When their land is threatened, four super heroes take the lead against a horde of maniacal monsters. Ro-Q, Fiona and their two mysterious companions must use their Dark Light powers to put the hurt on the demented baddies in this unique puzzle game with Super Hero action for the Game Boy Advance.
Where most puzzle games omit any kind of linear storyline, Dark Light developers Next Wave Team have gone outside the box in bringing action and puzzle genres together. It's original ideas such as this that have thrown independently produced games back into the spotlight. Publishers are taking notice of this and companies like O3 Entertainment are delivering the goods. O3 stands for "On Our Own Entertainment" a motto they practice by seeking out "new dynamic video games from independent studios" which they have found with Next Wave Teams' Dark Light.
Although the gang at Next Wave Team is busily working away at preparing Dark Light for its upcoming release, Managing Director Massimo Castellano was kind enough to give us a peak at their latest effort.
Q: What's the concept behind Dark Light?
Massimo: Dark Light is a [fast] paced action-puzzle game with cartoon graphics. We found that its new style of gameplay is very addicting.
Having standard puzzle gameplay was not enough for us, so we decided to give players more than the usual colored block arranging puzzle. When you play Dark Light you are a character in a universe capable of communicating emotion.
Q: What world does the game take place in?
Massimo: The world of Dark Light is a mystery; an ancient land has lost its magnificence and is now ruled by mighty monsters from outer space. Like a virus, the monsters' domination has ruined the existing world.
Q: Who are the heroes and what are the Dark Light powers?
Massimo: By chance a small group of individuals had the ability to withstand the monster invasion. Perhaps they were exposed to the same outer space virus in the past and had turned this into a power. Each time they use this Dark Light Power their evil side is unleashed.
Q: Was it difficult fitting super heroes into a Puzzle Game?
Massimo: The idea of a puzzle game with a rich universe and interesting characters was clear to us in the early stage of development of the title. The game has been designed around this idea and a lot of care has been taken in balancing their Dark Light powers.
Q: How long does a game like this take to develop and what are some of the challenges?
Massimo: Developing Dark Light for the GBA took about six months to do. The main challenge has been to reach a very high quality level in every aspect of the title. We here at Next Wave Team have a sort of maniacal care for details and we are sure the players will appreciate this a lot. Our Project Manager and main Programmer Rocco Chirivi', our Programmer Emanuele Paolini and our artist Federico Aliberti; have all worked very hard and countless hours for the title and we are incredibly grateful.