Up Left Out - Interview with Rainbow Train on Edamame Reviews

Do you remember our review of Up Left Out – the first minimalistic puzzle game we’ve reviewed in probably 6 months? Well, today we would like to share our interview with the fun developer of this equally fun game for iOS and Android!

If you have yet to check out our review of Up Left Out, you can do so here!

Before we start we’d like to thank Rainbow Train for participating in our interview and for answering all of our geeky questions! Thanks!

…and without further ado, our interview begins…

The Interview

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about Up Left Out! Could you kick-start this interview by telling us a little about your studio, yourself, and what drew you into the gaming industry?

Hi! Sure, its a pleasure! I’m a solo developer from Poland. Lately focused on creating minimalist puzzle games. I always wanted to make games, but always thought it was an impossible pursuit, a field where you need a huge team, assembler, and advanced math knowledge. When I realized that you can use game engines and that it is more design than coding I was hooked.😉It took me around 3 years of making games all the time for me to start making a living out of them.

Ok, let’s start talking about Up Left Out… What are the highlights of your latest release?

In all of my games, I take an idea ( in Up Left Out it is an unlocking mechanic ) and build on it, to see where I can take it. It is always focused on pure gameplay, so there are no menus, no move counters, no star systems, etc. I like to keep it simple and “ULO” is the same.

What was the core idea or inspiration behind Up Left Out? And perhaps more importantly, where do you find inspiration for your games in general?

I prototype a lot, and when I have something that is nice to play and wasn’t made in that form before I make a game out of it. Inspiration is taken from a lot of things. Lately, I take a notepad and go travel.

How long was Up Left Out in development for? And are there any interesting and/or exciting moments or experiences you would like to share with us from that time?

It took me around 7 months. I tend to get too obsessed with my projects, so this time I moved to Greece where I could code and surf, It helped me not to get too attached to my work. 😃

What software, developer-tools, or black-magic(?) did you use when making Up Left Out? Is there anything you would like to share with the developers who read Edamame Reviews?

I used Gimp, TinkerCad, and Unity. TinkerCad is a very simple online tool for 3D “modeling”. But it was all I needed. So my advice would be not to focus on tools too much, just pick the one that does the job and is the easiest to use.

Is there any secret “developer-advice” you can give our lucky players who read this interview?

If you play on Steam you can’t quit the game. I forgot to add a quit button ( work in progress ), so beware. 😝

What can we expect to see in Up Left Out or from Rainbow Train in the not so distant future? What do we have to look forward to next?

For now, I will continue to make these short, minimalist puzzles. There is a sea of unexplored puzzle ideas, and I love looking for them. So a new one should be out in a few months.

Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to our awesome team of Writers, Developers, and Patrons who keep Edamame Reviews up and running?

Edamame Reviews promotes developers and helps players to find good games. It’s very important in these times, where there are hundreds of games published every day. Only passionate people can pursue this goal and support it. So I would like to thank you all for pushing an industry in a good direction and sharing your love for games with the world. We need more of it.