Interviews

Talking Insecticide DS with the chief Crackpot

Think Sin City meets Bugs

Talking Insecticide DS with the chief Crackpot
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DS
| Insecticide

To be honest, when we first heard about cartoon insect-based detective noir adventure-game-with-shooter-elements Insecticide, we weren't surprised to discover the developers were crackpots.

But that's Crackpot Entertainment to you and us, so welcome the chief crackpot, CEO Mike Levine, to talk us through some of the workings of his crazed mind.

Pocket Gamer: Insecticide is taking a very different approach compared to most other DS games, so what was its inspiration?

Mike Levine: We wanted to make something original and different, and we were all into buddy cop shows like Homicide and films like The French Connection. That's what the game has at its core, although it's mixed in with a modern film noir vibe. It's kind of Sin City with Bugs, but not quite so R-rated.

Why did you decide Insecticide was particularly suited to DS?

The DS is great for adventures, as we've already seen with other games. This, plus the fact that we're working with a great 3D engine from Creat, a Russian studio, is allowing us to make a real 3D, third-person game. That's something we haven't seen a lot of on DS.

The gameplay is a mixture of adventure, plot and shooting, so how will those elements combine?

We feel it all comes together in a very natural way. The game is story-based so we focus on the pacing. We have highs and lows, just like any great action cop movie, so if you don't pay attention to the story, you'll be missing out on a lot. Insecticide isn't a game you want to skip through the cinematics! The plot is critical. It's everything, honestly.

The main character is detective Chrys Liszt, but do we ever get to play as Roachy Caruthers?

Roachy's your sidekick and he is always nearby, so while he's involved with the gameplay, you never get to play 'as' him.

Finally, what do you think is the most impressive thing about Insecticide?

We'll let others answer that. To us, we feel we have created a game, and a universe and characters that are very endearing. You end up caring about Chrys, Roachy, and the city of Troi as you play this game. We hope this is just the first in a series.

Our thanks to Mike for his time. Don't forget to check out our first hands-on session with the game, which is due to be released in autumn 2008.
Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.