How a universe is made

While Manacell Studio is literally a mom-and-pop operation, developers Liwen Sung and husband Hsiangwei Kao are more than just a power couple. They are spouses-in-arms. Since beginning their work on Space Cycler, Sung and Kao have fought side-by-side on their dream project, overcoming the trials of both independent game development and married life, all while surmounting an even greater challenge – their newborn’s sleep patterns.

“We were overly optimistic about the impact having a child would have,” Sung recalled. Their Space Cycler story starts at the end of 2014 – Sung was handling content and coding, while Kao worked on the game design. Three years of hard work and Space Cycler was ready for the world. But along the way, another new arrival nearly brought everything to a halt: their son Weiwei.

“We originally thought, we’ll just work while the baby’s sleeping, right? Of course, that’s not how it was at all,” Sung said with a wry smile. The first few months after Weiwei was born, the couple had no choice but to take turns working on the game. One slept while the other cared for the baby. Any other free time they could scrape together was spent on Space Cycler. While this situation would be tough for any young couple, the unique challenges of being an independent developer made it even harder. Most people would have put aside their dreams, but for Sung and Kao, that wasn’t an option.

A tube shooter that unfolds across a fantastical universe, the game’s standout feature is its co-op mode, which allows for two-player games on one shared device. The idea came when Sung and Kao first met. While working for the same game company, they bonded over a shared love for Monster Hunter Freedom on the PSP, particularly its ad-hoc mode that let players in close proximity quest together on separate devices. Sung and Kao wanted to bring that same joy of playing face-to-face to their own game.

Invited to the 2015 Tokyo Game Show, the couple recalled how some young Japanese players had spent hours at their booth, only to leave and come back with their mothers in tow. Exhilarated, the youngsters would then debate about what strategies worked best. That pure joy is what makes gaming transcend barriers, whether they are language or age.

As for Manacell Studio’s next step, Kao and Sung are focusing on how Space Cycler develops and any new possibilities that arise. Perhaps one day they’ll bring the game to Apple TV for a whole new player experience. But one thing’s for sure: this power couple will continue to have fun together creating an exciting universe for themselves – and anyone who wants to join in.

Space Cycler

Co-op tunnel shooter

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