A Dark Diamond Exclusive

Earlier this year developer SpiderMonk Entertainment unleashed onto the gaming world Roogoo. A cute n’ cuddly story-driven puzzle game in which Roogoo, is tasked with saving his home world from the power-hungry clutches of King Moo, his son Prince Moo and their motley crew of followers, the MeeMoo. In order to do so Roogoo must travel across 6 different environments and 45 stages to collect and sort the falling meteors that once brought life, energy and joy to the peaceful world of Roo.

Taking a short Roo-nap from his adventures on both Xbox LIVE Arcade and PC, Roogoo is gearing up for two all-new adventures on the Nintendo Wii and DS.

I caught up with with President/Creative Director, Scott March of SpiderMonk Entertainment to ask him about the wonderful world of Roogoo and what we can expect too see from the upcoming Wii and DS versions of the game.

Dark Diamond: First off, I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to answer these questions. Would you be kind enough to reveal your super secret SpiderMonk identity and role(s) to our readers?

SpiderMonk: I am a SpiderMonk; an elite member of a secret clan of monks that run sneak attacks on game design and development.

DD: I would like to kick thinks off things off by letting you know what a wonderfully refreshing game I feel that SpiderMonk and SouthPeak have created and released. Roogoo successfully blends the epic puzzle games of our yesteryear (Tetris, Columns, Yoshi’s Cookie) and weaves them into a addicting, fast-paced puzzler with beautifully illustrated landscapes and a perfect complementary soundtrack.

Now, with that said, how does a game like Roogoo come to fruition and what were your primary influences when creating a world for the Roogoo and the MeeMoo to inhabit?

SM: Well, the game concept came from a dream, and the Roogoo and Meemoo budded from an idea that I had one of our concept artists develop.

Just add lead, paper and water, and these things usually tend to grow.

DD: Now how about the story line? It seems to be a rather unique and in-depth storyline for a game of its genre.

SM: Frankly, I feel the story is somewhat short, and would like to do much more with it. I have read reviews where some people feel it is too long, but it’s hard to make everyone happy as development deadlines usually limit much of what you see in a game. I feel that with a shorter story I could build on something much greater for a future title. Some of the XBLA reviews I have read that the game concept had to be at least tried once… and only once. I love reading articles like this. I think many people have a hard time seeing only what’s in front of them. I look at a blank canvas and my mind races. Roogoo has a ton of content coming, and any skeptics will see this on the Wii.

DD: The game’s various environments all have a unique beauty to them however bright and chipper or dark and brooding they may appear to be. What challenge(s) did you face when it came time to adding musical pieces that would best suit each of the game’s 6 respective environments and what went into creating the sound effects for the cast of critters? Did you know what the Roogoo and Meemoo would sound like beforehand or did you go through a number of voice effects before coming to a final decision?

SM: I actually had an idea of what music and mood would suit each environment, but was somewhat limited to the music and effects I could use. I kind of had this music bank with a selection of scores that I picked from for a reasonable price… (shhh, don’t tell anyone). I have a great appreciation and knack for music and audio that other people design.

DD: Are there any plans to release additional downloadable content such as additional levels or new gameplay elements? Hell, I’ll even settle for an XBL theme or some new gamerpics.

SM: We would absolutely love to add more content when we get a chance.

DD: It was announced earlier this year on July 17 that Roogoo will be making the move to Wii(TM) and DS(TM); I can’t wait to see what they both have to offer. What challenges do you face moving Roogoo to the DS and Wii?

SM: With the Wii and DS versions of the game we are trying to elaborate more on the game that was in my original vision by making everything look and feel more alive and adding and more interactive element to the game.

DD: It was also announced that the game will make use of both the Wii motion sensing technology and DS touch screen, and that owners of both versions “will have access to unique gameplay modes utilizing the Nintendo DS as a controller for the Wii.” Can you elaborate on this functionality?

SM: There will be something that the both the Wii and DS versions will share, but that’s just about all I can say for now.

DD: How do these gameplay modes benefit or enhance the users experience, and will gamers who are using this method of gameplay have any advantage(s) over users who do not own both versions of the game?

SM: More or less the big advantages will be additional content for the users that have access to both platforms. Even if you have a friend that has a Wii or a DS you will be able to access additional content.

DD: Will there be any multiplayer or online functionality for either version outside of the PC and XBLA versions of the game?

SM: Yes, the DS version of the game will have a four player VS mode with attacks over multi-card play.

DD: And how about the MeeMoo, will they still be the games’ primary antagonists in the Wii and DS versions of the game?

SM: The MeeMoo are always the baddies behind the scenes. They have however recruited some extra BIG help in the Wii version.

DD: What can you tell us about new in-game elements, power-ups or power-downs that will be found in the DS and Wii version of the game?

SM: The DS will have more than just the one multiplayer MeeMoo attack. It has four new multiplayer attacks for up to four players which is quite fun. I can tell you there is an item that shoots stuff in the Wii version, and I will guarantee a rapid fire power up for this particular item!

DD: Will new audio tracks be implemented into the Wii and/or DS versions of the game?

SM: We will definitely be adding some new music and sounds to the game, but there will also be some familiar tracks returning as well. We took into consideration that there are Wii and DS owners out there who have yet to play Roogoo. So for that reason we chose to include a few of the original audio tracks. Any of those that where fans of the first will definitely enjoy the new content, esp. some of the new stuff you will see on the Wii.

DD: Can you forecast when the Roogoo and Meemoo are set to return on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS?

SM: I think sometime early next year.

DD: Thanks for your time. I can’t wait to see what SouthPeak & SpiderMonk have in store for us when Roogoo hits Wii and DS early next year.

Special thanks to SpiderMonk Entertainment, SouthPeak Games and to Jay and John from Sandbox Strategies.

Some Roo-tastic screens:

For more information on Roogoo please visit SouthPeakGames.com or SpiderMonk.com.

Roogoo is rated ‘E’ for Everyone and is available for download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and on PC.