Jeff Minter is a well-respected video game developer who has developed a reputation for creating a brand of colorful, whimsical, irreverent and challenging games over his 40-plus year career. He is credited with more than 75 games, and we would not be surprised to find some unreleased gems hiding on his computer.

Jeff has been releasing games on PlayStation devices for a decade, including the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation VR, PlayStation 4, and with Akka Arrh now both PS4 and PS5. Akka Arrh drips with Jeff’s sense of humor, his love of psychedelic color and light, and his ability to flat-out create games that are a joy to play.

With the release of Akka Arrh, we had a chance to speak with Jeff and learn more about the new game.

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Q. Why Akka Arrh?

I’ve been interested in Akka Arrh ever since I first heard the story of this incredibly rare arcade game being held in secret for 30 years by a collector and how the ROM was “liberated” so everyone could have a go. 

When I got a chance to play the game I liked the abstract nature of it, the flower-like shape of the platforms. I also thought the level splitting between upstairs and downstairs was interesting, as was the lighting up of upstairs level sections to “electrify” the incoming enemies.  The original has some cool ideas, but it doesn’t quite fit together in a way that I found satisfying. So when Atari asked me which of their game IPs I was most interested in working with, I saw it as a chance to explore the ideas of the original and make them work.

Q. Despite the ROM controversy, Akka Arrh is still not a household name. How would you describe the new game?

The original felt to me almost like a real-time strategy game, so I’ve pushed a bit in that direction and made the levels almost like a series of puzzles. You can pretty easily blaze away with bombs and pass a level easily, but to rinse the most points out of it, you need to study the attack patterns and learn how to be efficient.

It’s almost like a cross between a shooter and a puzzle game. One friend described it as ’cerebral’ which is not something anyone would normally say about my shooty things.

Q. How did you approach the game design?

For me the design process isn’t something you do at the start and then code to a spec,

Drums Rock, the arcade game of playing drums while smashing demons to the rhythm of rock, offers its most complete edition (and the craziest news) as it arrives with the launch of PS VR2! From the team here at Garage51 Entertainment, we’re delighted to highlight what we’ve done with this technology, which you can try at home on February 22. Let’s rock!

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We had been developing Drums Rock for a few months when we received a PS VR2 dev kit. At that time we were refining gameplay and fighting record labels to get cool songs for the game. We set about testing the features of the PS VR2 headset and Sense controller.  

We’ve tried countless different VR headsets in the past, but with the PS VR2 headset we saw that things could be done here that nobody had done before. And that is exactly what we did. We wanted to take a risk and nail it. We opted to go overboard rather than be afraid to try all these new features, and now I think it was the best decision possible.

In case anyone hadn’t noticed, we’re huge fans of the music rhythm genre. Drums Rock is a tribute to everything we loved about the games that defined that genre. Maybe it’s just us, but didn’t you know part of the songs by heart and even played them without looking? I’m sure some madman has even played a guitar controller with his mouth like Jimi Hendrix. Well now, in Drums Rock, playing without looking scores double!

Eye tracking

After getting our hands on the PS VR2 development kit headset, eye tracking was the feature that surprised us most, to the extent we built a gameplay mechanic around it and set about fine tuning it so it felt really fun. Let me explain:

Below the streak marker there are two switches, one for each eye. These switches activate either when we have our eyes closed, or are not looking at the incoming notes lane. They have a small cooldown period so as to avoid being triggered by the player blinking or taking side glances to see the notes. Once the switches are activated, your score is multiplied x2. They can also be combined with no fail chain modifiers, reaching x8. It’s a risk-reward mechanic that I personally adore!

A wooden gate – somewhat past its prime – blocks your way. You begin to push through it, but it’s surprisingly sturdy. Feel the resistance as it fights against you before, inevitably giving way to your strength.

You pursue your prey, leaping over gnarled tree roots and rocks that litter the forest floor. It begins to outpace you, but suddenly you see a spring Karakuri, a sure sign that luck is on your side today. You leap onto it, feeling the vibrations (thanks to your DualSense controller) as if through your own feet, and make up valuable ground quickly.

Of course not all sensations you experience through Haptics will be strictly necessary for the hunt. You may find it both useful and soothing to take time to interact with the gentler wildlife throughout Azuma. Make a new friend (or two) with a gentle pat on the back.

As a hunter, you must be one with your chosen weapon. You must know its weight, its speed, t

At the end of light, there is darkness. And at the end of darkness is light. This conflict is what Lightfall–the penultimate expansion to Destiny 2’s epic Light and Darkness saga–is all about. It’s you and your fireteam standing against The Witness and Calus’s dark Shadow Legion. The stakes are everything, with the looming extinction of all life hanging in the balance. It’s the most monumental development to the six-year-old game, and the talented team at Bungie is making sure you feel the grandeur through the plot and an assortment of new gameplay additions.

During a recent preview event of the upcoming expansion, we got to see some of the first mission and a handful of the delightful new surprises coming for Destiny 2 players, both new and old. Below are some of the most exciting details we learned about Lightfall.

The beginning of the saga’s end

You’re going to carry that weight: Lightfall looks to be one of the most powerful and emotionally heavy stories in the Destiny universe. With you as its central character (known as a Guardian), the savior battling against the end of the world, it all falls on you. The increased focus and pressure on you as the story’s hero adds to the plot’s stakes, giving your actions a greater weight than in previous expansions.

The introduction of The Witness: The ultimate nemesis of Destiny 2’s Light and Darkness Saga,The Witness, is finally entering the physical frame, adding to the urgency of Lightfall. This entity is unlike any you’ve encountered thus far. In its quest for total control, The Witness will immediately show that it is the coldest, most calculated, and reserved foe that any Guardian has ever fought.

A beautiful new destination: Lightfall is showing the world of Destiny in a new light. The cyberpunk-esque city of Neomuna is one of the most visually stunning locations in the game’s history. The architecture takes a more aerodynamic approach in its design, and the team brought that philosophy into every aspect, incorporating elements such as surf-like fins and sailboat-like ships. It’s all complemented by the vibrant neon color scheme of the city to create a vivid new aesthetic for the Destiny universe.

Fresh characters enter the fray: You can’t hope to stop the end of the world on your own, so you’ll find yourself fighting alongside some new faces in Lightfall. There’s the world-weary veteran, Rohan, and the showboating rookie, Nimbus, two members of the Cloud Striders—defenders of Neomuna.

Serving the bigger picture

God of War Ragnarök’s side quests are designed to expand not only on the world, but most importantly its characters and the larger themes arising from their journeys.

“We had a better sense of what we wanted from side quests this time. And I think that the impulse for many developers is to use them to flesh out the world and its lore.” Gaubert explains. “While that’s certainly part of it, we didn’t want that to be the main focus. The focus is on these characters and themes and ensuring that the critical path, storyline, and side quest storylines are pieces in a larger puzzle. That lore and world-building should be byproducts of exploring the characters rather than the other way around. It’s too easy to get lost in the minutia if it’s not anchored by characters, as they’re easier to relate to.”

The game’s first Favor, In Service of Asgard, is a perfect example of this approach. This quest sees Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir confront Mimir’s past of misguided attempts to win Odin’s approval, namely, persuading the dwarves of Svartalfheim to build mining rigs to generate resources for Odin. The mining came at a great cost, polluting the surrounding area and stripping Svartalfheim of resources, and now Mimir wishes to reverse the damage to heal the realm and clear his conscience.

The Favor not only explores one of Mimir’s deepest regrets, adding more context to his deep hatred of Odin, it also reflects on the broader theme of not running from the past – something Kratos has struggled with himself. While Kratos is not the focus of the Favor, in doing this side quest, the team at Santa Monica Studio was able to shine a new light on the once God of War as he helps Mimir right the wrongs of his past serving under a cruel master – touching on many broader themes for both characters including personal accountability and repentance.