Amanita Design is one of my favorite developers and has been releasing quality games on mobile and other platforms for a long time.Have enjoyed almost every match of the legendary team Machinery building Going back in time to new releases such as Chuchel and happy games. We also confirmed the release of Amanita pilgrim It used to be available (for free) on Apple Arcade, but recently went out of service and got standalone mobile releases on iOS and Android. After its launch, I spoke with Jakub Dvorsky (studio director and designer/artist). pilgrim) his career, Apple Arcade, Machinery buildingvinyl soundtrack, coffee (of course), phonopolisand the future.
Touch Arcade (TA): Please tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Amanita Design.
Jakub Dvorsky (JD): I am the Director of Amanita Design, a studio based in Prague, Czech Republic that I founded 20 years ago. I started out as an artist and animator, but now I’m primarily a game designer and project leader.
Ta: Before we get into the games you’ve worked on that most of our readers know and love, I’d like to take a moment to look back. Let’s talk about Dračí Historie and how you have changed as a designer in the years between then and now. What did you learn from these older games and early Amanita Design titles for your current work?
JD: Dračí historie (Dragon’s History) is a traditional point-and-click adventure and was the first game I worked on as an animator. It was released in 1996, so I guess it’s really history now. Since then, I’ve mainly been learning how to do game design, how to create games more efficiently, and how to collaborate in a team. I’ve learned some tricks that seem absolutely obvious, but everyone has to make some mistakes and find their own way. For example, we found it very important to create all the art assets and think everything through before actually building the game. We know that prototyping and playtesting are important and unavoidable. I’ve heard this wisdom before and now I know it to be true. Personal experience helps a lot.
Image source.
Ta: Have you ever revisited old games like Asmodeus or Dračí Historie?
JD: No, I’ve never been, but I’ve revisited the early Samorost and other stuff many times. These things are more important to me. I realized that there are a lot of things that could be better, but there are some aspects of these games that still work well and it’s interesting to notice and learn from them.
Ta: Samorost was Amanita Design’s first release, but almost everyone I know and myself discovered your work through Macinarium. Please tell us a little about how you approached this project.
JD: While the first two Samorost games were small (mainly web-based) projects, machinarium was intended as the first full-fledged or full-length game for the PC. The main game mechanics are taken directly from Samorost, but it’s more of a traditional adventure game, with inventory, menus, and everything else. The puzzles are also more difficult and aimed more at gamers than the general public, but they’re still quite accessible even if you’re not a gamer if you’re interested. Fortunately, this approach worked well, and the game was so successful that we ported it to many other platforms, including mobile.
Ta: I still love Botanicula, which was released after Machinarium, and loved playing it on my iPad. What was it like back then when Amanita Design started working with Apple’s iPhone and iPad?
JD: Our games have always been, and always will be, ideal for touch controls. So it was natural and obvious that the game needed to be brought to mobile platforms. When I first tried the iPad, I was hooked. That’s because it had a nice high-resolution screen with beautiful colors, which was not the case with most of his PC screens at the time. You could also play games on the couch or in bed, which was great.
Ta: Machinarium was also released on PS Vita, Blackberry Playbook, and Xbox One, and I think it’s the most ported game of all time. Apart from that, your games are usually consistently on mobile and PC, and sometimes Switch as well. What was it like for the team working on so many platforms?
JD: Of course, getting and maintaining a game on so many platforms takes a lot of extra work and hassle. However, each platform has a slightly different audience and has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s interesting to play the game on as many platforms as possible. In addition to PC and mobile, we are currently focusing on playing on consoles and game controllers. Very satisfying if done correctly.
Ta: Can you tell us a little about the educational games you’ve created for the BBC?
JD: The game was called Question Out. It was a small Flash game built around quizzes on various school subjects such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics. We created small planets (small puzzles for each theme) and the main character traveled from planet to planet in an airship. It was fun to make, but we did it just to make money and to complete our current project “Machinarium”.
Ta: It feels like Amanita Design has been pushing the creative boundaries even further in recent years, and I love everything they have on display. How involved are you with titles like Happy Game and the upcoming Phonopolis?
JD: Happy Game was created by Jara Plachy, author of Chuchel and Botanicula. It’s so strange and distinctive that it was almost impossible to help with design decisions. Phonopolis is still in development by Amanita’s new team and has not released the game yet. I’m mainly helping with game design ideas, but I’m also currently helping with the production pipeline, which is slowly getting closer to completion.
Ta: Apple Arcade’s Pilgrims was a great game, but after it went out of service, a standalone mobile version was recently released. Is it possible that Amanita Design will make more short games like that?
JD: Currently, nothing like Pilgrim is in development, but that may change in the future. This little experiment was a lot of fun.
Ta: Of the many games Amanita Design has worked on, what is your favorite? Looking back, are there any games you wish you had played more?
JD: My favorite piece is the one I’m currently working on. Unfortunately it hasn’t been announced yet so I can’t talk about it.
Ta: Please tell us a little about your collaboration with Apple on the Apple Arcade release. Will we see more Apple Arcade games in the future?
JD: Apple Arcade started at the right time for us because we had two games close to release when Apple approached us. So they were able to release both (Creaks and Pilgrims) in arcades right away. AA allowed us to reach a large new audience and was financially beneficial. Apple had a clear vision of what kinds of games they wanted Apple Arcade to support and why. Unfortunately, this vision has since changed, so we don’t know what the future holds for this service.
Ta: I mentioned how I found out about Amanita Design through Machinarium, but the most impressive thing at the time was that the soundtrack was released on vinyl. Sadly I missed out on the original, but this and Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery have great music on vinyl. Amanita Design always releases vinyl so it’s nice to see that. How have those releases fared over the years as the recording industry has grown?
JD: Since the first Machinarium vinyl pressing, we have had a great partnership with Dan Dudalek of Czech independent music label Minority Records. He does all the production work, schedules reissues, deals with manufacturing plants, helps with distribution…and all but two limited edition vinyl releases remain available. , thanks to him. Machinarium LP is definitely our most popular product. The 12th press was held last year.
In general, we love records. It’s probably the most beautiful, most tactile music format out there. There’s something magical about a large rotating disc with grooves inscribed with music. These days they come in a variety of colors and transparent ones, and even include art prints, so even if you don’t have a turntable, you’ll have a nice collection. .
Ta: The latest issue of EDGE magazine featured Phonopolis, Amanita Design’s first true 3D world. I always thought it was amazing, but this one left an impression on me. Was it the studio’s biggest project?
JD: This was definitely our longest and most complex project to date. The art and animation techniques, and the entire creation process, are incredibly difficult and time-consuming. Nevertheless, we remain committed to our original vision. We are a group of stubborn developers, no matter how long it takes.
Ta: Is it possible that Phonopolis will come to mobile soon or at launch?
JD: Mobile is also part of the plan, but we don’t know if it will happen sooner or later after the PC launch.
Ta: What’s next for Jakub Dvorski?
JD: Just make a few more games and that’s it. Life moves fast.
Ta: What have you played recently? What is your favorite game of 2023?
JD: I’ve played The Case of the Golden Idol, Viewfinder, Storyteller, and The Invincible, and they’re all great games and I fully recommend them. I’m currently obsessed with Balatro. This is great, but unfortunately too addictive.
Ta: Would you like some coffee?
JD: Black Turkish coffee is preferred, but I mostly drink green tea and puerh anyway.
I would like to thank Jakub Dvorský and Lukas Kunce for their time and assistance here.
You can find all our interviews here, including recent ones with Akitoshi Kawazu, Kenji Ito, Tomokazu Shibata, New Blood’s Dave Oshry, Warframe mobile’s Digital Extremes, and Team NINJA. sonic dream team, hifi rush, Pemento, more. As always, thanks for reading.