Illustration by Michael DeForge
Surfobia: Into the Deep
Alan Wu, Haowei Jiang, Luis Lopez, Maryam Lootah, Mia Hellman, Noel Matthew, Tina Xiang, Victor Stroie, Zoey San Diego
Alan Wu, Haowei Jiang, Luis Lopez, Maryam Lootah, Mia Hellman, Noel Matthew, Tina Xiang, Victor Stroie, Zoey San Diego
+In one or two sentences, describe the main themes present in your game.
Welcome to the underwater world of Surfobia. In the depths of the ocean, lost souls compete in the ultimate ray-surfing showdown – ride your manta ray, land the gnarliest tricks, and earn Poseidon’s favor for a shot at redemption and a second chance at life.
+What was the inspiration of the game?
What made your team decide to make this game specifically?
This game was inspired by the sports games of the early 2000s, with SSX, Skate, and Sled Storm being major influences. We wanted to evoke the feeling of “games your older brother would play,” capturing that raw, high-energy, and “gnarly” vibe that defined those classic titles. With Surfobia: Into the Deep, we’re bringing that same sense of freedom and excitement, but in a completely unique underwater world.
+Were there difficult moments when developing the game? What led to those difficult moments? What did you learn from it?
The biggest challenge during development was with our original character controller. Custom 3D physics are difficult and we hit several roadblocks trying to get it right. However, once we pivoted and adjusted our approach, things really started to fall into place. It was a valuable lesson in the importance of flexibility and not being afraid to change direction when something isn’t working.
+Were there features you had to remove, and if so, what were they and why were they removed?
We had originally planned for more levels, but as the project progressed, we realized we just didn’t have enough time to properly polish additional content. We had to make the tough decision to focus on perfecting what we had. However, who knows - maybe we’ll see more levels in the future!
+Talk about your teammates! What was everyone's role?
Alan Wu – Cinematographer, Camera Programmer & Technical Artist
Haowei Jiang – Environment Artist & Animator
Luis Lopez – Narrative & Level Designer
Maryam Lootah – Concept Art, Level Designer & Systems Programmer
Mia Hellman – Producer, Creative Director, Level Designer & Technical Artist
Noel Matthew – UI & Systems Programmer
Tina Xiang – Character Artist, UI Artist & Animator
Victor Stroie – Audio, Narrative, Level Designer & Systems Programmer
Zoey San Diego – Lead Programmer & Technical Producer
play this game on itch.io