Opposable Games: Dev Diaries - Joe Blakeston Talks Galaxy Balls
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Dev Diaries - Joe Blakeston Talks Galaxy Balls

Posted 2014-06-23 15:57:52 by Dan Page

As I’m sure you can understand, we’re pretty excited about Joe Blakeston’s Galaxy Balls here at Opposable Games. So with that in mind, we took a couple of moments to try to find out exactly what he wants to do with them. Check out the video (or read the transcript below). 

Part two coming soon. For more about Joe Blakeston's Galaxy Balls check out Galaxy Balls Concept Art and the Galaxy Balls Announcement Post

Joe: Daniel

Dan: How you doin’?

Joe: Yeah yeah, I’m good man, how’re you?

Dan: I’m good

Joe: Taste

Dan: Can you, er, tell me about your balls?

Joe: I’d love to, erm, Galaxy ones first?

Dan: Yeah, please

Joe: Galaxy Balls is a delightful little game, it’s basically a pinball puzzle game essentially. It was birthed from the single sentence of “what if we did a pinball game and you move sh*t around there?”. And that’s it man, that’s where it came from. It’s a game based on simplicity. I’ve been with a few companies where the tendency is to overthink projects, and that is not my natural inclination. So I’ve decided to make a game based around simplicity. It is beautiful, it is chill.

Dan: And er, how do people play with your balls?

Joe: Violently and frequently Daniel. You play as two little guys named Phlyk and Hurl, and they have to collect various pieces of dark matter and machine parts to fix their spaceship. And they do this by arranging pinball mechanisms and firing themselves across the galaxy.

Dan: That all sounds great, but, how do you think they’ll hold up in the er, heat, y’know, of the crowded market?

Joe: It is, it is a crowded market Daniel, and I think if anyone’s balls can do it, it’s mine

Dan: So, basically, you’re hoping your balls will blow up, and a lotta people will play with them

Joe: Yeah, yeah, that’s it man. I mean, what we’re doing at the moment, we’re kind of er, we’re building a test to see if people actually enjoy playing with them, er, see how people like playing with them, if they can take it under the duress. And if it’s fun, we’re gonna push on, if it’s not, I’m not gonna force my balls on anyone.

Dan: That sounds fair

Joe: I think so

Dan: Can you tell me a bit about the history of your balls, and y’know, paint a picture for me

Joe: Well, as I said, it was birthed in a team meeting where I just got ‘em out, showed ‘em to everyone. Everyone seemed really y’know…

Dan: I’m looking for the story though. The story of your balls

Joe: You want...from conception?

Dan:

Joe: Is that what you want? It’s basically just, it’s kinda, all of the elements have come from quick thought. It’s Galaxy Balls, because I’d just watched the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer, and I was like “yep, I definitely want in on that”. Er, pinball, because I was just thinking of simple mechanics, because like I said, you don’t wanna get bogged down, and it was basically that really. It was little brain spasms over a few weeks, I just stapled them all together..

Dan: And what did you name your balls again?

Joe: Phlyk and Hurl. Ideally that because - if you flick ‘em, you’ll hurl

Dan: Cool, cool. Have you got anything you can show me right now?

Joe: Yeah Dan, come and have a look. Let’s get ‘em out

Galaxy Balls Concept Art

Galaxy Balls Announcement Post

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