, the game currently has two different aircraft available. But how many more will be on offer in the final game?
Nibris: At least six that you can use.
AR: In recent promotional material the game’s name appears to now be ‘Ride Over the River’ instead of ‘Raid Over the River’. Which name will be the final one?
Nibris: ROTR *smiles*
AR: Currently only the face buttons are used in ROTR, but it is stated the touch-screen and microphone will also be used. Can you please explain how these two functions will be used?
Nibris: Of course! In the menu (main menu and the one before a mission starts) and during the slow motion feature of the game, where you can draw on enemies you want to attack the most using super-attacks. Also, the microphone will be used, for example as a ‘sonic weapon’, where the attack effect changes depending on how strong your voice is.
AR: Will the speed of your aircraft movement be increased in the final game to help you dodge bullets easier?
Nibris: Yes.
AR: How do you feel ROTR compares to Shin’en Interactive’s Nanostray and its upcoming sequel (which looks very impressive)?
Nibris: Shin’en did a great job with the first Nanostray. Now it has a really impressive project in the form of the upcoming Nanostray 2. We think that both games are different from one another, though.
Nanostray is closer to classic shmups like Ikaruga. We are going in a different direction – our game has deep screenplay elements (of course this is in comparison to other arcade games in this genre), 3D graphics on both screens, and is solely a vertical shooter. Honestly I prefer to play ROTR, but we have great respect for the Shin’en team and we think that its game will be a huge success. Of course we will play on Nanostray 2. Best regards to Shin’en!
AR: Is work still underway on a Wii version of ROTR as well?
Nibris: We are considering bringing ROTR to the WiiWare download service on Wii.
AR: As for Double Bloob, we have already seen that the game pays homage to the likes of Pang! (in the main game) and Bust-A-Move (in one of the minigames), but the latest Press Release also says elements of Pokémon and Lemmings will be incorporated. Can you please explain how these two styles will be featured?
Nibris: In most cases Bloobs are merged together and when hit they fall apart to become smaller Bloobs. Hitting a Bloob in its smallest state causes its destruction. Bloobs have different levels of resistance to the different kinds of weapons that can be used by the player, which means you are required to make the appropriate choice of weapons when playing a level. Sometimes Bloobs can be pushed away by blowing into the microphone. Also the game sets up a number of obstacles meaning players must use various types of strategy on each of the various stages.
Additionally in the game there is the possibility of “collecting” Bloobs. There are 60 kinds of Bloobs in the game and every defeated Bloob (which means one that appears in a completed level) is added to a special collection, which is accessible from the main menu. This collection contains pictures of the defeated Bloobs in their natural environment with short descriptions of facts and interesting details about their life.
AR: So far we have only been shown the male lead character. Will players be able to choose between playing as Aen and Niua in the final game?
Nibris: Yes.
AR: And will there be a co-operative multiplayer aspect for two players?
Nibris: YES! We have had lots of fun with one guy from our team playing the game using the buttons and a woman blowing on the microphone *big smile*
AR: In the latest version of the game, the rope and hook weapon has been replaced with a new weapon. Will there be a variety of weapons on offer or just this new one?
Nibris: Yes. But I cannot confirm what they are at the moment.
AR: Whilst Bloobsmasher plays similar to the puzzle classic Bust-a-Move, can you please explain how Hexines plays?
Nibris: In this version the player will play on hex-based playfield, shaped in a hexagonal form. Each side of this playfield will have around 6 hex fields.
AR: Currently you can blow into the microphone to push Bloobs upwards. Will this ability be limited so that the game does not become too easy?
Nibris: Of course. Blowing will be one of the bonuses that you have to obtain.
AR: It has been stated that gamers can create their own Bloob characters. Can these then be traded with other gamers to show off the new creations?
Nibris: Yes.
AR: Can you give us an example of one of the main Boss enemies we will face in the main game?
Nibris: One particular example is Count Bloobula, a Vampire Bloob that can shoot the player’s character, whilst also creating additional Bloobs to bounce around and defend him. To defeat him, first of all his armor must be destroyed, then a critical hit must be inflicted. After that his armor is replenished, meaning the process needs to be repeated three times.
AR: How is the highly anticipated Wii game ‘Sadness’ progressing? Do you have an idea of when it will finally be released?
Nibris: When we are sure that Sadness is as good as we want it to be. This means that the game will be released no earlier than Q4 2008, and maybe even in sometime in 2009. This game will be a completely new thing in Game Industry.
AR: Is the game going to be making use of the WiiConnect24 feature of Wii for anything?
Nibris: No.
AR: How are you finding Wii development so far? Are there any things you wish the hardware could do that it currently cannot due to limitations?
Nibris: There are, of course, some limits in developing, but any other platform would not give us the opportunity to create Sadness the way we want. As for development costs, I don’t talk about them, although in Sadness’ case they are really big.
AR: Is there anything new you can tell us about the game?
Nibris: You will have to wait until E4All, but you will be given a sign soon (perhaps at the Games Convention in Leipzig) *smiles*
AR: Will Sadness be a stand-alone game or will you be aiming to make this into a series of games in the future?
Nibris: We are making this game as a stand-alone product because ‘nothing happens twice’. However, we are only the developer, so the last word will likely be with the publisher.
AR: Would you ever consider creating a version for the DS at some point?
Nibris: No. This game can be done only for Nintendo Wii.
AR: So, in summary, what is Nibris working on right now?
Nibris: At this time we are working on Double Bloob (DS), ROTR (DS) and Sadness (Wii), each of which are already in progress. But that is not all, as you already know. We are also working on some new projects that will start actual development once these three games have reach the completion stages. As mentioned earlier, we are not interested in bringing Sadness to the Nintendo DS, but are working on another horror game that will be dedicated specifically to the Nintendo DS - "The Children of the Night" (as reported on here: http://www.cubed3.com/news/8310/). No dates can be confirmed yet for its release, but it will start development before Bloob Karts and details will be coming in the next couple of months.
In conclusion:
Their games may only release in Europe.
Expect Sadness, if it exists, to release around 2009.
Tentative appearance @E4All/Leipzig, just like their E307 plans beforehand.
