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Runner Party Interview – Platform racing… using any means necessary

04 Mar, 2022

Runner Party is a multiplayer platform racer with power-ups that’s up on Kickstarter now. We talked to devs Creartstudio to learn more.

Runner Party is more than just a party with runners – it’s also a platformer in which you can use traps and power-ups to get ahead of your opponents. The game’s hectic, arcadey multiplayer gameplay where if you end up off-screen, you get eliminated.

French developers Creartstudio have set up a very expansive Kickstarter page up right now with a €20,000 goal that’s about 28% funded so far. There’s still 25 days to go, though, so feel free to chip in if you’ve a hankering for competitive platformer racing.

We talked to Joris Drylewicz from Creartstudio about how the studio and the project came about, as well as the road ahead.

Tell us about Creartstudio, how its members came together, and how your journey has been thus far.

We are a small team of 3 people. François is the founder of Creartstudio, and he takes care of all the visuals and animations of the game. I’m Joris, in charge of the communication of the project as well as projects’ development with François. And finally, there’s Hugo, the developer of the team who is responsible for creating the game engine. As we are a small team, we are all very involved in the whole project.

François and I met in high school and we already had the desire to work together. Meanwhile, François created Creartstudio with his father, who unfortunately died a few years later. At that time, I was working in my art gallery in Tours (France) and François came to ask me if I would like to work with him on video game scenarios and concepts.

As we are passionate about drawings, animations, films and video games since our childhood, and with many references in common, it was natural that we started to work and develop different projects. This is how the idea of Runner Party emerged: a fully 2D, competitive video game in which players compete in different races, playable by up to 4 players. The universe of Runner Party refers to the pop culture of the 80s and 90s which marked our youth.

We called on an external studio to create an engine base for the game. However, having very little financial support meant that we were not able to completely develop it. This is when we had the chance to meet Hugo, who was immediately interested in our project. We got along very quickly, and he decided to join the team. He revised the entire game engine.

We have worked for 3 years on Runner Party now. Our primary objective was to offer our game to Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony in order to release it on their game consoles. The three manufacturers have since agreed to distribute the project when it is finished. We then started communicating about the project and decided to carry out a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

Our objectives are to show the game to the public and to obtain the financial means we sorely lack to finish the game in its most complete version.

Runner Party screenshot

Which party games influenced Runner Party, if any? Were there any other influences?

Runner Party is a mix between Mario Kart and a 2D platform games.

A multitude of games from the 80s and 90s influenced Runner Party (Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, Super Mario Bros, Rayman, the Legend of Zelda, Tetris, Pacman, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Alex Kidd, Wonder Boy…) as well as many movies (Indiana Jones, Pulp Fiction, Back to the Future…).

What sets Runner Party apart from other party games?

Runner Party has its own universe that brings together a multitude of references while keeping its own identity.

We have tried to create an original graphic universe for each environment, which is represented by an arcade terminal. The arcade room is very representative in terms of colors and the atmosphere that emanates from the 80s and 90s.

The visual aspect of the game was essential for us to bring the player fully into our universe. We also worked a lot around the mechanics of the game. We chose to create each item with the aim that it will bring richness and fun in each race.

In addition, we offer (if the fundraising campaign is successful) a character editor that will allow players to customize their own characters by earning in-game rewards! Furthermore, in hardcore mode, there are enemies that offer a race for players with more skills.

Runner Party indie game screenshot

Can Runner Party be played singleplayer with bots?

We want to give players the opportunity to be able to play alone, with bots to practice before playing against other players. This system can be put in place if we succeed in our Kickstarter campaign.

When it comes to multiplayer, how do you level the playing field for newcomers and experienced players?

We have created our environments so that new players can easily move forward and get the grips with the different game mechanics. Shortcuts are attainable through the Ghost item allowing the player to pass through ghost walls. Plus there are portals that teleport you further in the race.

As in Mario Kart, items re-balance the race, allowing a player to recover from having fallen behind. The Switch item, for example, allows a player to take the place of another player by touching them and vice versa.

Runner Party is your first PC/console game. What lessons have you learnt developing for this format?

Producing a video game on PC and console for a small team like ours is a real obstacle course. We had to regularly take a step back from our work, carry out a lot of tests and listen to the various external criticisms.

We have worked a lot on understanding how the game plays for new players in terms of level designs, user interface and mechanics. We are constantly looking for possible bugs and working to make the game as optimized and smooth as possible.

 

When can we expect the game to release, both in Early Access and in full?

The release of the game will largely depend on the success of our crowdfunding campaign. We really want to bring the best gaming experience to players. Therefore, we are carrying out this campaign, which could provide us the financial means to develop the game in its best version and as quickly as possible.

In the best scenario, we would like to release the game in its final version at the end of the year 2022 on PC and console. It is likely that we will release an Early Access in the meantime, but it is important for us not to release it prematurely by lack of means.

Runner Party screenshot

You can follow Runner Party’s development further on the official website, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’d like to help crowdfund the game, check out the very comprehensive Kickstarter page!

Be sure to check out our previews section to learn more about the development of upcoming games.

This Article was written by: Rahul Shirke

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