Disastercake’s Mike Gale on Soul Saga

To quote their Kickstarter page Disastercake is one normal guy with one large dream: to make games he’s passionate about. This guy’s name is Mike Gale.

We caught up with Mike at the tail end of his Kickstarter campaign to talk about Soul Saga, an ambitious multi-platform love letter to classic PlayStation JRPGs. With just a few days to go and his initial goal beaten almost three times over we’re expecting great things.

Firstly, congratulations on destroying your initial funding goal and a fair few of your stretch goals too. How has it felt to see your game get such a warm and enthusiastic reception?
Mike: It’s been amazing! I can’t believe there are so many Soul Saga fans out there. Before starting the campaign Soul Saga was pretty unknown. I had a small handful of loyal followers; an amount small enough to count on two hands. To be getting this huge of a reception just feels great! I’m so thankful to everyone who has supported Soul Saga.

Could you tell us a little more about your background and the origins of Disastercake?
Mike: I grew up on a miniature horse farm and then in my early 20’s moved out to Seattle to try and get a foot in the door to the game industry. I got a gig at Microsoft, but it wasn’t the creative outlet I was looking for, so I quit, finished up my business degree, and taught myself every nook and cranny about game development. With prices skyrocketing for art contractors I had to come to Kickstarter for help funding the game, and to my surprise it’s gotten a huge reception.

With all the platform goals met you’ll be releasing on PC, Mac, Linux, Wii U, Vita, and Playstation 4. Has using Unity as your development engine made this a less daunting task?
Mike: It’s the ONLY reason it can happen. Unity is not perfect, by any means. I am constantly yelling at it and wishing they would fix certain elements. However, they have made it possible to port across different platforms as a single developer if you put the right amount of effort into doing so.

Your Kickstarter page is packed with background information on your characters and the world of Soul Saga. How long have you been working on the ideas for this game?
Mike: I’ve been slowly fleshing out the story for about five years. I’ve gone through countless drafts to eventually get it to where it’s at and I am extremely happy where it’s landed. I think people will be very surprised at how certain elements get very dark, but they will also be able to laugh and enjoy the characters through their personal development.

What advice would you give to someone that is considering using Kickstarter for a solo game project?
Mike: Have enough gameplay to get the idea across, but don’t make the presentation too polished. One thing I realized was I made Soul Saga look finished so people thought what they saw is what they were going to get. Show lots of polished ‘work-in-progress’ stuff so the imagination can fill in the rest. Also, international shipping does not cost $10. Do your research instead of looking at other Kickstarters.

Do you plan on continuing to use crowdfunding to fund future episodes of Soul Saga?
Mike: Possibly. I think it’s a great way to get fans involved in the process and to get their voices heard during production. With Kickstarter people aren’t (usually) trying to buy a product, they’re trying to help you fund your dream and in that sense it also becomes theirs. This makes for a strong community.

Several of your funding tiers give the backer creative input into your game, are you not concerned that these might conflict with your overall vision for the game?
Mike: Not really because I will be herding the ideas. That’s why I give warning like “must be lore friendly”. I will make sure they mesh in well.

Thank you for your time, Mike. Do you have any thing else you want to say to those interested in the game?
Mike: If you’re into JRPGs I think you’ll definitely like to give Soul Saga a look. And by backing the project you’re not just making my dream become reality, you’re making over 4,500 other people’s dream of seeing Soul Saga become the best it can be. We’d love to have you become a part of our friendly and mature community!

The Kickstarter for Soul Saga will finish up in just a few days, so get your skates on!


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