If you’ve accidentally glanced at Tiny Cartridge for even a second, you know that we’re fascinated with Gammick/EnjoyUp’s Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ. Our interview with the EnjoyUp collective and Gammick producer Jose M. Iniguez covers the details, influences, and development of Zombie BBQ. Part 2 can be found here.
What distinguishes Zombie BBQ from other horror/fairy tale-themed Nintendo DS shooters?
Jose M. Iniguez, Gammick: There are no games for Nintendo DS as crazy and with such a bizarre concept as Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ. They way of mixing two separate genres like zombies and fairy tales and distorting everything with a touch of humor makes the game unique.
Why include “BBQ” in the title?
JI: As you can imagine it means, literally, barbecue. Since the flamethrower is the strongest weapon in the game, Little Red Riding Hood and Momotaro can roast zombie flesh in a matter of seconds!
What are the inspirations behind Zombie BBQ’s gameplay?
JI and EnjoyUp: Space Invaders and Cabal are the main inspirations for the gameplay.
What is the average playtime for Zombie BBQ? How many levels are there?
EU: Zombie BBQ has around eight hours of gameplay. The action is divided into seven worlds, with two levels each and a final boss. There are some secrets to be discovered as well.
Are there extra modes? Anything outside the main “campaign?”
EU: Of course! There is a Boss Attack mode, where you have to fight directly against all the bosses of the game without dying, and Survival Mode, where you have to fry as many zombies as you can kill before dying. There are two extra difficulty levels as well.
Momotaro is a character from Japanese tradition. Are there other Japanese elements in the game? If not, why Momotaro? And were any other fable characters considered?
JI: One of the levels of the game happens in Tokyo, far away from the classic fairy tales. We wanted to make the craziest and funniest game for Nintendo DS. The main reason [we used] Momotaro as the secondary playable character is that he is a very well known Japanese fairy tale character. He marks the difference from the classic fairy tales world that we all know. We want this game out in Asia as well, and this will help as well.
Where do you fall in the fast zombies/slow zombies debate that has sprung up since 28 Days Later?
JI: I like both, actually. You can make good use of each kind of zombie. You just need to place them in the best situation and scenario.
EU: I equally enjoy 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead. If I had to find myself surrounded by zombies, slow ones are my choice, though.
Only one of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ has fallen to the zombie epidemic. What role do the other two pigs play? If they aren’t zombies, why are they out to kill Red?
JI: Initially, we designed their level so the player would fight with the three of them … like a level with three final bosses. But we didn’t want to kill all the fairy tale characters in a single row. We are saving some for the next Zombie BBQ … already in process.
What are your expectations for Zombie BBQ? What will make it a success?
JI: Destineer is doing fantastic work for the American market with our title. The whole company is excited with the way things are going. The mix between competitive price & original concept is explosive, and we are sure that this game will be a hit on Nintendo DS.
The concept is the key to the success for Zombie BBQ. The bizarre idea of mixing the different worlds as zombies & fairy tales is what everybody is amazed by and the main reason why everybody is talking about the game.
Of course, Little Red Riding Hood’s sexy dodge is helping a lot. ;-)
Why choose the DS for Zombie BBQ?
JI: The Nintendo DS market is completely deformed and artificially oriented to the “supercasualgirly” style, but we understand that there are consumers who bought a Nintendo DS that want something other than take care of a pet, cook or learning languages. They want action, they want to have fun, and this game is perfect for those players.
