Cats and videogames go collectively like cheese and crackers, and taking a well-liked time period for attempting to manage the uncontrollable, Harrison and Switchback are on to a winner with Cat Herder. 

In Cat Herder, you’re taking the position of a hapless cat proprietor/sitter who tries to get these playful, lovely and simply distracted animals to do what you need, by varied puzzles and situations. 

We caught up with Harrison to search out out extra about his journey as a solo dev, how the sport got here to be and his muse/cat Dory, as he confessed he’s truly a canine particular person!

Cat Herder is out now obtainable on Steam 

Please may you introduce your self?

My title is Harrison! I’m a former mechanical engineer, and left my job a couple of 12 months in the past to attempt to make it as an indie developer!

And may you introduce your studio?

My studio known as Switchback Studio, however in actuality it’s simply me. I’m a solo dev! I obtained the thought for the title after I was on a backpacking journey, and thought the alliteration was enjoyable.

Can you inform us about Cat Herder?

Cat Herder is a foolish, cute, and chaotic little puzzle recreation about, umm, herding cats!  The gameplay revolves round attempting to get the cats into the goal zones, and making them keep there.  The cats, being cats, usually are not all the time cooperative.

How did you give you the idea?

The first model of Cat Herder was made as a part of a self-inflicted problem, the place I created 10 video video games in 10 weeks! It was the ninth recreation within the problem, and solely exists as a result of my preliminary recreation thought involving mirrors needed to be scrapped after the primary day. The idea for the sport kind of sprang to life totally fashioned, although I think about my real-life cat Dory additionally had one thing to do with it.

Can you inform us somewhat in regards to the gameplay?

There’s a bunch of various cat toys within the recreation, from treats to laser tips that could cat wheels, and each interacts with the cats/participant another way.  The cats even have their very own likes and dislikes! The puzzle facet of the sport comes from determining the best way to correctly use what toys you’ve obtainable.

Did you need to give the cats character within the recreation?

My cat Dory was an enormous affect on the character of the sport!  She’s extremely chaotic, so quite a lot of that comes by in how cats will react to sure stimuli, like sniffing catnip, getting splashed, or being picked up towards their will.  She additionally impressed among the toy interactions, like watching TV.

What’s the next move for the sport and plans for the long run?

The subsequent huge step for the sport is launch! After that (and the inevitable wave of bug experiences), I’ll or could not do an replace or two, relying on the sport’s success. From there, I’ll be engaged on my subsequent recreation, tentatively titled Sticky Golf, the place every part the ball hits, sticks!

Are you a cat or a canine particular person?

Funnily sufficient, I’m in all probability extra of a canine particular person, and would completely have a canine if I didn’t reside in a comparatively small house. Still, I clearly love cats!

When is it out and the way can individuals keep up to date?

The recreation got here out on Thursday,November third!  If you’re thinking about updates, the perfect place for it’s twitter:  https://twitter.com/SwitchbackSt33

For extra on all issues indie video games, keep tuned to www.intoindiegames.com