Japanese Indie Superstars: An Interview with Mark Lentz of Q-Games

We recently got to chat with Mark Lentz of Q-Games, an indie game company based out of Kyoto, Japan. Q-Games has put out games on multiple platforms, and you probably know them best for their Pixeljunk series of games that were smash hits on the PlayStation 3. Nowadays, Q-Games has widened their release platforms, with their works available on PlayStation 4, Steam, Nintendo Switch, and even iOS and Android! Check out our interview, where we talk about their recent releases, Eden Obscura and Pixeljunk Monsters 2, as well as potential new projects, and keep an eye out for more exciting Q-Games content soon!

A-to-J: Hi there! Please tell us a bit about yourselves and about Q Games
Mark: Hi! I’m Mark Lentz. I’m the social media, PR and sound engineer at Q-Games in lovely Kyoto, Japan. I have now been with Q-Games for exactly one year. A little side story if you don’t mind: The boss and head honcho Dylan Cuthbert met me while I was on tour with my band Nice Legs in Japan. We drank and went to his studio to jam and I wooed the man into hiring me. Now Q-Games is stuck with a heavily tattooed bonkers of a dude for a social media, PR, and sound designer. An odd combination of stuff really.
 
Mark: So back to it! Q-Games is an indie game company in the gaming mecca of Kyoto, Japan. It was formed by Dylan Cuthbert, the luminary programmer behind the the likes of Star Fox, Star Fox 2, Blasto, and so much more. The dude is awesome. He formed the company in 2003 and has made such titles as PixelJunk Monsters, PixelJunk Shooter, X-Returns, Star Fox 64 3D, The Tomorrow Children and most recently PixelJunk Monsters 2. That is why we are talking today after all!

A-to-J: I personally have been a big fan of the Pixeljunk series and Q Games’ games since Monsters 1 came out and even have that particular game on almost every system available. The PS3 games were a highlight of couch co-op nights for me and my friends in college. I loved that many of your games kept a similar style and soul but explored new and interesting and different gameplay concepts and ideas, such as tower defense, flower blooming, side scrolling shooters, and even intergalactic soup company running. How did some of these games come about?
Mark: The idea behind the PixelJunk series is the beauty in simplicity and technique. Take a simple idea like Shooter, a 2 dimensional shooting game, and maximize the depth within those limitations. Also Nom Nom Galaxy is a robot game about that is a goal driven world that is absolutely wonderful. Damn I love Nom Nom!

A-to-J: The music of the Pixeljunk franchise has also left a big impression on me. I own the Monsters, Eden, and Shooter soundtracks and have them in rotation on my driving playlists. How do you feel the music of the series affects how a player interacts with the games?
Mark: Our boss Dylan takes a lot of time on the soundtracks. He finds the best composer for the job. He knows how important the music is to the world building. I couldn’t agree more. I personally feel the music in our series doesn’t get in the way. It is there to lift up the game and not over do it. We have had some seriously talented people work with us!

A-to-J: Speaking of bringing older games to new platforms, Eden Obscura is out now on iOS! I haven’t gotten a chance to play it yet since I have an android phone, but I’ve been encouraging my iPhone owning friends to give it a chance. How did a mobile version of Eden come to be?
Mark: People have been clamoring for Eden non-stop. Basically, our CEO Dylan Cuthbert and the composer and director of the game Baiyon wanted to try something new. Since the mobile phone offered a camera that can bring change in real-time, this was an obvious choice! And now it is out for Android, so many more people can play it.

A-to-J: Pixeljunk Monsters Duo was a planned mobile game that unfortunately didn’t hit its Kickstarter goal. Any plans to revive this project in the future?
Mark: We can’t confirm too much but I can say things are looking great. Take that with a grain of salt though!

A-to-J: I was happy to see Pixeljunk Monsters 2 announced, especially after Duo didn’t get funded, but I must say it was a surprise announcement to me, and with a rather short time between announcement and release. Was Monsters 2 (and Eden Obscura for that matter) something the team was always working on in the background, or did it become a project that materialized after the plans for Duo fell through?
Mark: We had been working on PixelJunk Monsters 2 quietly in the background for some time! It is really hard to keep that big of a secret by the way. I really wanted to tell people that I was working on such a bad ass game!

A-to-J: What would new players find fun and interesting about Monsters 2?
Mark: Oh snap. New players are going to love the graphics, the music, THE AMAZING SOUNDS (I gotta hustle those sounds after all), and damn good gameplay. Honestly, the multiplayer is both competive and co-op at the same time! You can’t friggin’ beat that.
 
A-to-J: The art for Monsters 2 is delightful by the way! No real question here, just that I very much like the visual style of the game.
Mark: Our team is godlike. They worked their asses off. They had amazing direction from the get go so it always seemed so effortless as an outsider. Damn they killed it.
 
A-to-J: Any other projects on the horizon our readers can look forward to?
Mark: Damn it. See, I wish I could talk but know this dear readers: we got some good shit coming. Can I curse? WHATEVER because that one was imperative yo. Look forward to so much!

Q-Games has recently released Eden Obscura as a free download on iOS and Android; and Pixeljunk Monsters 2 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, with a demo available.

For more information about their past and upcoming projects, follow them at:
Website: http://www.q-games.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qgamesforever/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixeljunknews
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PixelJunkQ

The above interview was conducted by Janette Goering.