Decline's Drops is a brand new indie action platforming game which uses a unique hand-drawn cartoony art style, and features a battle system inspired by fighting games.
Decline's Drops released via Steam on October 10th of 2024, and currently stands at a "very positive" rating. While our review of the game was being written by Jonsku (which can be read here), I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak with developer Marc to learn a little more about what made the game tick. It's a project I've personally been following for quite some time, and I was excited to learn more about it!
Hello, and thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today! My name is Ben, and I'm the owner of Netto's Game Room. I was hoping we could start things off by getting to know a little about you?
Hello Ben, thank you very much for your invitation! I'm Marc, I'm 29 and I am the lead creator of my first game, Decline's Drops!
Your new game is called Decline's Drops, and it just released back in October. Is this your first video game project?
Yes, this is indeed my first video game project. Before that, I wanted to be an actor, but got a bit bored by the profession. I had to learn how to code, how to animate, that was a lot of work, but it's been so much fun, and an incredible adventure.
I've actually been following your game's progress for quite some time on social media, and I know previously you mentioned Super Smash Bros as being an influence. Were there any other major influences? (I personally feel some Rayman vibes coming from it!)
Well it's true that Super Smash Bros. is a very important influence, but that's just for the gameplay. You're quite right about Rayman actually, Rayman Legends for example played an important role for the level design, as well as DKC: Tropical Freeze, Shovel Knight or Kirby's Adventure (NES). Regarding the artistic direction, I mainly took inspiration from artistic movements, such as impressionism, abstract art, or surrealism.
What can you tell us about the story of Decline's Drops? It looks pretty crazy with chickens, and... I don't know what some of the things are... But they're interesting! Could you explain a little bit about the game's world as well?
It's hard for me to shortly explain the story of Decline's Drops, that's why I tried to tell this story via what we call environmental storytelling, but I'll try. First off I think it's important to note the funny absurd stuff, the chickens, the big blue gloves, etc... it's a façade. I always liked how the Kirby series always start with a cheerful story then end with a quite dark and ominous setting. Same goes for Decline's Drops, sort of. It's a story about cycles, about some important aspects of our modern society (in my opinion), and how we choose to face them, what can we actually do when facing these problems. There are many subjects I tried to talk about in this game, and I don't have an answer to all the questions I brought in Decline's Drops.
At one point you experimented with different art styles and outlines for our main character. Are these features you might consider adding in as extras just for fun? Or are they included in the game?
You can already choose between different outlines in the game, yes. There's even a secret unlockable one!
As for the artstyle, I think it's been quite consistent over the years, I just tried different things and had fun experimenting!
It is pretty rare for a 2D action platforming game to have such an in-depth fighting game inspired combat system! Was it a challenge to balance the enemies and gameplay to account for the player's wide range of attacks and mobility? I know the Subspace Emissary in Super Smash Bros Brawl did this, but most enemies could be taken out with charged hits. That doesn't appear to be the case here though!
It was a real challenge, for different reasons, the main one being the lack of actual references, the mix between platformer and platform-fighting being, as you said, quite rare. I tried my best to make it so that enemies force you to change your approach each time you encounter a new type of enemy, but I couldn't be too specific, because it led to players being confused as to how they should actually defeat them, so it's more about movement and how you can dodge their attacks. Some fly and dive towards you, others are huge and don't move when you hit them, some go behind you or throw projectiles... you always need to move and check when you can actually start tour combos.
Leading up to the game's release, your passion for the project and gaming as a whole was very clear, and it was easy to tell how excited you were for others to get their hands on it! So much love went into crafting this title, and now that it is out, what part of the game excites you the most when you see players finally experiencing it for themselves?
The goal always has been this: I want people to just have fun. I want them to be pleasantly surprised by what I created, I want them to see something unexpected and that's why I tried to offer as much diversity as possible in the stages. Each level offers unique gameplay propositions and I hope players will enjoy them. One special part in the fifth world has been really fun to make and I think those who already played the game know what I'm talking about! In other terms, I'm just really happy when I see players having fun!
Currently the game is on Steam, but do you have plans to bring it to other platforms in the future? Such as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox?
I'm currently actively working on a Switch port, which hopefully will be available as soon as possible! There is no plans for other platforms at the moment, but I can consider it if people ask for it.
And one final bonus question just for fun... What would you say is your all time favorite video game???
It's absolutely impossible to reply to this question! It depends so much on my current mood, on what I'm looking for at the moment... truly I can't tell. If I really to choose one and only one, maybe I would say Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but that would be so unfair for all so many other incredible games!
Sorry! Bonus question at the request of Jonsku! Who is your favorite Super Smash Bros character?
As for my favorite character, there are a lot but I like Kind Dedede a lot. Brutal yet funny strength is all I need.
And that's a wrap! I'd like to thank Marc once again for taking the time to speak with me, and thank you to everyone out there who took the time to read the interview.
If you are interested in the game, you can head on over to the Steam Page today to play it for yourself! You can also read Jonsku's review of the game by clicking here.
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