Radballs might be the most 1980s game we've played since Knight Rider on the NES. But its soundtrack, which features complex remixes of tracks from artists like OK Go, Com Truise and Misfit Chris is contrasted by the rhythm puzzler's neon radness.
This makes more sense after learning that the game comes from the mind of Neil Voss, acclaimed composer known for his surprising soundtrack work in games like Tetrisphere and Racing Gears Advance.
To celebrate the holidays Radballs has gone completely free. Puzzle game fans should be sure to grab it from the App Store while they can. To celebrate the promotion, we recently caught up with Voss about how the project came together, and what's next for Radballs.
- Photo via Flickr user Josh Anomaly
IGN: For the unfamiliar, can you give a brief overview of Radballs?
Neil Voss: I love Brandon Boyer's description, "Radballs is the insanely gorgeous retro-future disco puzzler you've been waiting for forever."
Radballs is a beat-driven arcade puzzler, a mashup of action puzzle games and rhythm games. You group pieces (Radballs) together into blobs (we call them MegaRadballs), which are destroyed by a moving beat wave. The goal is to fill up an energy meter (your Radness) by destroying Radballs before it runs out. It plays heavily off of puzzlers I was influenced by - Tetris Attack, Puzzle Fighter, Lumines, and pretty much anything Gunpei Yokoi did. It introduces a unique new dynamic in that you can grab and 'scratch' the beat like a DJ, which awards you extra Radness while also giving you control of the flow of the game. Everything synchs to the beat, and your moves process and decimate the music, turning the game into a somewhat freeform music experience. It's a deceptively musical game, but uses music interaction for fun and as an alternate strategy vs. as the core of gameplay. It is maddeningly addictive, and can be really rewarding to play at a simple level just to mess with music.
IGN: Who do we have to thank for the game's ridiculously spot-on 80s aesthetic?
BV: I brought the hairspray, hypercolor and hightops. But I'd in turn have to thank my childhood, Nagel, Nike, Saville, TrapperKeeper and a myriad of Tumblogs for the fuel.
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You've been composing music for games for over 20 years. Was Radballs your first experience remixing existing tunes? How did the experience compare?
NV: I've been very selective about music work in general, but I've done remixes and production of original tracks, and some commercial work for tv and other media. Remixing the OK Go tracks came early in the process with Radballs, so I basically treated them as I would any remix, trying to bring my own POV to their songs. I really dig remixing (in many ways more than doing my own production). I move a million miles an hour conceptually, and having something I admire as a starting point to anchor me down is always helpful. And there is this compelling opportunity to alter perception of something that people already know in a different light.
On the music side, Radballs was less technically challenging than other games I've scored. I didn't have to use a max of 1MB of space, or painstakingly push the boundaries of 2 sample channels or anything like that. But it was as creatively challenging as any other project, to arrive at something I was personally happy with, while satisfying what the game needed conceptually.
IGN: Were you involved in other areas of development besides the music? Is it your hand in the infamous trailer, for example?
NV: I was very involved with Radballs all-in. I came up with the original concept, Creative Directed, did all the design, and obviously the soundtrack production. Glow Play's Jan Kalis did the main engine programming and Technical Direction, and I did some ad hoc programming, especially the aesthetics work (level animations, tweaking particle systems, sound effects programming, etc.). I co-starred in the trailer, along with some of the team, family and friends. We couldn't rely on hand models to be rad enough...
IGN: Any plans for more Radballs content down the line? Could we ever see the game on any other platforms?
NV: Definitely. Additional music and skins are forthcoming. But we also have some bigger ideas on the table to expand the game... levels with new play variations, and network VS play are the strongest contenders. As far as other platforms I'd love the opportunity for Radballs to appear on a Nintendo platform. Other mobile platforms would also be worth considering. But ultimately we'd hope to find a way to support those efforts creatively.
IGN: Thanks for the insight, Neil!
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