Indie developer StoptoPlay sheds some light on its innovative action runner, E.V.A.L

Released at the end of last year for iOS devices, E.V.A.L is an action runner that challenges you to take a shape-shifting robot through a series of obstacle filled courses for the benefit of mankind.

The core gameplay involves you leading the aforementioned robot through a series of gates, made up of one of three different colours and three different shapes which you have to perfectly match in order to pass through and clear the course.

With a distinctive style, fast paced gameplay, and an innovative drawing control system (one of the best we've seen on mobile), E.V.A.L proved to be one of the most daring action runner titles we've recently come across.

That being the case, we took some time out to speak with one of the game's developers , Ali Husain, to learn more about E.V.A.L and what it took to see the project through.

What were your inspirations for making the game?

Working at a startup and having no time to play games, I turned to gaming on my iPhone. I found quite a few good games, like Vainglory, Clash Royale etc. I wanted to make a game that would be quick to pick up, fun and challenging to play!

Which part of the game are you personally the most proud of and why?

That it got done! :) There are lots of little things. Coding and tweaking the drawing controls to make them super responsive. The animations on each level that I did by hand, showing the different ways E.V.A.L was tormenting those poor creatures. When I look at it as a finished product, I’m probably most proud of the gameplay component. For me personally, it’s drawing shapes really fast that keeps me coming back.

What challenges did you face during development, and how did you overcome them?

Missing deadlines. My job didn’t leave me much time to work on the game. For some periods my partner and I had thought of giving up on the idea. I got back into it by picking up animating. Every time I didn’t like how it was turning out or thought of giving up, my wife, Zehra, was there with feedback and encouragement! She probably play tested the game more than I did! Her support meant a lot.

How is E.V.A.L performing so far and has it been meeting expectations?

The main challenge has been trying to get people to try E.V.A.L out. We are struggling to get it discovered. Either via Twitter, Apple features or game journalists. That’s something we continue to work on.

Do you have anything planned in terms of future updates?

Yes! Definitely an Android release in the near future. Looking at additional features to add to the game or maybe take it in a slightly different direction with E.V.A.L 2!