One important goal of Beardo Games is to create weird games and there is no better example than the launch of their new game Smooth Operator. Smooth Operator is a couch co-op mobile kissing game where two players both select a character and attempt to follow the on-screen prompts to keep the kissing mojo strong and gain a high score. If you want to score well you will need to work with your partner to execute an array of tongue moves that would make Sharon Stone blush. If this all sounds strange, don’t feel bad, the game is but it’s also fun and well worth a look.

I first met Beardo Games at a Portland Indie Game Squad event where they had a booth. Smooth Operator is a hilarious game to watch people play and even more so if the people have no idea what to expect. I’ve really enjoyed interviewing local Portland Indie Game Developers and I wanted to do this interview a bit differently. I asked my friends at Beardo if they were interested in doing a video interview and the results are embedded above. I also was able to sneak in a few more questions you can checkout below.

If you are looking for a uniquely strange two player kissing game, you need to check out Smooth Operator available on iOS today!

https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/smooth-operator!/id988455996?mt=8

jdodson: Indie Games have changed so much in the last couple years. With most change there is good and some bad. Has any of this change helped or made certain parts of making games harder for you?

CHRIS: The overall accessibility of game making tools has made it easier to prototype ideas super fast-- a good thing! At the same time, they're so accessible that I've seen two ideas I had get made into games before I got around to making them myself.

jdodson: What games have you been playing lately you recommend people take a look at?

MILES: With a brand new baby I don't have a ton of time to play games as of lately. I have been actively "playing" Neko Atsume. And as well Simpsons Tapped Out, strictly for research of another game idea.

CHRIS: I've been playing Xenoblade Chronicles X and it's great but requires a lot of time. On my phone I've been playing a lot of Space Forest Dilemma by PapaQuark Games. My last recommendation is for handheld: Project X Zone for the 3DS is a lot of good, stupid fun.

KATE: I played Read Only Memories a few months ago- really enjoyed it. I also only recently got around to finishing the last Resident Evil Revelations. Twofold has also been fun on my phone.

jdodson: VR seems to be a new technology that is getting a lot of attention. Is this something you are taking a look to for any of your next projects?

MILES: I’ve been super amped about VR in general. But, with that said we haven't really put a whole lot of thought into a VR Beardo experience as of yet. I assume it would possibly be a close up experience of glistening Beards in some way.

CHRIS: We are, and we've had a lot of ideas floating around for possible VR projects. I'm excited to try and subvert people's usual expectations for VR games by finding some less than obvious applications.

jdodson: What games have you played that have influenced how you approach making them now?

MILES: I personally appreciate and enjoy unusual games, specifically my top influential game is probably Katamari.

CHRIS: Jet Set Radio and Katamari Damacy are at the top of Beardo's collective influences list along with Street Fighter II, but for me personally, I've been influences heavily by Atari 8-bit titles like Necromancer, Shamus, and Alley Cat by Synapse Software, and by all kinds of awful or not traditionally fun games like T&C Surf Designs for the NES and JJ & Jeff for the Turbografx 16.

jdodson: Thanks for taking the time to do the interview, I really appreciate it. Anything you want to say as we wrap things up?

CHRIS: Thanks Jon, we had a blast!

http://www.beardogames.com/