Sex Change… FAILED.
I made this long-winded post about my “biggish announcement” earlier today, but my host decided that the Russian gayporn/mp3 fiasco from a few months ago didn’t annoy me enough, so it’d be a good idea to throw the post out in a server transfer. I swear I am going to move sometime, but it’s such a pain in the arse… the comments are lost, too. Sorry about that!
Okay! I went for the sex change operation but they said that they didn’t have enough surgeons available to remove my sexual organ in a timely fashion. So, I decided I’d make another game! That’s the big announcement.
Aquaria (the new game) can be kinda sorta thought of as the spiritual successor to Eternal Daughter, only bigger… harder… FASTER (and set in an underwater fantasy world). And as such, it’s going to be my first foray into the world of shareware. Of all the games I’ve worked on, this is the first one that I think is worthy of being sold - it’s a project that I could really only get done right if I made it my “job,” so to speak. Trust me when I say I’d love to be able to do nothing but make games all day for a living… here goes nothing!
This time, I’m teaming up with Canadian programming wunderkind /musical virtuoso Alec Holowka, who did the sfx and muzak in the brutal murder simulator I’m OK. He’s like Amadeus as a game geek… but he still plays the piano. And he lives in the present time and he’s Canadian. And together we’re like the Planeteers, except there’s only two of us and we’re both Mati. And we can’t make Captain Planet but we can make VIDEO GAMES WITH A LOT OF HEART.
Okay, fuck my stupid analogies!
You can read about the game at our official website, because I’m not going to retype the damn BOOK I wrote earlier this morning that Siteground decided to crap on! But I will say that the game is honestly something I’ve been wanting to make for a long time and I am very excited for you guys to play it when we release it early next year. For now, though, just imagine this possible scenario: you’re swimming around fluidly (using the mouse to control), and bouncing off of rocks, just having fun moving around. Maybe you encounter a school of fish that you swim alongside for awhile. Eventually you come across a small cave sticking off the side of the map that you hadn’t noticed before and you head in (out of curiousity’s sake). A crablike monster scuttles idly by as you do so, and you can ignore him or kill him. If you’re feeling murderous, you can sing a magic song to change to a form that let’s you blast him away. Or maybe you want to sing a song that let’s you pick up a rock and then crush him with it. Or maybe you wait until he gets on the rock and then pick up the rock with him still clinging to it! And then when you go inside the cave, it’s just a cave. Not necessarily a dungeon or level or a “key to the next area” or what have you. It’s just a damn cave! And your experience tells you that there could really be anything inside, from ancient ruins to treasure to mythic angry killer unique monsters…
So yeah, I kind of went off in my original post about the big features of the game, but honestly I hope it’s the little details we put into Aquaria that you notice. There is a story (one that I hope is fairly compelling!), there are dungeons, and there are bosses and all that (and they are cool, trust me), but in between those things there’s a real world that you can explore. I’m not sure I necessarily conveyed that idea well enough before, so maybe in some sense I’m glad the post got wiped! (And no, Siteground, that is NOT a fucking invitation.)
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. Again. I’m working on a game. 
September 13th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
OMFG, I can’t wait for this! 2007 is going to be GREAT year, with THIS, Smash Bros Brawl, UT2k7, etc.
September 13th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Still awesome!
September 13th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
Even now I am filled with passionate love, and some rage.
September 13th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Damn it’s still not Trigger Happy 2,
but it still looks fucking amazing.
September 13th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Awww. I want to help.
September 13th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!
September 13th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
ey u shood make one of those web things that shows up next to the bookmark wen u bookmark pages
September 13th, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Derek Yu…yu are the man!
September 14th, 2006 at 1:55 am
SUGOI! Worth the wait!
September 14th, 2006 at 2:33 am
This rules!
A few questions, if you don’t mind:
1) Any plans for a demo or closed beta closer to release?
2) How do you plan to sell the game? (Online download, stores, etc)
3) What is used to program the game?
4) Any chance to see more concept art or hear some music samples from the game?
Thanks.
Wish you lots of luck… and cake. Cakes rule.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:00 am
i’d like to tickle the tentacles on the anenome, if you know what i mean.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:30 am
The art is just plain awesome and I like how you guys plan to have it non-linear. Keep up the good work!
I was hoping for a sex change, but meh- can’t win them all.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:44 am
Everything about this game looks and sounds awesome.
I can see Aquaria wining a bunch of 2007 IGF awards.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:13 am
Hooray! Huzzah! Yippy-skippy!
September 14th, 2006 at 10:16 am
This looks awesome, I can’t wait.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:31 am
I mean “winning a bunch of 2007 IGF awards”…
September 14th, 2006 at 11:50 am
By which you mean “masurbating a ton of yaks”.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Actually, by that I mean “Rocking the casbah big time”.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
DEREK, THIS LOOKS BEAUTIFUL
and I agree, fuck your fuckin analogies!
September 14th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Am I the only one who keeps thinking this has huge potential as a Nintendo Wii game?
September 14th, 2006 at 1:30 pm
“boing”
September 14th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Derek, thank you for actually making a game again!
I was hoping for this, and since you mentioned “The spiritual succesor of ED” you pretty much have my money already.
I love how you don’t use pixel graphics for this game, and instead
it’s just all drawn out beautifully.
One thing I’d like you to know,
be very careful, it’s a little too
ambitious to use the mouse in this kind
of a game, just make sure you don’t ruin it…
Maybe you could include an option to switch to keyboard
for those of us who prefer it the oldschool way?
September 14th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
P.s.
And what about the voice acting?
Consider it carefully, since I’ve seen
so many low budget games who are simply
ruined by cheesy voice acting!
You might want to implement a text feature also.
Just some sugestions.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Dude, I’m totally in awe, it looks byoootiful!
I can only imagine the amount of work put into making something that good lookin’
Good luck!
September 14th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
boy am I pissed. I thought that youtube link would let me see a clip of the game. I guess I’m naive.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
I’m posting a comment again because I love the fact that you’re making a new game. It looks *amazing*. I’ve always been a huge fan of your artwork, and this game is like a dream come true.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Our voice actress kick ass.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
I also know how to use proper use of plural form
+s.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Well, I guess the game looks nice. But… well… no sex-change?
September 14th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Will subtitles be optional? Think of the deaf, you bastards!
September 15th, 2006 at 12:16 am
Andrei had some good points! And Felan’s idea about it being a Wii game- fuck yeah! It would really match the fluid motion of water movement.
I’m going to sleep now. -_- zzzz
September 15th, 2006 at 7:22 am
this looks pretty frickin’ cool
September 15th, 2006 at 8:37 am
Derek, it looks fantastic! For no justifiable reason, the Aquaria page is reminding me of The Guardian Legend. What that means, really, I don’t know. I’m sure looking forward to playing this game, though!
September 15th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Yay! Wait… Harder than Eternal Daughter? Oh man.
September 16th, 2006 at 1:42 am
Harder than Eternal Daughter + Mouse Control = Probably too hard for me.
Just make it a gentle difficulty curve, please?
September 16th, 2006 at 9:54 am
Awesome!
But I hope you were kidding about it being harder then ED. Ask anyone about ED (exept that one guy) and they’ll tell you that it’s too god damn difficult. For real, its TOO HARD.
September 16th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Eternal Daughter isn’t “Too Hard”. It’s challenging enough with hardly getting to a frustration level. Just the right difficulty.
Now Megaman 7’s Final Boss is too god damn difficult.
September 16th, 2006 at 11:57 am
Erm… isn’t difficulty level subjective?
September 16th, 2006 at 6:38 pm
looks better than Madden 2012…I hope I can download it on my Wii virtual console
September 17th, 2006 at 8:27 am
Haha, when I said “harder” I didn’t mean difficulty. Aquaria is non-linear, so there will be many paths through the game. What we’re trying to do is give the average player a chance to get through the game with enough perserverance while also providing some sick, optional challenges for hardcore players. Generally, no one should get bored or frustrated, but that’s going to take a lot of testing!
September 17th, 2006 at 9:14 am
i am really psyched for this.
your art is getting better and better.
some of it looks very Tank Girl/Gorillaz-esque. Are you into that?
September 17th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Quick question Derek.
I was wondering when it will be done and ready for the public?
I’m not asking for a specific date or anything, just a little something to give us perspective.
Like what stage of development you’re at, or if it will take like 1 or 2 or however years.
September 18th, 2006 at 12:54 am
^
Spring 2007
September 20th, 2006 at 8:49 am
DEREK — very friggin impressive!!!!!! You’re releasing this MAC only — am i rite or what?
September 20th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
What.
September 21st, 2006 at 7:03 am
Duder, come on over to Textdrive
You’ll be soooo happy ou did
http://www.textdrive.com/?r=joyeur
September 23rd, 2006 at 10:25 pm
Dude. Next year?! What’s up with game developers slacking so much? There’s still, like, an entire quarter of a whole year remaining in 2006. I used to think you were a game creator to whom the players meant something. But now…
;P
That’s just awesome news.
September 25th, 2006 at 5:06 am
Hooray!
This looks so totally awsome, I really hope it will get finished!
(Not like the Brimstone Cowboys ;))
September 25th, 2006 at 10:49 am
niiiiice! looks neato
September 25th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
FIFTY POINTS
(Still excited.)
September 25th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Gameplay footage would be nice.
September 28th, 2006 at 12:59 am
Really nice. Or even just a small update. Please?
October 1st, 2006 at 3:25 pm
it would be really sweet if there will be difficulty settings.
October 1st, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Sorry guys, I’ve been kind of turtling so that I can get my work done and tend to my RL. I will update soon, I PWOMISE.
October 1st, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Yays/
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:16 am
Yays!X2
October 11th, 2006 at 4:40 am
eternal daughter was doubtlessly worth selling
October 23rd, 2006 at 12:50 am
Wow .. I gotta saty : this looks bloody awesome, very beatifull! Can’t wait to try the finished product!… Wonderful!
October 27th, 2006 at 10:19 am
The graphic is top notch… I gotta check out the gameplay.
October 31st, 2006 at 3:02 am
I just gotta post to get this fucker to 60 comments. Thanks so much for the kind words, guys!
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 am
Form there’s no need to sex change,It’s so nice when we keep being our nature
April 9th, 2010 at 5:31 am
sex change is against nature!