Fabian Akker (Co-Founder) of Ronimo Games, responsible for the upcoming Wiiware title Swords & Soldiers, as well as the creators of the original De Blob, was nice enough to answer a few questions.  Akker talks about  Swords & Soldiers, a possible sequel, a new project, De Blob, WiiWare as a platform and Ronimo’s future plans. Enjoy!

TWG - A side scrolling RTS game is an unusual genre to form a game around.  Where did the idea to take this route come from?

Akker -“The idea for an RTS was already there, when we saw the end credits of Super Moine we automatically thought it would be a great style to go with.”

TWG - Between the plot, the sound effect and music, to the visuals, Swords & Soldiers has a unique light-hearted style that really seems to mesh between the different elements.  How much focus was put into presentation and creating the style?

Akker -“Originally we only focused on the multi-player [aspect] of the game, but due to the craziness of the characters and spells we use in the game, we came up with this insane story and decided to create a whole campaign to go with it.  The style is based on several other games such as Castle Crashers and other 2D games, but we really gave it a unique flavor with the coloring and hectic style.  For instance, at one point we needed a transition between the overall story and the levels themselves.  Therefore, we borrowed the '70's Batman logo swirl of the original series and put our own Swords & Soldiers logo in it with a new funny sound which will instantly make you smile.  The whole game is stuffed with all of these funny references which make it a very enjoyable game.”

TWG - Just by the sound of its name, you know this game is all about fighting.  With Vikings, Mayans, and a mysterious third party meeting each other, the questions remains - what exactly are they fighting over?  Are they plotting world domination, or did the Vikings just insult the Mayans' pepper?

Akker -"The Vikings are fighting each other for having the biggest barbecue.  While the Aztecs created this huge pepper for a vegetable growing contest.  A pepper which has the power to brainwash the weak minded.  But of course the Vikings want this pepper to make it into a delicious BBQ sauce to go with their meat.”

TWG - Speaking of that, just how freakishly large is the freakishly large pepper and how'd it get that daggum big?

Akker -“The pepper is as big as a catapult; rumours go that by sacrificing their own kind the Aztecs get some special help from the gods to grow their vegetables.  It makes you wonder why the peppers are as red as blood.”

TWG - Something we've noticed since the game's announcement has yet to be addressed.  Knowing that Vikings have axes and Mayans use blow guns in S&S, we can only wonder why another object graces the image.  Can you divulge as to why a shuriken is embedded in the game's logo?  Is that a not so subtle hint at the third faction?

Akker -“Is that a shuriken?  It is indeed a very cleverly hidden hint on the third faction which we will release very soon, so keep your eyes open.”