LAZR Interview: Developer Garrick Campsey on His Cyberpunk ‘Clothformer’
Like many artists, game developers are innovators. Beyond building fun gameplay experiences or immersive worlds, developers aim to add something new to the conversation, something that sets their work apart from the greater gaming pantheon. Garrick Campsey, the solo developer behind upcoming side-scrolling platformer LAZR, has found a unique niche for his title: Cloth physics.
What started as a technical challenge between friends on a Discord server — to build a game that uses cloth as a key element — has grown into an ambitious indie title that aims to give players both a unique platforming experience, as well as all the trappings of an open-world game. Game Rant sat down with Campsey to talk about his experience developing LAZR and how he keeps all of those goals in balance. The transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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Q: Tell me a little bit about LAZR. What are the main things people need to know about the game?
A: I'll start with the mechanics. LAZR is a platformer that has cloth simulations in it. You can climb around on cloth, and on walls, and slide and shoot lasers. Throughout the game you fight different kinds of bosses and enemies. It has interesting mechanics — you don't usually see a platformer with cloth simulations.
Over time, LAZR grew from that mechanic into a world with its own culture. It takes place in a world that's a dystopian future, where three corporations run a giant city, kind of like Judge Dredd. You have to take down those corporations, and each one is an act in the overall game.
There are all kinds of bad guys and locations to visit. There are also lots of things to do, like adopting pets, or buying houses, or
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