This week, we finish our discussion with Lead QA Tester Christian detailing his work on The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest (TASQ)!
What are some unique gameplay elements that you think distinguish TASQ from similar titles?
Christian: I'm not exactly an expert on every game in this wheelhouse, but from what I know they were trying to recapture a different era than TASQ is. TASQ is after that classic gameplay with a few modern touches for quality of life and variety, but at it's core it's trying to emulate that mid to late 80's feel. I also think TASQ is taking a comedic slant that I think is unique for the genre.
What are some of your favorite features in TASQ so far?
Christian: I cannot tell you how satisfying it is for me to kill a Skelebone and then whip his head out of the air into the guy behind him. I just can't help myself; even when I have no reason to hit the skull, I will anyway! The secret routes in each dungeon are probably a more tangible feature that I should be taking. In each boss dungeon, there is actually an alternate route that leads to an entirely different boss fight for the dungeon. Also, there are a bunch of minigames to play throughout Transylvania to find. I swear, Programancer can't help himself but to just jam his games with as much content as he can manage.
What are some things you learned while QA testing Prison City that you can apply to your work on TASQ?
Christian: I think the importance of clear communication is the main take away from working on Prison City. By the time I was doing the interview for Prison City, I had learned that, but early on it's hard to come up to someone and tell them you think they messed something up, especially when it's subjective. The bugs are the bugs; you find them, you report them, because they can't stay no matter what. But when you have an opinion on the quality elsewhere, it's important to open that line of communication, too. Maybe Programancer agrees with me and he changes it, or maybe he disagrees and explains the decision to me. Both of those results are fine, so there's no reason not to do it.
From what you've seen so far, how would you describe TASQ for those who have yet to play?
Christian: If you look at TASQ and think "this looks like something I might like", I promise you it is. Programancer is a master at recapturing the magic and I would encourage people to give a try. There's no trick here, it looks the way it does because it's exactly like that!
And that's a wrap! Stay tuned for even more as we continue with development!
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