25.04.2014
Starlight Inception ist der erste Weltraumshooter seiner Art auf der PS Vita und seit dem 23. April bei uns im Store erhältlich. Um euch die Wartezeit zu unserem Test zu versüßen, haben wir uns die Leute geschnappt, die für diese sehr spezielle Erfahrung verantwortlich sind: Melissa und Garry von Escape Hatch Entertainment. Sie mussten sich einigen Fragen stellen und haben diese auch mit bravour beantwortet. Lest selbst.
Hinweins: Beachtet, dass der deutsche Text frei übersetzt wurde und nicht zu 100% dem Original entspricht. Aus diesem Grund stellen wir euch das englische Interview vor. Die deutsche Übersetzung findet ihr im Anschluss im Spoiler!
Hello Melissa! Oh, and Garry!
Welcome and thank you for this interview. Can you say something about your person and the studio in short?
In 2004, Garry founded Escape Hatch Entertainment, LLC because of his passion for creating video games.
Garry states “After a successful run of nearly ten years at LucasArts Entertainment Company, I decided it was time for a new challenge. So we moved to Austin, TX to start Escape Hatch, truly our “escape hatch”“.
Melissa adds “We moved to Austin, Texas in July of 2004 because we wanted to put family first. We really wanted to work for ourselves and dedicate our time to our family and company. We formed Escape Hatch Entertainment because we wanted to do what we love: make high quality video games“.
Starlight Inception will be released exclusively on PS Vita on the 23rd April. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for the upcoming Release.
17.2! 🙂
The game was completely funded by Kickstarter. As I know it was the first one ever for PS Vita, right?
Garry states “No and yes. It is the first space combat experience of this type on the PlayStation®Vita. However it was not entirely funded by the Kickstarter. Both Melissa and I have not been paid for our time on the project and we have kicked in three times the amount of the Kickstarter in our own funds from the studio”.
In your opinion, where was the biggest challenge?
The primary challenge for Escape Hatch Entertainment has been developing Starlight Inception for multiple platforms.
Did you get any external support?
Escape Hatch Entertainment, LLC is working alongside several other companies that are helping to develop the game.
Did you achieve all your goals which you had stuck to your budget?
Not everything. We really wanted a freeplay exploration mode, which is coming in a future patch, and more customization of the ships (camo paint schemes, and the ability to type your own name on the side – which I haven’t given up on yet). However we did get a huge amount of stuff into this game and it is very close to Garry’s original vision.
Starlight Inception is a spaceshooter, the first of its kind on the PS Vita. What was your motivation behind this game?
There really weren’t any games of this type out there, and I wanted to play this kind of a game on console. PlayStation®Vita seemed like the most accessible platform at the time.
Where are the differences between other similar games?
There are no other games of this type on the PlayStation®Vita. If you want to compare the game, it owes a lot of its inspiration to Wing Commander and Xwing vs. TIE.
Can you summarize us the story in your own words?
Starlight Inception, set “one hundred years from tomorrow,” is the chronicle of World War IV, a savage conflict fought in orbit and over the surface of the planets and moons of our Star System.
Why the PS Vita?
It is a highly capable handheld. Garry was always a fan of the PSP, its predecessor. We originally wanted to make Starlight Inception for that platform, but it just wasn’t technologically feasible. When the Vita came along, it was a dream come true – the addition of the extra analog stick, the touchscreen, accelerometer and major processing horsepower really excited us.
Do you play extensively with this handheld?
Garry states “Yes, I own quite a few games for the PlayStation®Vita, and I love playing on it.”
Roughly, how long is the play time of Starlight Inception?
Between 30 – 50 hours in single player, unlimited replayability in Multiplayer.
What about trophys? Can we be happy about a platinum one?
The best trophy you can achieve in the game is a gold. It was a battle we couldn’t win with Sony, unfortunately.
Can you say something about the price?
Yes, the game sells for $22.99 USD/ €16.99 Euros.
Will we see more games coming from Escape Hatch Entertainment for the PS Vita in future? Maybe a Starlight Inception 2?
There is a plan for a trilogy of Starlight titles, so this is a distinct possibility…
Last question: Square, Triangle, Circle or Cross?
My first son’s name is Xander – I think that pegs me squarely as a fan of the Cross…
Thank you very much, Melissa and Garry for your time! I wish you and your team good luck and a successful Release. Till next time.
