Interview: Indie developer San Games discusses its turn-based gladiator RPG sequel, Journey of a Gladiator 2

Journey of a Gladiator 2 is the arena battling, sword and sandal, RPG follow-up to Outlast: Journey of a Gladiator, created by solo developer Sanan Ahmed (San Games) and recently launched for mobile devices.

Like its predecessor, Journey of a Gladiator 2 challenges you to rise from a subjugated prisoner to a renowned warrior in action-packed gladiatorial combat. To do so you’ll need to maximise your character’s abilities via the game’s in-depth character customisation settings, where you’ll not only choose your gladiator’s look, but also the amount of damage they inflict, the precision of their strikes, their overall strength and speed, and much more.

All in all the game takes all of the most positive aspects from the first game and delivers it in a much slicker package, with more realistic character models, faster animations, and enhanced visual effects.
We caught up with the game’s developer to learn more about how both the game was developed, and how the experience helped him develop as a game designer.

First off, what were your inspirations for making the Journey of a Gladiator series?

Every gamer dreams of making a game. I've been making flash games since I was 8 years old and one of my favourite flash games growing up was Sinjid: Shadow of the Warrior. I got addicted to that game, and spent hours trying every different build. Journey of a Gladiator takes a lot of inspiration from that game as well as another called Swords and Sandals 2; but of course it has its own twist that I think people will enjoy.

Which aspects of the games are you personally the most proud of?

I’ve put some serious work into the graphics and the animations. I tried to make each stat and each perk unique through a lot of mathematical simulations. The best thing is that the customisation is so in-depth that even I do not completely understand how different stats and perks power up the character. Players are free to discover different character builds that might perform better than the ones I had in mind when creating the game.

And which aspects do you think audiences will be most excited about?

As always, the graphics are what will shine through the most. However, I am excited about the game mechanics as well and feel audiences will love them. I feel the audience will enjoy accumulating the prized fighting gear and defeating the tough bosses.

In what ways does Journey of a Gladiator 2 improve upon the original game?

Almost all aspects of the game were improved with the 3D graphics, the perks, and the gameplay. The first game, the players were not able to move around the map. In this version, the gameplay mechanics are revamped to allow for players to move around the arena and engage in battle as they please. Additionally, there is more diversity in the builds with the introduction of the bowman class.

What were the biggest challenges you faced developing the game?

The biggest challenges I faced while developing this game is during testing and debugging. With every game this portion takes the longest amount of time and feels the most tedious.

Do you have any plans to release it on iOS or other platforms and do you have a release date in mind?

Yes There is an iOS version to this game as well as an Android version. After 5 levels of free play, both cost $1.99 to unlock.

Can a casual gamer pick up this game and have a good time playing it?

Of course, we did not even release the game on steam, only on smartphones because we wanted the game to be simple and easy to pick up and play. This is a game that can be enjoyed by almost anyone with time to spare.

Is there going to be a third version of the game?

Most likely, but it still depends on how well this game performs and if people enjoy the game. The positive reviews I received for the last game were my main reason for developing this sequel. I tried to make the game to address all the faults uncovered by our players in the last game. So I urge all JOAG lovers to rate and review this game.