Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Inside One Finger Death Punch 2

Old School Gamer talks to One Finger Death Punch 2’s Jon Flook, who lets us know how the original made the sequel happen and so much more.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How did the impact of the first game in the series make this game possible?

Jon Flook: The first One Finger Death Punch was made with an old programming language called XNA. It has since been discontinued and will no longer be supported by most platforms. So, in theory, the first game can no longer be worked on in any meaningful way. If we wanted to develop the concept further we’d have to start over from scratch. A fresh start. It took 5 years to make OFDP2 and another year to get it to consoles. It was a very costly process that we probably shouldn’t have done given that it can’t possibly make enough money to pay for itself. Never-the-less we tried.  The first game was picked up and played by some very big YouTubers back in 2014 which gave the original One Finger Death Punch some legs on Steam. One Finger Death Punch 2 exists only because the concept is great and those few influencers gave the game a try. It’s because of those influencers that we had any money to attempt this sequel. OFDP1 was a great game, but we were also very lucky to get those influencers to notice the game.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What was development like?

Flook: Development was grueling, costly and very difficult. We used Unity 3D to make the sequel. Unity is a great tool, but despite all its helpful features, the development of the game still took a very long time. It took my brother and me roughly 5 years full time to complete the game.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What makes this game special?

Flook: One Finger Death Punch 2 is the ultimate arcade action game. It delivers instant fun. Simply put, there’s no other game in the world like it.  I see 60 games released on Steam each day, day after day, year after year.  I take pride in knowing out little gem is unique amongst the many thousands of games out there.

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

Jon Flook: There were no other games that influenced us, but we drew much inspiration from kung-fu movies like Drunken Master and Game of Death. But specifically the Bruce Lee film, Fists of Fury. There’s a scene in that film where Bruce Lee takes on an entire dojo by himself using whatever weapons he can get his hands on. That scene is essentially what One Finger Death Punch is all about.

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

Flook: I wish I could say there was a fun story behind the development, but it was a difficult and hard five-year grind. By the end of the journey, we’re just happy it’s almost over. I say almost because if the Xbox and Switch launches do well enough for us to continue and finish the PS4 version then we’ll be working on that next.

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

Flook: You can’t work on a small $8 indie game for five years and expect it to pay for itself. Sadly that’s a lesson you can only learn once. LOL (facepalm)

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

Flook: My buddy and I had a huge comeback in an epic round of Supreme Commander 2. It was a 2 v 2 match and my buddy’s base was destroyed early on. Using a vast shield network, among other things, we mounted a comeback under the relentless and continual shelling of UEF artillery. It was the most amazing RTS moment I’ve ever had.  I should mention the blockbusters I love are Hearthstone, Magic the Gathering, Clash Royale, and Overwatch.  But a lot of my gaming is now on mobile and I play a lot of little indie games on there.  My favorite mobile game right now is “Famly Style”.  It’s like Spaceteam, but with food and it’s totally amazing to play with a group of friends.  Check it out!

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

Flook: Not to tout our own horn but, I don’t think this game will be just remembered by some as the coolest action kung-fu game ever, but I don’t see it being replaced by another game anytime soon. I think OFDP2 is timeless in that sense and will remain unique for many years to come.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s next?

Flook: That’s a tricky one to answer since we’re not sure ourselves. We certainly don’t have the money to make another game like OFDP2. We want to keep making games, but we can’t do it for free and support our families. So perhaps we have to find work elsewhere and make games part-time as a hobby. It’s tough to tell at this moment how that will all play out.

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

Flook: I thank you for your interest in OFDP2. I know with big games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and League of Legends it’s hard to cover or talk about anything else. Audiences built around indies are naturally smaller. Anyone talking about indies is taking the path less traveled for sure. But I firmly believe that indies are the ones that can take the biggest risks and at times can produce the most interesting games.