Dear readers,
We are delighted to feature Tommaso Bonanni, one of the founders of Caracal Games, on our pages. Star Overdrive, which will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive at launch, has just been released (you can purchase it (here for USA, or here for UK). We invite you to read our in-depth interview to learn more about the development team, the game, their relationship with Nintendo, and the challenges they faced.
CARACAL GAMES
Let's start by talking about “you.” From your website, we read that you were founded in 2015 as a small indie studio with just 3 people, before expanding. You also have other titles under your belt. Could you tell us where your name comes from and a bit about your journey so far?
Caracal was born in 2015 because, quite simply, I had an overwhelming desire to develop video games. I had just graduated with a master's degree in Archaeology with honors, but I quickly realized that, at most, my degree would only be useful in the gaming field.
Downward, a first-person parkour title, was the first game we developed, and it was quite successful in terms of numbers. Then came OkunoKA in 2018, a 2D platformer. Back then, we were eager to create—but above all, to learn. We also took on commissioned work to fund the company in the meantime.
Later, in 2023, we released 2021: Moon Escape, a Game Boy game (whose cartridge is purchasable and works on a real Game Boy), also available on Switch, made purely out of creative passion.
Finally, Star Overdrive, our most ambitious project to date.
The name comes from the caracal, an animal, a feline. The caracal is a very independent animal, just like us, so it represents us perfectly.
How many of you are there today? Do you all work in Rome, or are some of you spread across Italy and/or the world?
We're a relatively small team—12 people—but of extremely high quality and experience. Our business developer is in Canada (the only non-Italian member), while the others are scattered across Italy, with about 60% in or around Rome. The atmosphere is excellent, allowing us to perform at our best without crunch. The people at Caracal have been here for a long time because the environment has always been positive.
STAR OVERDRIVE
In Star Overdrive, the player controls Bios, a character stranded on an unknown planet, with the goal of finding his beloved. Throughout the game, Bios must solve puzzles, battle enemies, and explore a vast open world.
The gameplay revolves around the use of a hypersonic Hoverboard, which allows the protagonist to perform high-speed tricks and races across various alien biomes. Players must also utilize the Keytar, a musical device that enables Bios to fight, manipulate the game world's physics, and solve puzzles.
As the adventure unfolds, players can collect resources and craft upgrades for the Hoverboard, enhancing its abilities to tackle tougher challenges. The game features mysterious environments and abandoned locations, where music plays a key role in survival and uncovering the planet's secrets.
Let's start from the beginning. How did the idea for the game come about, and how did it evolve? How long did development take in total, including pre-production and full production?
It all started with a gameplay prototype inspired partly by Eureka Seven (a sci-fi anime featuring characters who ride flying surfboards) and some mechanics from Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Generally speaking, I'm a huge sci-fi fan.
During development, we quickly realized that to make the game engaging based on these premises, we needed the player to move quickly across a large world. Many elements in the game rely on physics, and to ensure everything felt fluid, we opted for the art style we ultimately chose—ideal and technically functional for Nintendo Switch, our target platform from the very beginning.
In total, we had 2 years of pre-production, during which we also worked on ports for Gearbox and other studios while creating prototypes for other games. Eventually, the Star Overdrive prototype—the most ambitious of them all—secured funding. We're thrilled about this because it's our first truly large-scale project developed from scratch.
Full production took 3 years.
How did you settle on the game's title? And roughly how long is the game?
The game lasts about 15 hours if you rush through it, but for those who want to explore everything, it can take around 30 hours.
Star Overdrive is the name of a track composed by our sound designer for the game. We realized it worked perfectly as the game's title, so we decided to repurpose it.
Not only that—Star Overdrive is also the name of a musical band that the protagonists are fans of… but I won't spoil more than that. 🙂
Are there any other games you'd cite as influences? We definitely noticed the “Zelda-like” influences, but we thought maybe you drew some inspiration from Sonic Riders too.
Beyond Zelda, there are elements of Ratchet & Clank—a game I really like—that shaped our approach. Simple things like bolts, crates, and various physics-based objects… but there are also narrative influences. Also, it's not gaming-related, but I'm a Star Trek fan, at least the early stuff.
We've played the demo ourselves, and while we try to remain neutral in our judgments as a policy, we can't deny that the game's overall concept struck us as highly original. We're not aware of any similar titles on the market.
Is it just our impression, or is the story not just “in the background” but also intrinsically tied to gameplay through a narrative thread?
Yes, the hoverboard is central to everything—it's the protagonist's main means of travel but also the core of their bond. As you explore the world, you also find the girl's cassette tapes, which reveal more about the world and her story. All the game's elements are undeniably connected.
Working on a 3D open-world game for Switch is always ambitious. Monolith Soft has certainly shown it's possible with the Xenoblade series, but they're a team with very close ties to Nintendo. What would you say was the most challenging technical hurdle?
Well, the thing is, there are very few Unreal Engine 5 games on Switch—to this day, I'm not even sure if there are any other open-world ones. Unreal is a great engine, but precisely because there aren't many examples, we had to push it hard and were in contact with Epic Games multiple times.
Generally, the challenge was developing an open-world game on Switch with a high-speed physics-based movement system (the hoverboard) while targeting 30 fps. On top of that, we layered another physics system for the powers, inspired by Zelda… It was a lot of work, no denying that. But from the start, we were aware of the limitations we were working with.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with those curious about the game?
We've already talked a lot about gameplay, so I'll just add that the relationship between the two protagonists unfolds in a story we believe—and hope—will truly move players.
DISTRIBUTION
The game was revealed during a Nintendo Direct in August 2024. Were you in contact with Nintendo as well? How did the path to a timed exclusive on Nintendo Switch unfold?
We reached out to them through various events, and later, the publisher stepped in. Eventually, we had the great opportunity to present the game to Nintendo in Tokyo, and it was very well-received. That set the stage for everything the question refers to.
Is Star OverDrive also available in a physical edition?
Yes, you can buy it from Amazon USA or UK, for example.
NINTENDO SWITCH 2
What were your first impressions of Switch 2?
I can say without hesitation that we're very interested in the platform—we're excited and hope to work on it in the future. I'm really curious to see the launch lineup and all the functionalities the console will offer. Personally, I'd love it if Switch 2 could run Switch games even better (e.g., with higher framerates).
Note: the interview was conducted shortly before the Nintendo Direct dedicated to Switch 2 that went live in April.
Thank you so much for your time!
To our readers, thanks for reading and we remind you that you can purchase Star OverDrive on the Nintendo eShop, here for USA, or here for UK
