Get to know the lead game developer behind Toxic Crusaders–Sam!
1. Please briefly describe your journey as a game developer and how you came to work on Toxic Crusaders.
Sam: I've been making games as long as I can remember! When I was a kid, my Dad gave me an Acorn Electron computer, and with it was a book on how to write games in BASIC. I'd type up the code from that book and change/mod the games to my liking! Then as a teenager I made fan games and some original games in The Games Factory and uploaded them to an old GeoCities website. It was only when I started college that I didn't have the time anymore, but when the indie game renaissance happened I jumped straight back in and started making games commercially, and had enough successes that I could quit my job and make games for a living, especially after making the first Angry Video Game Nerd game, which gave me a headstart.
Sam: I was given the honor of developing Toxic Crusaders by the guys at Retroware after the success of Angry Video Game Nerd I & II Deluxe. Ryan, the president of Retroware, wanted me to be the one who did it, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity! It's been tough, and there have been ups and downs, but what we are making is getting better and more exciting every day.
2. Have you heard of the Toxic Crusaders and/or Troma prior to working on the game? What value do you think referring to the source material has while developing this kind of title?
Sam: Yes! As a kid I liked the cartoon and had some of the toys, and as an adult I am big into horror and B-movies, so I have also been a Toxic Avenger and TROMA fan for a good while.
Sam: Funny story - I had a memory of Toxic Crusaders, and was a Toxic Avenger fan, but I didn't put two and two together and realize they were the same thing until the AVGN episode came along. It was a real "idiotic eureka moment" for me.
3. What is it like developing a beat-em-up game? What do you think makes Toxic Crusaders stand out from similar titles today? Thirdly, can you describe what you think is the appeal of beat-em-ups compared to other genres?
Sam: The guys at Retroware gave me the opportunity to bring in some expert help, so I enlisted Mentski, the most clued-up guy I know on the subject, to consult. He wrote an extensive study on the classic Beat-Em-Ups and what makes them work, plus what makes a lot of the modern ones not work. Game feel is key, we spent a huge amount of time getting the exact right frame-perfect feel and sound, because the genre is all about that catharsis and satisfaction.
Sam: Beat-Em-Ups are such a release. Where I have previously mostly worked with platform games with an emphasis on challenge, for Toxic Crusaders we really focused on making something that makes you feel good to play. Not that the game isn't challenging, but many modern Beat-Em-Ups miss the point with big difficulty spikes and frustration.
4. While Toxic Crusaders is still undergoing development, what are some things that you thought were fun and/or interesting to implement into the game?
Sam: Something Toxic Crusaders has over other cartoons of the time is its wicked sense of humor. Where other popular cartoon teams often just had a change of color and weapons and personality traits, the Toxic Crusaders are all unique and very different to one another. That means we spent a lot of time making the characters feel and play differently, with unique animations and stats, with so much personality in all of their moves.
5. As a game developer, what do you want players to take away after playing Toxic Crusaders?
Sam: When the Twin Peaks revival came out a few years back, I was going through a pretty rough time, as was the world, and I remember watching the first episode and being hit with this awesome, warm feeling and thinking "I am so, so happy that this is back." Seeing the show and its characters return, brought up to date without losing what made it special, made me feel happy, even when I wasn't even watching it, it's like it reawakened that '90s spirit for me. It wasn't just "Hey guys, remember this?", it also gave me the same feeling the show did back in the day, but as for my modern self.
Sam: That's what I want people to feel when they play this. Not just "Hey, I remember this cartoon and this genre of game," there are plenty of those. I want Toxie to fill people with that spirit and humor. Toxie and friends fight to save the environment from those who destroy it for their own personal gain, and today that is more relevant than ever. No matter how hopeless things may seem, Toxie and friends will always do what's right, will always have hope, and will always see the funny side.
Sam: I hope that beating up a bunch of polluters brings great catharsis, I hope that Toxie's bright and inspiring attitude reminds people to have hope, and I hope that this crazy team of oddballs can keep you laughing until the day we eventually save the world for real.
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