Indie Interview - David Mulder of Eron

Published: March 4, 2015 9:00 AM /

By:


eron

In the brief periods between me writing about or playing games, you can often find me scouring sites such as KickStarter or Greenlight  for anything that takes my fancy. So after finishing The Firefly Diary with many squeals of delight, I was intrigued to come across Eron, a 2D platformer where the player has to switch between 2 different stages mid-level.  Luckily, I had the chance to speak to creator David Mulder about his work.

TechRaptor: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your project Eron?

David: My name is David Mulder and I am 23 year old software developer.  My interest in games began when I was 4, after receiving a Nintendo for Christmas.  From there on out, I was pretty much obsessed.  A year ago I started pursuing this passion and today I consider myself an independent game designer/programmer.

Eron is a 2D platform game that allows the player to actively switch between two parallel realms. The player will have to depend upon this power to finish each level.  In a distant galaxy, on an uncharted planet code-named, Eron, a special power is hidden. The planet is in constant danger as many seek this power hidden in the planets core.

You play as a native tribesman on this planet, who one day discovers that uninvited guests have destroyed your village. It is up to you to find and stop whoever is responsible.

TR: What was your inspiration for game? Which games inspired you?

David: They main inspiration for the game would have to stem from my interest in science a PBS Nova documentary explaining String Theory.

Games that inspired me are Super Meat Boy and Super Mario.  I like the idea of fluency in platform games.  Running through a level as though you are orchestrating an opera, and reaching the end without failure, is an amazing experience.

TR: What makes Eron stand out from other 2D platformers?

David: Eron was not meant to be a platformer with only one exception.  It is my personal take on the platform genre and though many things may seem generic, you might find the game different from other platformers for a couple a reasons:

- The player can actively switch between two parallel realms.

- You can and should jump, though the button you will be using the most, is going to be for switching between realms.

- The game is about fluency, you're encouraged to run through the entire level.

- Levels are short, challenging and unique.  The end is always in sight.

- Dying is a good thing, it means you are learning.  Levels reload rapidly to get you right back in the action.

TR: What sort of gamer do you think will enjoy Eron?

David: Gamers that enjoyed the likes of Super Mario Bros and Super Meat Boy might find Eron a delight.  The game is short and sweet, it gets to the point and leaves the rest in the hands of the player.  If you have fast fingers and enjoy a challenging platformer, Eron is for you.

TR: What inspired you to go with a pixelart style?

David: The art came to me, more than me going to it.  Being a solo indie game dev without the capability of creating art, does complicate things.  I bought the art asset on the Unity Asset Store after looking for something to compliment the realm switching mechanic I would like the express.  The default for the asset is zoomed in much further, making it more pixelated.  I used pixel perfect graphics to sharpen the look and give the player a broader view to see what's up ahead.  So if your monitor has a high DPI, you're in for a treat!

TechRaptor would like to thank David for speaking to us. Eron is available from the 7th March, you can find out more and play the demo here. If you want to see the game on Steam you can vote for it through Greenlight.

What do you think of Eron? Is it a game you can get hyped for?

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


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