Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Inside ‘Chicken Bomb’

Old School Gamer Magazine chats with Chicken Bomb creator Gelson Goes, who discusses the game’s development process and more.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How was the game born?

Gelson Goes: The idea of the game was born after a cross between different retro game mechanics. The connection between RPG elements with top down movement through grids became very evident after several prototypes. The theme of chickens and bomb eggs came up after some insights from a farm holiday.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What is your role in the game?

Goes: Like the reality of a small studio, each member of the team plays different roles. I particularly participated as a programmer, game designer and a little bit as an artist.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How did you get involved in the industry?

Goes: I am currently working at Petrobras, as its operation technician since 2012 (I know, nothing like the production of games). But I’ve always been close to games, I’ve always been a lover of retro games. So, with the popularization of Unity and my need to express some artistic production, everything became very clear.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What has development been like?

Goes: Development has an exotic mix of overwork with pleasure. Each day has been a new page of learning, discoveries and new partners.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What makes this game special?

Goes: Chicken Bomb is an appreciable game that, despite being a great mixture of different mechanics, presents fluidity and entertainment. Very fun and with a funny nostalgic tone.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What games influenced this one the most?

Goes: Visually it is possible to notice the great inclusion of Bomberman in Chicken Bomb. Another game that inspired us a lot was Dark Souls, despite the great dissipation, the mechanics of evolution and difficulty greatly influenced the Chicken Bomb.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Goes: During the development there were several obstacles that were learned daily to be overcome. There were no moments so unusual, only that my work has a 12-hour shift, and the entire development of the game was carried out in the 4 hours I had to rest and in my spare time.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What were the major lessons learned?

Goes: All development must be carried out in a healthy way and that all additions made in a non-salutary way end up attracting further development.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Goes: Certainly, game development has a well-formed backbone, we cannot forget the mechanics that have driven this great industry until today. The current technologies are incredible, but we at Goessoft believe that games should focus on the purest spirit of fun.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Goes: I have always been passionate about strategy and role playing games. I have an incredible passion for Breath Of Fire and Final Fantasy (Especially VII and VIII). I have the memory of the rainy afternoons that I spent at home trying to conquer all the cards of Final Fantasy VIII, this memory is certainly the most striking for me. But I admit that of the last games released, I had a very particular experience with The Witcher III, the game is fantastic and very rich, the people at CD Project Red did a memorable job.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?

Goes: The game was developed by a small team, I admit that the game could be better in several aspects. But I am very happy with the result, I would like it to be remembered as a fun game that mixes topdown mechanics well with RPG elements and has a distinctive nostalgic tone.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s next?

Goes: We are working on some prototypes and looking for mechanics that are interesting with another theme and that can be evolved using a more current approach. We are trying to build a unique and unique style for our studio.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you would like to add?

Goes: We would like now to thank all the support of your team and that we are available for any other information. And that this is our first commercial game, we know how difficult it is for a studio to survive in this industry if it is not extraordinary, we are willing to face this challenge.