Recently, an increasing number of indie games have taken inspiration from The Legend of Zelda series. We admire these indie titles that choose to celebrate our favorite franchise. This is no exception for the upcoming indie game, Toasty. Set in the Land of Geldia, Toasty stars Marshall, an unlikely hero who, as you probably guessed, is a marshmallow.
We had a chat with Pocket Llama, the team behind Toasty, to get their thoughts about the game and why we ought to check it out. The team is currently running a Kickstarter campaign (currently over halfway funded!) for Toasty, so please give it a look.
We got to speak to the following people behind Toasty:
Brian “ArtBlaster” – Artwork, in-game assets, and promo artwork for Toasty. Previous works include various mobile games and the 3D fighter-style game, Teenage Fighting Food Dudes.
Justin “Dooper” – Creator of Toasty, partial coding, and marketing. Previous works include YouTube content creation with Bryan “ArtBlaster.”
Evan“Gaia” — Producer for Toasty. Previous works include The Legends Cookbook, Mother’s Cookbook, and being the director for Mother to Earth.
Matt Mannheimer — PR Manager. Previous works include The Legends Cookbook, SEGA, Adult Swim, GameChops, and, formerly, Tails’ Channel.
Alex Trevino (AT): In your own words, tell us about Toasty.
Justin: A mistake. (laughs)
In all seriousness, Toasty is a Zelda-like RPG title hoping to come to PC and other consoles in the future. It’s about a Marshmallow knight, Marshall, who finds out the truth of his origins and fights a powerful evil. We made the game kind of goofy but with a serious storyline.
It plays like classic Zelda games, much like The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and Link’s Awakening. You can also expect a large amount of genre-crossing (action RPG to turn-based then to racing, for example). There’s also a ton of wacky NPCs!
Matt: It’s got great pixel art, and I personally love the title screen.
AT: What came to the creation of this game (Toasty)?
Justin: There aren’t enough Zelda-like games in the Nintendo eShop. We wanted something new, so I wanted to create my own game; something nostalgic but new. I brought in a bunch of people to help, including Brian, but he said “I’m busy,” until later he said … “I’m available!” (laughs)
Toasty
AT: So … why a marshmallow?
Justin: I can’t draw to save my life. (everyone laughs)
Once, at work, I was messing around in MS Paint. I couldn’t make a head or a knight’s helmet, so I made a marshmallow as a head and it just stuck. This was about five years ago before we started developing Toasty.
AT:What is something unique about this game (Toasty) that makes it stick out?
Evan: Nods of nostalgia. There are parts of the game that break up the pace. When the game sets the rules, it soon breaks them! There are important moments in the game where it changes. For instance, Marshall is in a courthouse; and the Judge declares that if you’re gonna fight, you have to play by the rules. Then suddenly, the combat changes from an old hack ‘n’ slash to a turn-based RPG. Then soon after, you’re in a racing game. You’re suddenly playing one genre, then it changes unexpectedly. It makes you improvise. I feel this is what makes Toasty special; it’s cool.
Marshall and friends fighting it out in the courthouse!
Matt: There’s a character who is a hot dog, and I don’t know any other game character who is also a hot dog. You should go to the Kickstarter now if you like hotdogs. (laughs)
The infamous hot dog guy … who steals your wallet!
Brian: It takes the epic hero cliché and gives it a twist. People will think it looks like Zelda, but were being really goofy/serious with it at times. Without spoiling anything, there’s some fun fourth wall breaking, too. I find it will be entertaining and fun.
Justin: It’s funny; the world is wacky, especially with so many silly characters. As you play, you get to learn more about them. There’s also a lesson to learn from the game, which will help you grow closer to the characters and the world they inhabit. You’re also going to grow closer to the hot dog character once you learn more about him.
AT:What is something about Toasty you’re looking forward to people finding out about?
Justin: The story is nuts. We’re excited for people to see different parts of the world. So much variety. Hoping to add more places with the reach of stretch goals (on Kickstarter). There’s a lot of variety with the characters/NPCs.
Brian: The plot twists.
Matt: What Marshall is.
Evan: (from afar) He’s a marshmallow.
Meet a colorful cast of characters in the land of Geldia!
AT:Tell us about the music in the game. Any cool noteworthy things players should know?
Justin: The theme for Toasty is composed by Hunter Bridges, who is one of the guest composers. He’s previously worked on Sonic Mania.
Matt: Lead Composer is Jameson Sutton, who worked on Job Simulator and Sonic Mania Adventures. Really talented and cool dude.
Brian: The type of music you can expect in Toasty include fantasy, chiptune and a teeny bit of orchestra.
Evan: Very inspired by Zelda music. It’s painfully obvious.
Fight bosses in the game that really put you to the test!
AT:What about Toasty does it take influence from The Legend of Zelda series?
Justin: It’s the visual style, top-down exploration and dungeon style, that Zelda fans may recognize. There’s also bosses, secrets, treasures, puzzles, and Easter eggs. You will also have equipment to help complete puzzles/obstacles.
Evan: We plan on having mid-bosses/bosses in dungeons like Link’s Awakening. When you defeat a middle boss, the dungeon changes midway, when you may receive a piece of equipment (solve puzzles/retrace steps, etc.)
Brian: Also drew inspiration from Chrono Trigger, including the race scene you will come across in Toasty.
Solve puzzles, much akin to Zelda to make your way through the game!
AT:What could you say to convince people to pledge for Toasty on Kickstarter?
Evan: The world of Toasty a diverse world! If you pledge a certain amount, you can literally make a sentient trashcan and put it in our game. You can even talk to it. That’s awesome! You can also get stickers and t-shirts and pins for pledging. And a poster. Other pledge amounts including create a character, dungeon, etc. You also get your name included in the credits of Toasty.
Brian: You can also create a monster/mini-boss/boss (by pledging), which you can defeat in the game.
Justin: If people enjoy the Zelda-style gameplay and want a new game series that’s fresh/different, we’d recommend giving Toasty a shot. Not many new “adventure” game series, hoping that they’ll (the fans) fall in love with the new characters.
Evan: There are also weekly challenges mentioned in our Kickstarter, so be sure to check those out!
Once moment you’re playing a turn-based RPG, the next you’re racing against others.
AT:Thank you guys again for sharing a little bit about Toasty with us! We look forward to seeing more from the game and hope you reach your goal soon.
Justin: Thanks for having us. We hope you check out Toasty. Have a great day.
If you would like to learn more about Toasty, be sure to check out their Kickstarter and trailer. Consider pledging for the project if you want to show your support! Be sure to also visit their official Steam page as well. If you want to hear their music, you can find the official soundtrack on Bandcamp and SoundCloud.
You can also find the team on social media to get updates on the game.
Alex has been a leading member of Zelda Universe since 2013, whether that involves producing video content, managing social media and writing up the latest news on the Zelda franchise. He's also one of the video hosts that includes interviewing speedrunners, voice actors and content creators that center around The Legend of Zelda.
by Alex Lee on June 15, 2020
