Tag Archives: Carlos Garza

Q&A With Carlos Garza

After bringing attention to a number of indie games seeking crowdfunding on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo this month, I was approached by a developer with a new title that he had uploaded to Kickstarter about an interview in regards to his game. Entitled Humans Took My Neighbours and developed by Mexican indie programmer Carlos Garza, the game is a top-down action-adventure game made in the same vein as classics such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and heavily influenced by Zombies Ate My Neighbours. It features hand-crafted 8-BIT visuals and takes place in a world inspired by classic horror characters like Dracula and Frankenstein. The objective is to defeat enemies and save the neighborhood from an invasion by monsters. The player’s action also affects the direction in which the game’s story goes, depending on how they choose to deal with enemies throughout the game. Wanting to find out more about the game, I sent Carlos a series of questions to answer about the game, and the answers made for some particularly interesting reading. Here’s what Carlos Garza had to say about Humans Took My Neighbors.

What were the influences behind your game? 

I’ve always been a fan of the game Zombies Ate My Neighbors and that is the biggest influence,  but I also take some influence from classic ARPGS like Zelda and some modern games like Gungeon.

What has the developmental process been like?

It’s been interesting I had the game idea for a while before going into it as I’ve wanted to do a variation of ZAMN, and it has changed a little bit first I focused on getting a visual style for the game set, the gameplay has the been the thing that came after, I thought the gameplay would settle down on something similar more traditional, but I started evolving the gameplay, especially in the last months adding counters to melee attacks, making civilians panic, and adding more RPG touches like dialogs and books you can read and collectibles.

How close are we to seeing the finished product? 

The mechanics are set, so after the Kickstarter, I’ll be focusing only on creating the levels, I believe the mechanics are the most important content-wise and ⅓ of the way, but gameplay-wise I’m ¾  of the way with some minor innovations like puzzles and some transformations on characters.

What has been the most exciting aspect of developing Humans Took My Neighbours? 

Definitely getting the game out there and sharing  I love creating the product, but seeing someone play it or give some positive feedback is definitely a highlight

What has been the most challenging aspect of developing Humans Took My Neighbours?   

The Marketing aspect is the toughest I as I believe there are a lot of great games out there with a very arresting visual style, another thing I believe has been difficult might be trying to balance difficulty with fun

How well has the game been received so far? 

The people who have played it have definitely had fun with it, I’ve received some bad feedback too, telling me to make it more like an RPG but I believe that would defeat the purpose of the creation.

What platforms are you looking to bring the game to?

It’s currently slated for Steam on PC/Mac and Linux with a port to Switch later on.

How important has Carf Darko’s input been throughout development?

It’s been important. I believe the music has a great impact as sometimes I change the level design somewhat to get along better with the music. 

Are there any additional gameplay mechanics that players can expect from the final game? 

More puzzles are going to be added, and in the next half of the game based on how many neighbors are saved the gameplay might change a little bit getting rid of weapon use and turning into monster attacks with a cooldown, also each character will have special attacks with their weapon of choice.

Have there been any ideas at this stage of development that has since been scrapped or reworked?

The civilian mechanics evolved, apart from that not much else.

If you had the opportunity to develop a game with any company or any franchise, which would it be, and why?

I’d love to develop a sequel to Earthbound as It is my favorite game of all time and would love to explore further the world, especially with a direct sequel to the second game.

You mention on your Kickstarter page the lessons you’ve taken from previous games you developed, but has there any advice offered to you by fellow indie game creators?

For sure, fellow developers have encouraged me to continue working and have given me valuable advice, Skull Commander and the developers of Clan O’Connell along with many others gave tips for the Kickstarter and for promotion.

Do you have any advice for aspiring developers who may be reading this? 

Believe in your game and don’t let minor setbacks get you down, don’t forget to reach out to fellow indies as we are very supportive!

Where on the Internet can people find you? 

On Twitter @CarlosGHeron personal account and on @HumansTook for the game.

Do you have anything else to add?

Thank you very much for the opportunity and to all developers reading this; keep at it!

Lastly, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Carlos for reaching out to me and requesting this Q&A. It was a pleasure to learn more about Humans Took My Neighbours, and I’m very much looking forward to its release. If you like the look of it, you can back it on Kickstarter via the link below:

Kickstarter Campaign

But for now, I’d like to wish Carlos the best of luck with the game and getting it back. It has a lot of potential to be a groundbreaking title within the indie game circle and it will be a joy to see what the final experience has to offer.

Game on,

Scouse Gamer 88