A Cross Interview with Alx and Romu, the Two Passionate Guys Behind AR Vectrex
Who are the people behind AR Vectrex?
Alx: I’m the developer. I take care of all the game programming, development tools, and testing. And I also spend way too much time trying to save a few bytes of memory!
Romu: I’m the creative guy on the team. I’m usually the one who comes up with new game ideas. Once Alx and I agree on a concept, I design everything: the boxes, overlays, PCBs, goodies, pins… In short, everything that gives our productions their unique identity.
When and how did you start developing for the Vectrex?
Romu
I’ve been passionate about the Vectrex since I was a kid. In 2020, I suggested that Alx take a look at whether it would be possible to develop something for this legendary console. At first, it was mostly a challenge… but we quickly got completely hooked!
Alx
I discovered VIDE, the development environment created by Malban. I started experimenting, learning how the console worked… and that’s how the adventure began.
Romu
For our first game, **USA ZOMBIE Apocalypse**, we worked with Fabien on the PCBs and with Staxx on the music. We also had to find companies capable of manufacturing the overlays, goodies, and game boxes. Watching all those pieces come together into a finished product was an incredibly exciting experience.
Alx
When we launched, we had no idea how the Vectrex community would react. We arrived with no reputation at all, almost like complete outsiders. The beginning was a bit unusual… Some people even wondered whether any of it was real!
Romu
Then the first orders started coming in, players received their games, and everyone was quickly reassured. In the end, we sold our entire stock in just three years.
Why did you wait six years before releasing a new game?
Alx
During those years, we worked on other projects in completely different fields, but we always wanted to come back to the Vectrex. When the Vectrex Mini Kickstarter project appeared, we felt it was the perfect time to get back in the game!
Romu
The truth is, we already had two games that were about 90% complete. We just needed to finish them. This time, we collaborated with 6502man on the PCBs and Willbe on the music.
What’s the process of creating a game?
Alx
Romu always has lots of game ideas in mind. We discuss them, exchange ideas, and eventually choose the one we’re the most excited about at that moment. Then we define the gameplay and development can begin.
Romu creates all the game’s artwork as vector graphics, while I bring everything to life on screen, always keeping the Vectrex’s hardware limitations in mind.
Romu
Alx regularly sends me new builds so I can test them on my own Vectrex. We exchange ideas constantly throughout development until we reach a version that we’re both happy with.
At the same time, we also have to handle the physical side of the project: pins, goodies, boxes, overlays… It all takes an incredible amount of time and energy, but it’s also one of the parts I enjoy the most.
Alx
And then there’s the website, social media, and all the communication around our games. That’s not really our area of expertise, but we’re learning as we go. In the end, creating the game is only one part of the adventure!
Can you tell us about your future projects?
Romu
We’d rather keep them a secret for now… but one thing we can say is that the adventure is only just beginning!
Alx
Couldn’t have said it better myself! 😉