Interview by Ninichi | Contact | Follow
I was pleased to come across Lucas Govatos (@lucasgovatos) - the creator of sci-fi puzzle exploration game, Epitasis. here's my interview with him to explore his game further...
Introduce us to your game - what is it called and how do you play it?
'The game is Epitasis - a 3d puzzle exploration game set on far off distance worlds. Quickly thrown from your normal life and out into these vast ancient worlds, you must explore and rediscover ancient technologies left by an ancient race that has mysteriously vanished. Use them to solve puzzles, explore new areas, and discover the place they called home. If you're lucky, you just might be able to get back to your own.
The game involves solving complex puzzles using many different elements - from portals, lasers, pressure plates, AI drones that can scan the environment and more. You explore ancient ruins in search of special technological artifacts that can help you unlock new areas and help you during your travels.'
What made you want to create this game?
'I've been wanting to create a puzzle game for some time now. I also wanted to do something very colourful and visually interesting. Originally starting out as a horror project, I started having some visions of a puzzle game set in an ancient land, exploring ruins and finding artifacts. I merged over things I did from the horror project and started on fleshing out some of those visions, which quickly turned out to be some of the initial prototypes for the game.'
What makes it interesting?
'As the player, the game is interesting as it quickly throws you from one familiar place to another very unfamiliar alien world. The player is quickly brought out of their regular life and thrown into something they never expected. The whole game revolves around finding more about where you are, what happened, and a possible way to make it back home. As a developer, this proposes interesting challenges in making the game feel interesting at all times, and making sure the player feels invested in the new world they are exploring and their objectives of finding a way home.'
Tell us about you and how you got into game development
'Currently, I am the sole developer designing and creating the game. I previously went to college and got an associates degree in game art and design and also spent time working at Bethesda Softworks on titles such as Elder Scrolls Online as a QA Tester. Around the same time I started Epitasis, I left Bethesda to go back to college and pursue a degree in computer science. The only other person that has contributed to the project is Andrzej Ojczenasz, a contract music composer who has been creating the soundtrack to Epitasis. I've been invested in game design and development for a long time, first starting out creating levels for Halo
CE back in 2007 during my teenage years.'
Tell us what you think about game music
'I love game music. Its so great. I listen to a lot of game music while working on games, as it really gets the mind flowing with creativity and interesting ideas to put into the game and is often very relaxing too. I have plenty of favourites in terms of game music, from DisasterPeace's FEZ and Hyper Light Drifter scores, to Austin Wintorys Journey soundtrack and even Damjan Mravunac's The Talos Principle soundtrack (which is great for working on Epitasis as it provides similar feelings). Some other great music I listen to while working on Epitasis and other projects is Tyco, which can provide very relaxing soundscapes and melodies that maintain focus.'
Have you created any other games?
'While I've created some other games, I have not released them all. One game I have released was when working with others at Not Big Enough Games, a small indie game company near Baltimore, MD. We created a simple mobile app called Relics of Ra, a fast paced arcade game that involves color matching and moving through ancient ruins.
Where can we get hold of your game?
'Epitasis is still in development and currently has no release date, but will definitely be available on Steam. A console release is still being considered.'
About the author: Ninichi is a music composer specialising in game music, film music and music for media.
If you are looking for music for your game, film or project - I would be delighted to help: contact me.
Learn more about me and have a listen to my game music. Discover more articles and game features on Ninichi's blog & follow me on twitter @ninichimusic.
