Scott-Tykoski
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The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Elfsquad7
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We at Joystiq believe no one deserves to starve, and many indie developers are entitled to a fridge full of tasty, fulfilling media coverage, right here. This week, we feature a super-special (and sparkly) Christmas title from Scott Tykoski and Stardock, titled Elfsquad7. What's your game called and what's it about? Elfsquad7 is a frantic, fun, 1-4-player holiday game about wrapping toys, grabbing gifts and saving Christmas. Despite its overly saccharine holiday theme, it's designed so that even the most hardcore gamer can enjoy playing it, and it's available now on XBLIG. What's the coolest aspect of Elfsquad7? I really like that the end boss resembles Lavos from Chrono Trigger. Only his name is Kevin. I'm also really happy with how the item shop plays into gameplay, especially on the harder-difficulty levels. There are some real strategic choices that the player has to make, and the game design is considerably stronger for it. Oh, and items are delivered by a fat pink cat strapped to a hot-air balloon. I can proudly boast that is a first in the world of gaming.
