Old School Gamer Magazine chats with Mega Cat Studios’ Milosh, the lead developer behind the developer’s nifty rogue RPG on the Sega Genesis, “We Got Dungeons.” Detailing the creative process and why the game was created on Sega’s iconic 16-bit console, Milosh lets us know why this is indeed a special title.
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Old School Gamer Magazine: How did you manage to combine elements from Earthbound, Neil Gaiman and Buffy The Vampire Slayer on this?
Milosh: We do everything as a team, and with story lines, Zack is the moderator. He does most all of our writing, and makes the brainstorming discussions cohesive after everyone’s given their input. Several of us love roguelike elements, and I’ve never played one that takes place in ’90s suburbia. I hope someone likes playing it when it’s done as much as we’ve enjoyed working on it.
Old School Gamer Magazine: Any fun development stories?
Milosh: The time that I almost went insane trying to understand why our path-finding algorithm wasn’t working. Turns out knowing basic logic helps when you’re a programmer.
Old School Gamer Magazine: Is there a retro Genesis game that this is similar to?
Milosh: Aesthetically, it has a bright color palette that reminds me of some of my favorite games on that platform: Gunstar Heroes and Zombies Ate My Neighbors come to mind. This genre has always felt like a target for a PC platform.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What have been the biggest challenges?
Milosh: This is our first isometric perspective game for the Genesis and while that lends itself to some gorgeous art (hats off to Hari and the other artists) there are specific things that have to be taken into consideration when developing the game. I would say the biggest ongoing challenge is definitely trying to pack on screen as much art and cool stuff as we can without breaking everything.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What games did you play as a kid and how did they influence this?
Milosh: I grew up with a steady diet of SNES, playing classics like Super Mario and Super Metroid. Although none of these games directly influenced We Got Dungeons, there’s no question that the fundamentals do. Those games are great inspirations for anyone working on games. We all feel like we’re recapturing part of the experience that the pioneers of that era of game development must have had back in the day; and that is cool as all hell. 
Old School Gamer Magazine: What have you learned about yourself through this?
Milosh: I’ve tested my coffee in take limits, and have determined that I can consume inordinate amounts of coffee and not die.
Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you want to add?
Milosh: Hi Mom, Dad, and Sis!
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Patrick Hickey Jr. is the author of the upcoming book, “The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult and Classic Video Game Developers,” from McFarland And Company. Featuring interviews with the creators of 36 popular video games–including Deus Ex, NHLPA 93, Night Trap, Mortal Kombat, Wasteland and NBA Jam–the book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of the most influential and iconic (and sometimes forgotten) games of all time. Recounting endless hours of painstaking development, the challenges of working with mega publishers and the uncertainties of public reception, the interviewees reveal the creative processes that produced some of gaming’s classic titles.
Patrick Hickey, Jr., is the founder and editor-in-chief of ReviewFix.com and a lecturer of English and journalism at Kingsborough Community College, in Brooklyn, New York. Over the past decade, his video game coverage has been featured in national ad campaigns by top publishers the likes of Nintendo, Deep Silver, Disney and EA Sports. His book series, "The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult and Classic Game Developers," from McFarland and Company, has earned praise from Forbes, Huffington Post, The New York Daily News and MSG Networks. He is also a former editor at NBC and National Video Games Writer at the late-Examiner.com
