I recently had the extreme pleasure of getting to sit down to interview the fine folks over at Causal Brothers Games. Specifically I got to sit down with Igor Rodinski, the public relations manager. I didn’t just focus on who the Casual Brothers are, I also dug in deep to ask about their upcoming title Orc Attack. Igor revealed quite a lot of information about the game, making me even more curious about this one.

So, without further ado, here’s the interview:

Luke: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for me today.

Igor: Thank to you for your interest!

L: Let’s start off with telling everyone who are the Casual Brothers and where are you all from?

I: We are hardcore videogame players. All of us have worked in different video game companies and also other projects linked to the media. The passion for old school video games is the main spirit that unites us. We are a European studio, based mostly out of Spain.

L: So, just to make sure we are all on the same page, Casual Brothers is an indie studio? What Platforms do you develop for?

I: Yes, we are an indie studio that was created by our own means. We try to focus on downloadable games for Steam, XBLA and PSN. We hope to develop titles for PS Vita and Wii U as well. We want to cover all the different platforms out there.

L: How big is the team?

I: We started with just six of us, but now we are a dozen.

L: What brought the original 6 people together?

I: The original six members of the team worked together throughout the years on various projects for other companies. At one point, around Christmas 2009, we decided to start a project by ourselves.

L: Since you’ve been around for three years, what games out there are yours?

I: We have not published any title yet as Casual Brothers. Orc Attack is our first game. We have put all our focus and passion into it. We want to create a really fun game. We have been working on it for almost two years. We play it every day and we still really enjoy it.

L: I hate asking when the game will be out, but just give us a time frame when you expect to release Orc Attack.

I: We want to publish Orc Attack Q4 2012 or Q1 2013.

L: How hard is it to self publish a title?

I: It is quite difficult to publish your own title. We are still figuring it out and it’s been quite the battle. We won’t discard the possibility of working with a publisher to help us with the promotion of the game.

L: We’ve heard about how hard it is to make finical ends meet when it comes to starting up a studio and working on a first title being an indie. What have you done to help pay the bills, if you don’t mind me asking?

I: This is an interesting question and something that we have been struggling with. Right now we are preparing a website to sell some things to help us pay some of the bills. We are also preparing a Kickstarter with the help of an American partner. Since we are a European based company we can’t start the Kickstarter ourselves. You must be based in America to launch a Kickstarter project.

L: For what platforms are you hoping to release on?

I: Right now we optimistic that we will be able to release on all platforms; PS3, XBOX360 and PC, but later on we will work also for PSVita and WIIU.

L: Let’s switch gears for now and start talking about Orc Attack. What genre is it going to fall under?

I: Orc Attack is a hack and slash with massive combat and cooperative play. Players will be able to use strategy to help them progress through the game with other friends. The main theme is the coopperative play so you can play with friends. That doesn’t mean you can’t play single player. You will end up having an AI companion, but this game is more fun to play with friends.

The players are Orcs looking to strike back at the humans who have brought their machines to exploit all the natural resources leaving nothing but pollution and famine in their wake. They send the Orcs wild, causing them to rebel against the destruction of their environment and their race. Even though they are sick, they have figured out a way to use this against the evil human invaders!

Going back to the multiplayer aspect, you can play either you and three buddies on your couch or online! All players will have the same point of view, since we are using a new revolutionary 3D camera system.

L: Could you tell me more about how this camera system works?

I: We have created a camera that allows you to play in a way that nods to the classics like the Golden Axe and the Gauntlet – but in 3D. This camera always focuses in on the action. It captures it in a way that means that the players are given an impressive view of the combat as if it were a movie.

L: Can you describe for us how Orc Attack plays?

I: You progress through the game fighting off the hordes of humans. Each orc character has their own style of weapon, as well as their own “gas” attack. Not only do you rely on each other, but you can interact with the scenery. As you go through the game, you are awarded experience points which will later translate into new combos and skills. You can also pick up the weapons and armor of the humans to use that against them as well.

You are also awarded with, and can pick up, gold coins along the way. In between stages, you can go to the store and buy new weapons and items to use. Be careful though, as you can lose the weapons and armor you bought from the store. They can either break, though you are given an option to repair, or you drop them from getting beat up too much.

Experience points are spent making your character better. Like something you would find in any RPG style game. There is a skill for how agressive your character is – the more points you have in this skill, the more the humans will attack you instead of your buddies.

Finally, there are the combos between the orcs. The “gas” attacks I mentioned before are burping and farting. One person can fart, sending out the gas in a circle around him. Another player comes along and burps, igniting the gas having an effect on the humans. It depends on the orc but one turns them to stone, another poisons them etc. Players can also chain the gas attacks together. Say one player farts near a fire setting a human on fire. The human runs around on fire towards his buddies, and another orc then farts on him. It can get quite crazy. There are also melee combos as well, where one orc jumps onto the shoulders of another.

L: No lie, but there is a lot of information to digest and it seems there is a lot to offer to the players. Touching on the the combos, are they going to be very difficult or is this something that casual gamers can get into?

I: The casual gamers will be able to progress quickly learning the elemental combos, while the hardcore gamers will always have something to perform and combine in different circumstances the game presents. There is something here for everyone!

L: People hate dying and having to start back at the beginning of a stage or area, is there a checkpoint system in the game?

I: Yes, in every level there will be an Orc Totem to revive your comrades killed in action.

L: The sound of the farts can disgust somebody, have you thought about that?

I: Yes. In fact, the game will include the possibility to deactivate the fart sound, changing it for a clean sound, so parents or whoever don’t have to hear the sound.

L: Finally, do you have a price point in mind when you do finally release the game?

I: Our intention is 9.99 $ (800 MSP)

L: I would like to thank you for your time Igor. It has been very enlightening and I’m looking forward to the release of Orc Attack – Thank you for everything.

I: Thank you, it was my pleasure.

The game’s official website can be found here, and rest assured that we here at Just Press Start will keep you updated on all things Orc Attack.