Red Code was a great game, developed by "Mr Playstival"- A really great studio on Java Island, Indonesia. I worked as a producer on it, tweaking the difficulty level and game progression to give the game the relentless gameplay that made it so exciting.
Designing the sequel really was pretty easy, thanks to its success on Newgrounds. As well as a cracking score of 4.21 it also received over 700 reviews, mostly players telling us what they want in the sequel.
Reviews such as this really do help:
"This game was rather entertaining but i do have quite a few suggestions.
(1)More color and sounds would give this game a much better feel
(2)More enemies with abilities like being able to shoot/spit/whatever stuff at you
(3)The upgrade system could have been much better like for example acquiring things like piercing rounds for the gun or maybe being able to set some enemies on fire
(4)More weapons definitely, that could perhaps be specialized for flying bugs or the larger/smaller enemies
(5)Better upgrade point system. I think the more difficult bugs should have given you more energy for the kill
(6)More realistic physics should have been implemented, I could throw a grenade at a VERY large group and have them torn apart while other times a much, much weaker group was hardly effected by the blast or it missed them completely even though the grenade was placed directly under a bug
(7)Better graphics concerning weapon upgrades would be nice; they never really gave me the impression that they were stronger ...aaand that's about it....whew!"
And reviews like this make it all worthwhile:
"Thank you I have been waiting ssssssssssooooooo long for a good game just like this i. I fucking love it damn it is so god damn GREAT thank you for giving this to everybody. finally all the other games like this suck testicals thank you"
Nice
The first Red Code had such a nice visual style. The silhouetted main character was great and the Starship Trooper style bugs were brilliant, especially the way they kept getting bigger and bigger. There was no explanation for anything- you were stranded. They were trying to kill you. Eventually they did. It was quite depressing really- like Missile Command all you did was delay the inevitable.
The audience demanded a story and an ending. So we've given them one. Most games have a similar mechanic as this- the enemies keep getting bigger and stronger and so do you. This became the central plot and gameplay feature.
Without giving too much away, the creatures are all one shared entity so killing them makes the remaining ones bigger and stronger. The army has realised that killing them one at a time will inevitably end up with one left the size of a planet, so they need to devise a way to kill them all in one go.
To expand the upgrades system we have the trooper feeding off this collective energy and upgrading to the point where he evolves, merging with his weapon in something reminiscent of Tetsuo.
Also, because we wanted it to be like a 2 player game, we have a hologram next to your trooper. This can be upgraded also, opening up the RPG upgrade system to be more interesting. Also, you can have them back to back- and you need to. On the last beacon the enemies come from both sides and it's really, really hectic.
Like Baby Vs Spiders and Body Defense, Red Code is too good to be just a single game. It has a solid story and a depth in gameplay that most Flash games lack. It is the beginning of a franchise.
The story has left the door open for the conclusion to come in the form of another sequel. Making a trilogy seems like the obvious thing to do and in my mind it is already designed. It takes the story and the gameplay to their logical conclusion. Beyond that though, we would love to expand the game onto other platform. We could even make a film. Why not- it's a stronger story than Tomb Raider...
Red Code 2 is a true sequel. It expands and improves upon everything in the first game. It looks better, sounds better and has more depth. It has been snapped up by my favourite sponsor, who was the first person apart from me to play it, for a decent price. What can I say? Easiest project ever!
Thanks Mr. Playstival. You've done me proud yet again.
Watch this space for the conclusion to the trilogy.