NWR: What was behind the game’s revamping? It went from having a humorous tone and the feel of a Saturday morning cartoon, to having the feel of something along the lines of Gunstar Heroes.

DA: Originally, we had about 10 different gameplay types between the platforming, puzzle solving, and action variations. The game jumped between them and short cut scenes like a Saturday morning cartoon and that flow provided the opportunity to set up and payoff humor. That flow also let us insert playable commercials, and with those the team could go crazy with the humor. As the game moved to a more classic brawler at its core (rather than an interactive cartoon), we had to make some tough decisions. We loved the commercials. They were awesome, fun, and funny, but they just didn’t feel right anymore. They felt tacked on and became distractions that broke the flow of the game. Removing them was mostly due to making the tough decisions that were best for the game.

NWR: What games inspired you guys during the making of Spyborgs?

DA: There must have been two or three different games in the game room every week. I saw everything from Zelda and Mario to see how Nintendo did certain graphics effects or how they implemented motion; games like Devil May Cry and other Capcom classics to ensure elements that made Spyborgs feel true to a Capcom game; well-known games like God of War and Ninja Gaiden for the strengths and weakness of their combat systems and cinematic boss battles; all the way to some of the most obscure games that I would have never heard of if not for all the research these guys did. If I could only remember who that dual-sword wielding bikini cowgirl was… What was her name?

Full interview HERE