simpleek

This week’s post is a bit of a rarity on the site, but I interview my good friend and published book author Kait Gamble! Kait is the co-creator of a new mobile app game called PAWS. PAWS is developed by x4pe Studios. What is PAWS? Read my interview with Kait to find out! Follow x4pe on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest on PAWS or any future projects by the studio.

simpleek: Thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk about your new game.

Kait Gamble: Hi! Thanks for having me!

S: What’s the game PAWS about?

KG: PAWS is about a little kitten that has gotten himself lost in a fantasy world. He has to explore, interact with other creatures, escape dragons and solve puzzles to make his way home.

S: You’re actually a published author. How does a writer go from writing books to getting involved in developing an app game?

KG: Just like everyone, growing up I had a few dream jobs. I went through phases where I wanted to be a scientist, an astronaut, an archaeologist, a writer, a game designer…the list went on and on. For a long time, I thought that being a writer was going to be it. That, at least, would allow me to live out the dozens of lives through my characters. And it’s been great but in the past few years the drive to create something out of more than words really gripped me. I expressed my thoughts with a few like-minded people and we took the leap.

S: Were you inspired by any games you have played when it came to creating the concept behind PAWS?

KG: Yes and no. We love adventure, puzzle and story games so we wanted to create one that was different from everything we’ve played before but was still familiar enough that anyone could pick it up and play and incorporates elements of gaming that we enjoy.

S: How long has PAWS been in development?

KG: From concept to release of first level, about nine months.

S: What was your favorite part about developing the game? What was your least favorite, if there is any?

KG: Everything about creating the game has been amazing. There was a steep learning curve in the beginning, however, since I knew next to nothing about game development, 3D modelling or anything else needed to create a game besides building a story.

S: As I understand it, you and the development team for the game, x4pe Studios, only has one level of the game that’s playable right now. Was it decided early on that the game was going to have one level published in installments?

KG: Yes, we figured we’d get one level out to gauge reception since we’re a tiny fledgling team. Using all our time and resources to build a full game over the course of years just wasn’t feasible.

S: How many levels will PAWS have?

KG: We’re planning on ten of increasing difficulty, varying puzzles and different locations.

S: When can players expect to see the next level of the game?

KG: The next level is planned for June 2017 where Paws will find himself in a jungle setting with harder puzzles and dragons to overcome.

S: Are there any more games you will be developing in the future?

KG: Yes! We’ve got tons of ideas we can’t wait to get started on! Keep an eye on our social media to get sneak peeks and latest info!

 

Special thanks to Kait Gamble for participating in this interview! PAWS is currently only available on Android. The game is free to download and play in the Google Play Store right now. If you want to find out more about Kait the author, check out her two sites. Kait is an author of erotic fiction, which can be found here. She also writes young adult fantasy novels, but goes under the name Kacie Ji. You can also check that out here.