RPG CLICKER: INTERVIEW WITH EPIC PIXEL’S NICK SHA

RPG Clicker is a unique roleplaying game for the mobile platform developed by Epic Pixel. It was released on November 7 2014.

Epic Pixel is an independent gaming studio that was started by brothers Nick and Chris Sha. It was during the time of the recession five years ago, that the Sha brothers had voluntarily their jobs to start Epic Pixel.

“Everyone thought we were crazy since so many people were getting laid off, but we knew we had to give our dreams a shot. We bootstrapped to the extreme and lived off couches for the first year but finally moved back in with our parents to save even more. There, we commandeered the dining table as the workbench and published our first game on Android. Some twenty odd games later we’re still at it,” said Nick Sha.

The Sha brothers grew up in Silicon Valley California, and were introduced to computers and technology at an early age.

“Our family literally lived in an apartment behind Apple in Cupertino, and played basketball on their courts. The bay area had a profound effect on our views and what we wanted to do with our future. It’s only natural that we both graduated with degrees in computer science,” Sha explained.

Epic Pixel’s first project was a game called Grow an aquatic eat-em up. “Chris came to me with the prototype and after spending some time on it, we both realized it was worth pursuing the idea.” It soon became one of Epic Pixel’s well known games.

“One of my favorite projects, Cloud Maze, is a whimsically themed puzzler. You try to match a pattern in the clouds. We spent a lot of time crafting the levels and we’re proud of the tricky ones,”

The inspiration to create RPG Clicker had come when the Sha brothers found an idle-game on the web, and were hooked.

“Idle or incremental games were weird at first because the point of the game feels very trivial; you click a lot. However, after spending a few minutes on it, we instantly saw the appeal. And we wanted share this type of game with the casual gamer.

The goal was to make it more accessible, something people would want to play. So, we created RPG Clicker, it has all the incremental appeal but also has relatable RPG elements,” said Sha.

Sha then explained the objective and gameplay of RPG Clicker.

“In RPG Clicker, you play a warrior on a journey to realize your true potential. You travel the lands seeking out worthy foes to face. The game has all the RPG goodies– leveling up, exploring different locations, upgrading weapons and spells, fighting bosses, and picking up loot,” Sha began.

“The actual gameplay is simply one touch. You face an enemy and you tap the screen to engage; the faster you tap the faster you attack. The game has an exponential factor, you’ll start off doing very little damage but slowly your attack will grow to billions of damage in a single tap.”

Sha said it took four months for Epic Pixel to develop and publish RPG Clicker.

Sha explained that re-adapting a web game for the mobile platform, and adding RPG elements to it required a great deal of problem solving. “We wanted to make certain hardcore RPG features casual and re imagine how to present others. It was a good design workout for us.”

There are a lot of mobile games on the market, and RPG Clicker has a one of a kind uniqueness. ”RPG Clicker is an incremental game on mobile and it has deeply integrated RPG elements. It’s this addicting design and familiar theme that makes it stand out,” said Sha.

The brothers said if there was anything that they could have done differently, it’s that they should have  engaged the players for their feedback sooner, and have their ideas be a part of the development.

The Sha brothers like to share with others the kinds of games that they enjoy playing.

“It’s very rewarding to know that people are playing our game; particularly with RPG Clicker, it maybe something they haven’t tried before.  Also, on a personal level, I did the retro art for RPG Clicker and the few compliments I’ve received make me smile.”

RPG Clicker is available on the Google Play store, which can be found at the following link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.epicpixel.rpgclicker.