Having been told by Shoot Many Robots developer Demiurge Studios that the game, originally designed for console, was too complex to be controlled via a touchscreen, Owlchemy Labs came up with an interesting proposal for an Android version.
The developer perhaps best known for Snuggle Truck decided not to simply port Shoot Many Robots over to mobile.
Rather, as described by Owlchemy Labs founder Alex Schwartz (pictured) during the studio's talk at Unite 2013 in Vancouver, the developer moved to in his words "clone" it.
The clone soars
Both Schwartz and CTO Devin Reimer clarified that cloning in this sense meant that, beyond the original game's art assets, everything else for Shoot Many Robots mobile was stripped out.
Reimer and Schwartz on stage at Unite 2013
Instead of replicating the game in its entirety on smartphones, Owlchemy instead looked to take the spirit of the game a side-scrolling action platformer and recreate it in an entirely new release specifically designed for touchscreens.
The end result was a game that, while different in terms of design and structure to Demiurge's original, still felt like Shoot Many Robots.
Shoot Many Robots in its original console/PC form
Owlchemy Labs' mobile 'clone'
The entire process was, of course, made much easier by using Unity Schwartz and Reimer dedicating much of their talk to how they used the game engine to develop Shoot Many Robots for Android step by step.
But, crucially, it would appear Shoot Many Robot's legacy may be the noble admission that games aren't universally transferable.
A title specifically designed for one platform can't necessarily be dropped straight onto another but it is possible to recapture the spirit behind it in a completely new, yet complimentary release.
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
27 minutes ago
Apple joins generative AI revolution with Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT support
News
5 hours, 25 minutes ago
Royal Match takes a sweet lead over Candy Crush as Honkai: Star Rail zooms by Genshin Impact
News
7 hours, 27 minutes ago
Devsisters’ Chris O’Kelly talks upselling IP to fans across multiple games without cannibalization
News
10 hours, 12 minutes ago
Google hit by £13.6 billion lawsuit over alleged "self-preferencing" and anticompetitive behaviour
News
10 hours, 57 minutes ago
Star Wars: Hunters ranked No. 1 for App Store game downloads in the US, UK and Canada on launch day
News
7 hours, 27 minutes ago
Devsisters’ Chris O’Kelly talks upselling IP to fans across multiple games without cannibalization
Feature
Jun 10th, 2024
Hot Five: Squad Busters’ supercharged launch, Pokémon’s record revenue, and Star Wars: Hunters finally hits the target
Events
Tribeca Games Festival 2024 | North America | Jun 5th |
Steam Next Fest: June 2024 Edition | Jun 10th | |
WN Conference Istanbul 2024 | Jun 11th | |
GamesForum Hamburg 2024 | Europe | Jun 11th |
ESI London 2024 | Europe | Jun 13th |
Game Con Canada (GCC) 2024 | North America | Jun 14th |
Indie Dev Play 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |