“There aren’t a lot of stories like that of the development of Loose Nozzles, and of those games that do have an interesting development story, even fewer are actually decent games to play. Loose Nozzles nails both, though. The way it was created is interesting and heartwarming, but when it comes to gameplay it’s also nuanced and thoughtfully designed. This is a full package deal and one of the more challenging and engrossing games I’ve played in a while.”
A labor of love from designer and programmer Chris Foster (The Beatles Rock Band, Green Day: Rock Band, The Lord of the Rings Online) and his son Ian starting at age 5, Loose Nozzles combines physics-based play and classic arcade mechanics with a hand-drawn art style and vocalized sound effects.
The game formed over eight years of part-time, nights-and-weekends development, balanced with working full time at professional studios – Chris is currently game developer at Hidden Door, a new startup working at the intersection of machine learning and immersive storytelling – teaching game development at Northeastern University, and being a father. “I never wanted this to feel like work for Ian, and I already HAD work to feel like work, so we kept things light, and took our time.” Ian continued to contribute, adding his final pieces of more detailed, but still fun artwork at the age of 13.
When asked to comment on the game at the end of this long road, Ian was as direct as to be expected from a teenager: “It’s a game. And it’s fun.”
Loose Nozzles is out now on the iOS and Google Play app stores, as a free download with a one-time purchase to unlock additional features.
Loose Nozzles 