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#137 - Eric Kozlowsky Interview (Tropical Freeze, Retro Studios, Art, Metroid Dread, Graphics, Layoffs etc.)
Episode 137
Eric Kozlowsky is an artist who has worked at multiple game studios and is most well known for his short but important tenure at Retro Studios on Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. He is currently Art Director at Fuzzybot.
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER -@vonkoz
INSTAGRAM - @von_koz
ARTSTATION - https://www.artstation.com/vonkoz
WEBSITE - https://www.landofkoz.com/
#tropicalfreeze #nintendo #retrostudios
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Deadlines/Crunch
03:30 - Early Days At Retro Studios
06:00 - Working On Mangroves For Tropical Freeze
07:40 - Intimidation Factor/Camaraderie At Retro
09:20 - Eric’s Collaboration With Ted Anderson On Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
12:31 - Eric’s Work On Windmill Hills
14:55 - Working On Rodent Ruckus
15:46 - Crunch At The End Of Tropical Freeze/Meltdown Mayhem/Destructive Terrain
17:29 - Working With Tanabe
19:40 - Tropical Freeze Levels Being Worked On Out Of Sync/Creating & Working With A Kit
23:59 - Learning From Your Peers/Nintendo Doesn’t Let You Share RAW Files
27:00 - Why Eric Left Retro Studios
29:10 - Eric Is Gutted He Isn’t Working On Metroid Prime 4/Eric Wasn’t A DK Fan Until Working On Tropical Freeze
30:40 - Eric’s Thoughts On Metroid Dread/Super Metroid
33:40 - Pacing In Games/Artist’s Should Understand Basic Design
34:40 - Layoffs In The Industry/Why Eric Moved From Studio To Studio
38:18 - Fans Starting False Rumours When Eric Started At Retro/Being Adaptable
39:30 - Retro Studios Staff Laughing At Stupid Rumours/Wrong Expectations Affected Tropical Freeze
40:30 - Differences Between Stylised & Realistic Graphics
45:00 - Eric Struggles To Stay Up With With Technology/Tunic/Having A Critical Eye
46:50 - Eric Tries To Be Broader Than Just Games/Looking At The Source
48:54 - Catch The Essence But Not Have Direct Influences/Link’s Awakening Rip Off Indie Game
50:40 - Trying To Stay Up With Artists He Mentors/Some Artists Shouldn’t Be Directors
52:40 - Keep Your Skills Sharp As An Artist/Having Tunnel Vision With Art Sometimes
55:00 - Where To Follow Eric Kozlowsky
55:57 - Eric’s Book Arma
Published on 3 years, 7 months ago