I know it has been a while since we've had a developer review, but I finally got some more lined up. Starting with Martin Robaszewski from Bioroid Studios who took some time to answer some questions about their new Xbox Live Indie Game Cyborg Mice Arena.

Question: How did the idea for Cyborg Mice Arena come about?

MR: I had this Cyborg Mice universe that I created and I wanted to make a game that was easy to pick up and play.  Originally it was overhead 2D view.  But I wanted the graphics to have more depth, so I used 3D graphics and kept the old school 2D gameplay.



Question: Could you describe Cyborg Mice Arena for anyone who hasn’t seen it?

MR: Cyborg Mice Arena is an arcade style dual stick shooter that supports 1 to 4 players and features little mice with big guns.  It has customizable mice and addictive gameplay. 



Question: How large was the team that created Cyborg Mice Arena and how long did it take to develop?

MR: I did mostly everything until about 4 months before release when I contracted 4 artists and one sound fx guy to help me finish the game.  From start to finish it was about 14 months.  But 3-4 of those months were spent on other Cyborg Mice related projects (book and animation).



Question: When you first set out to make Cyborg Mice Arena was it always planned to be a Smash-TV style shooter?

MR: Pretty much.  I found it most flexible to have independent movement and firing directions since a lot of my early Cyborg Mice drawings were mice in prone mode with turrets on their back.  The original controls were overcomplicated where you had to manage reloading so I removed that “feature”.



Question: Cyborg Mice Arena supports 4 players locally.  Did you consider adding support for playing over Live as well?

MR: Yes I thought about it but a few things made it difficult.  I only had one Xbox360 so testing it locally would be impossible.  Also the speed of the game and the ability to support 200+ enemies on screen at once ruled out that possibility.  I do hope to add 2 player competitive or co-op play to future titles though.



Question: Looking back on Cyborg Mice Arena what are the things that you are most proud of?

MR: The ability to have 200+ enemies on screen at once and having the game run smoothly.  The limit is 300 but I think the maps are too small with the number of spawners required to pump out that many drones.



Question: Was there anything you were hoping to get into Cyborg Mice Arena that did not make it?

MR: There were a few program mods removed such as Disco Lights which danced around to the music.



Question: Now that Cyborg Mice Arena has released are you planning another XBLIG game?

MR: Yes, there are a few games I have planned including a completely new Cyborg Mice game which I will start prototyping next month.



Question: Can you give us some tips or strategies for Cyborg Mice Arena?

MR: There are plenty of tips provided in the game itself.  But I will give you a hint to one of the Secret Awards.  Pay attention to the menu system, because it is unlocked there.