Kickstarter is a great outlet for young game enthusiasts to bring their imaginations to life. It gives many the chance to do what they thought they couldn’t. Trabel is a Kickstarter campaign from German developer Rainbow Games, we took aside Toni Gencarelli (sole developer) for a quick interview!
“Find hidden Treasures and discover the world of Trabel with your friends.”
Having set a very low Kickstarter goal of €10, they have currently received €155 towards (well, past) that goal.
Toby Mortaro: I can see from your Kickstarter page that this project has been a long time in the making. When did the story first start to take shape in your mind?
Tony Gencarelli: The story was first born when I was 10 years old: I was playing with my cousins and my brother in a forest close to our home and we were like “mercenaries” pretending to kill imaginary monsters which wanted to attack our houses. Final Fantasy VI was my first experience of an RPG game and I remembered those fun days in the forest. This is where my story first came to life.
TM: The graphical approach has that old-school feel to it, was this a conscious decision?
TG: Yes, it was a conscious decision because I am very nostalgic about games like Final Fantasy and others of that generation.
TM: Could you tell us a little more about Rainbow Games? Is it just yourself or is there a team behind you?
TG: Rainbow Games was born in 2011 when I published my first iOS game, my girlfriend Viviana was always by my side helping me with the graphics. She is very busy with her new work and is not part of this project, but she helps me when she can.
“Now It is time for Otin and his friends to restore peace again to Trabel.”
TM: You describe the game as a ‘classic JRPG’ so does this mean there is a strong influence on battling and levelling up?
TG: Yes, the battle system is turn-based and uses the ATB method. That means that the player takes action when his “Action Bar” is full (you can find it in Final Fantasy X), so if your character is 2x faster than the enemy, you will get two chances to attack.
TM: What sort of games have influenced the design and development of Trabel?
TG: There are many RPGs like the Final Fantasy series that have inspired this game, but mostly it has been experiences from my childhood and growing up that have shaped the story.
TM: This may be jumping the gun a little, but have you had any thoughts on a sequel and where you could take the next chapter of Trabel?
TG: If the game reaches significant success, I will make a sequel.
TM: For anyone who’s not familiar with Kickstarter, would you describe it as a good way for budding entrepreneurs to get started on games development? How has your experience been?
TG: It is a good way to see your ideas come to life and also a great place to raise awareness of your game, I suggest Kickstarter to everyone who has a dream to share with the world.
With so many Kickstarter campaigns around these days, it can be hard to get noticed. Games with a unique art style or a retro feel are getting increasingly more popular, and Trabel should certainly please old-school fans of the RPG genre.
If you’d like to donate to the campaign you can do so by clicking here, you can also see the trailer for Trabel and visit their Facebook page.
Published: Nov 23, 2015 03:53 am