DD: We targeted the two-screen element because we wanted to have the second screen that shows off the spectator mode, so people in the room get an extra insight as to what’s going on in the game. It’s a slightly more quirky presentation of the game, as opposed to being purely played on the GamePad. Also, we wanted to use the buttons and stick that feel really satisfying. So it’s played on the GamePad screen primarily, because I like that sort of intimacy that the player gets from that, and also because it lends itself well to that arcadey feel we’re shooting for.

NoE: Having a personal screen and a main screen – what sorts of ideas did that give you?

DD: I would say the idea that someone else watching it will get a different viewpoint and will see things before the player sees them, and will be encouraged to talk to the player. It’s a social single-player game, really: that’s sort of the main idea of the game with the two-screen thing. Other than that, the game itself is fairly well contained within the GamePad: it’s all about the nice feel of tactile controls and the shooting, really.

NoE: So it's something you can play off-TV if you want to.

DD: Absolutely, yeah. It’s one of the challenges we had, but it’s designed so you can play it fully off-TV, and then the TV spectator mode is secondary to the gameplay. And it’s hard to look at two screens when you’re playing an intense action game like Scram Kitty so, we acknowledge that and make the second screen for spectators.

NoE: Is there anything else you’re doing with Wii U that you’d like to tell our readers about?

DD: Just the combination of the two screens, with the audio flipping between the two, so you’ve got a cat that will meow at you from the television for instance. And of course the fact that the system lets us throw around hundreds of enemies at once, so we can really use the Wii U console’s power to make an old-style arcade game that’s just absolutely rammed with action and missiles flying round the screen, which is basically what we wanted to make.

NoE: Sum it up for everyone reading – why should they be excited for Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails?

DD: I think because it takes some of the best features of platform games and shooting games, and merges them together in a way we don’t think has been done before. It really harks back to those glory days of the Super Nintendo and brings them up-to-date with a modern console.

NoE: Thanks very much for your time!