We recently had the opportunity of doing a little Q&A with Hersh Choksi (Producer, Divergent Shift; President, Intrinsic Games). The game’s wicked breed of platforming twisted our minds into pretzels, so we figured we’d do our best to twist Hersh’s in return. Enjoy!
DC: Let’s start, if you don’t mind, with a bit of history. Tell us a little about how Divergent Shift (a.k.a. Reflection) came to be.
Hersh: Divergent Shift is a pretty unique project as it was developed as a class project at the University of Southern California. We wanted to add our own unique twist to a popular genre, and after some brainstorming we came up with the idea of having a platformer where the main character is reflected. We first developed a PC prototype to explore the idea and see how it would play out, and that served as a jumping off point to start working towards a DS version.
DC: What was your reaction when Konami approached you about the game?
Hersh: There was a lot of excitement amongst the team, definitely. We knew we had a solid game based on playtests we had done and the reactions of the people who played it, but there’s a number of other considerations that need to be taken into account when looking to get a publisher interested. We’re very fortunate that we were able to work with a publisher as recognized as Konami.
DC: What’s it like showing off such an innovative yet simultaneously obscure title at a trade show as big as E3?
Hersh: It’s interesting, that’s for sure. At trade shows, especially something like E3, the hype is on a few major games, so smaller titles aren’t as publicized. We sometimes found ourselves looking for people to come to the booth and play the game. But every so often someone came by, interested in 2D platforming or Nintendo DS games or something of the sort, and that was very exciting to have them play the game. The main goal at E3 for us was to reach out to people who normally wouldn’t have known about the game, and in that respect it was great.
DC: Innovation within existing genres of gameplay rekindles the excitement in the minds of many gaming enthusiasts. What led you to want to reinvent the rules of a platformer specifically?
Hersh: We were inspired by how the team behind Portal added their own twist to the FPS genre, and wanted to do something similar. At the same time, side-scrolling platformers were enjoying a revival (LittleBigPlanet, Braid), and of course most of us on the team grew up on the classic platforming games, so it made sense to try and create a unique platformer.
DC: Any particular reason for the choice of gaming platform (aside from the obvious ;)?
Hersh: The dual screens of the Nintendo DS was perfect for the gameplay of Divergent Shift, and so quickly we focused our efforts onto the platform. With the announcement of the Nintendo DSi and the DSiWare marketplace, we were able to release our game onto the DS platform without having to worry about things like retail distribution, and we could scope it to a size that was doable while still studying for finals.
DC: What challenges did you face when trying to design such a confusing platforming approach?
Hersh: Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the designers was creating a game that would be interesting for a variety of skill levels. Since the concept behind the game is different than other platformers, we found that even people who grew up on Mario and Mega Man were having a tough time with the dual nature of the gameplay. Others were able to grasp the concept pretty easily. There was a lot of time designing, playtesting, and iterating the levels to ensure that it remained fun for different people.
DC: Was the story about the mirror and the underlying narrative always a part of the planned final product, or did that come along post-Konami’s involvement?
Hersh: The story had always been there. Konami let us develop the game in the direction we wanted, and was pretty hands-off with the development. We feel this showed they had faith in us and the game.
DC: What are your thoughts on the current digital distribution climate for up-and-coming developers like yourself?
Hersh: It’s really great that there are so many avenues now for developers to release their games. The reduced barriers that digital distribution offers lets developers to more freely experiment and innovate, and we’re definitely seeing that all around – there’s some real gems available on all platforms.
DC: What’s next—and anything our readers should know?
Hersh: We’re working hard on our next game – it’s different yet familiar, and we think it’s going to excite people. We’ll be sure to give you guys a heads up when we’re ready to show something!
DC: And finally: what the heck do you get for completing all of the secret levels, anyway? Some of those are impossible!
Hersh: They’re definitely tough – I still haven’t been able to beat some of the levels! We made them for more advanced gamers looking for a challenge. If you manage to beat all the levels, you unlock the ultimate reward – bragging rights 😉
We’d like to thank Hersh for taking the time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us. And for every one of you who hasn’t yet checked out Divergent Shift: support innovative indie game development and go for it!
