Tony Tough interview
Tony Tough and the Night of the Roasted Moths has just gone gold in the US, so we've conducted a Q&A with its developers to find out more. (Be sure to also check out our earlier preview of the game.)
Sales figures would tell you that it's wiser to develop a FPS, or an RPG. Why make a pure, traditional adventure game?
Tony was born from a team of 20 guys in their twenties with a great passion--believe it of not--for "point & click" adventure games. We believe there is a place for all types of games in this industry as long as they are very well made and very entertaining. And that’s Tony Tough and the Night of Roasted Moths!
Where did the inspiration for the story of Tony Tough originate from?
The story is intended as something of an X-Files parody. If you really want to understand what happened to the Halloween candy, then be sure to pay particular attention to the game introduction. Once you finish the game, everything will be as a bright and clear as a just polished pumpkin!
For our technical readers, can you tell us more about how the backgrounds and animation were created?
When the game first started, the target platforms were AMIGA and PC. Then, while developing, the AMIGA died and we swapped completely to the PC format, but, interestingly, most of the animations were created with AMIGA.
Adventure developers are moving further away from traditional point & click; Charles Cecil recently said that this genre was dead. Is Tony Tough the last of its kind, or can p&c adventures still be successful?
That’s really up to the gamers, but I believe I’ve heard more than once people saying that Monkey Island 4 wasn’t as good as the third or even the second episode. We believe what makes an adventure game a blockbuster aren’t necessarily the fancy 3D graphics or astonishing fx, but, rather, a great plot and a good dose of humour.
What kinds of puzzles are primarily found in Tony Tough? Were there any types of puzzles you specifically wanted to avoid using?
The puzzles are funny and paradoxal enough for both novice and expert adventure gamers. In general, one of the most exciting features is the extremely open game structure. This means that the choice of what to do and how to carry on with the adventure is completely left up to the player.
How did Got Game end up distributing the game? Was there a lengthy search for a publisher before they came along?
Got Game has been developing a strong reputation for bringing PC adventure games to the market. Since they made a commitment to the category, that gave us the assurance that they would fully support our title. They have certainly surpassed our expectations in dealing with a publisher.
Are there plans for a Tony Tough sequel, or perhaps an original adventure game?
To answer this question you’d better ask Tony….
Can you name two or three adventure games that served as an inspiration for Tony Tough?
We really admire Lucas adventure games like Escape from Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle and Sam and Max. They set a good standard to live up to.
Looking now at your finished product, what part of Tony Tough are you the most proud of?
Definitely the "ARENA VIOLENCE ULTRA GORE" mode. Just kidding. We’re definitely proud of the smart and funny story and that we actually made a "point & click" adventure for the fans.
The English voices were recorded in the US by AudioGodz. Are you happy with the way the voices turned out?
No one could have done a better job with Tony than AudioGodz. We were thrilled when Howard [Horowitz, Got Game] told us who was going to do the voice-over, and they absolutely kept up to our expectations. A special thanks to Lani.
What do you see as the immediate (two/three years) future of adventure gaming?
Go to the Lorenz the Wizard location, ask him the same question and you’ll have the answer! Don’t you believe me? Well, why don’t you play the game and see for yourself then?
We thank the Prograph guys for being able to answer our questions despite their very busy schedule! Tony Tough will be released in North America through Got Game Entertainment on October 31.
