Nintendo Love Affair: Gamesbymo and A.N.N.E

We get to chat with Mo, the mind behind A.N.N.E, the vehicle based Metroidvania game coming soon to the Nintendo Wii U eShop.

The gamesbymo logo

Shortly after overcoming the flu, Mo from Gamesbymo was willing to sit down with Nintendo Love Affair, across the internet, to answer some questions about their upcoming Wii U eShop title, A.N.N.E. Mo originally had ambitions to become a translator, studying Japanese and French but video games was his real passion. As luck would have it, a college friend introduced Mo to a 3D software and school in Toronto, Canada and the rest was history. After taking out some loans and an 8 hour drive Mo was able to pursue his dream.

Taken from gamesbymo.com

NLA: Start by telling us a little bit about you. How did you get into game development?

Mo: Ever since I started school in Toronto I’ve been working in the industry. I started as a 3D artist and ende dup as an art director but I was always working after work; on side projects, improving my art skills, fiddling with game engines etc… Then in late 2012 I started Gamesbymo and started working on an A.N.N.E prototype.

NLA: Are you creating A.N.N.E on your own now?

Mo:I now have a small team! I recently got a little bit of funding from the CMF and I was able to hire a programmer full time. I can focus on level design and art, it’s what I love to do. I also get the occasional coding and level design help from Pepo from Peposoft who recently composed the soundtrack for Pharaoh Rebirth. I also have Luis down in Brazil helping out with additional art for the game. So we’re two of us full time and a couple of friends helping here and there so that we can ship the game on time!

Will A.N.N.E be a step forward in retro inspired gaming?

NLA: What is your inspiration for A.N.N.E? How did you come about the theme of robot love?

Mo: The robot love story is really the product of me wanting the goal of the game to be meaningful so I thought what if the objects you need to collect in the game are actually pieces of another robot?

Take part in both vehicle based arcade shooter and platforming game play

NLA: The gameplay looks really unique! It’s like an arcade shooter, but not quite so straightforward…

Mo: ...the gameplay… it’s really a vehicle based Metroidvania; you get to explore on foot or inside your ship. It’s a hybrid of platforming and space shooting fused seamlessly together. It’s a lot of work since it’s really two games blended together. It already cost me 3 years of development and I am eternally grateful to the great backers and fans who have been very patient and understanding. I’m a very lucky guy and I really hope that I won’t disappoint.