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.

About the Game

Combining physics-based play and classic arcade mechanics with a hand-drawn art style and vocalized sound effects, Loose Nozzles marks the end of a veteran game developer’s quest to turn his young son’s artwork into a game of chaos and comedy for all ages.

The game’s programmer, composer, and co-designer is Chris Foster, designer and programmer formerly of Harmonix and Turbine, and currently Game Director at Hidden Door, a new studio at the intersection of machine learning and immersive entertainment. “As a design lead on games like The Beatles: Rock Band or The Lord of the Rings Online, I worked with incredible teams while staying focused, understandably, on design.” After decades of game development, Chris decided to push back on some self-imposed limits. “Learning new things can be scary, and I decided to make a change and start running towards my fears. That meant building on a game on my own and learning how to do everything.”

… Or rather, not quite everything. Inspired by his father’s first 2D prototype, Chris’ son Ian drew a drawing of a rocket losing its nozzles after taking fire from a “cannon-shooter.” Better still he was able, at the age of five, to describe the game mechanics that would cause the rocket to break into pieces. Chris suddenly had a co-designer and (unpaid) artist.

Chris and Ian built a retro-inspired design that combines the physics-and-finesse-based play of Lunar Lander with the rescue objectives of Choplifter. Navigating intricate mazes with only two thrusters creates a challenge that increases as levels get tighter and players encounter new dangers such as toppling boulders, rotating gears, and flame-spewing robots. The difficulty is paired with an art style of child’s drawings and ripped construction paper, and sound effects vocalized by both Fosters. “When a player slams into a wall there’s a “POW!,” “BOOM!” or “CLANG!” that’s audible AND visible, and they laugh. If a game can make you happy when you fail, then you’re more likely to jump back in and get better at it.”

The game’s release comes after eight years of part-time, nights-and-weekends development, balanced with working full time at professional studios, 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.” When asked to comment on the game, Ian, now 13, responded as expected for a teenager: “It’s a game. And it’s fun.”

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