WGTC: What prompted the decision to overhaul the graphics? Did you regret the green tinted style that the original game had?
TH: Factotum as it was released on the Wii U was exactly the game I wanted to make at the time I made it. I have a fascination with peering through tiny screens into other worlds. But it was also a reflection of what kind of game I was able to build when I started it all those years ago. There isn’t a single aspect of F90 which hasn’t been improved. I hope to keep improving in every game I make.
WGTC: Do you feel like there is enough new content for owners of the Wii U release to pick up the enhanced version?
TH: For the most part F90 is an aesthetic upgrade. If you only have a Wii U then you’ll get the same core experience.
WGTC: The basis of the game has the player controlling two different robots in order to solve puzzles. What made you decide to focus on solving puzzles from two perspectives?
TH: I wanted to make a game where the interface was like a physical machine, with multiple screens and each screen showing another angle on the same problem. These screens could show characters, data and robots. As the concept was refined I found that I could make interesting puzzles with two player controlled robots and much more than this was too confusing. I prototyped a few kinds of robot, including Mars rover style six wheeled robots, but I found the turning circle was too frustrating a thing to deal with. I needed something that could turn on the spot and so I ended up with my quadruped deck-walkers.
WGTC: Are there any plans to bring Factotum 90 to any other consoles or PC after the Xbox One release?
TH: My focus right now is getting the Xbox release as good as it can be, but I wouldn’t rule out F90 coming to other platforms in the future.
WGTC: Give us your best pitch on why gamers should check out Factotum 90 in January on Xbox One.
TH: If you like robots, explosions, laser beams and puzzles, then there’s no better game coming to Xbox One next year than Factotum 90.
That concludes our interview, but we’d like to give a big thank you to Thomas Hopper for taking the time to speak with us. Thomas can be found on Twitter at @thos_thom, and more information on Factotum 90 can be found on its official website.
