Atomic Rush Turns 2 Years Old!

Introduction

Hey, pal! Atlas here, dropping in to celebrate Atomic Rush Studios’ 2nd birthday! For more updates about our game design group, be sure to check out the Atomic Rush General Updates section.

Ladies and gentlemen, gamers and storytellers… gather ’round for this legendary tale. Our story begins in the year two thousand twenty; as humanity entered a new decade, the world was having one of the hardest years on record. A pandemic swept the globe and forced everyone to stay locked in their homes. Aside from essential workers, most people, including students, found themselves behind a monitor on a virtual call. This happened for us at Atomic Rush, too. As the discussion of college became more real and exciting, my parents signed me up for a Game Design class at Marist College’s Summer Pre-College program.

Around a week into the course, the professor randomized us into groups to work on various projects. That’s where I met Ace. We clicked instantly and began calling every day to discuss ideas and work through errors in our code. On July 17th, we officially branded the name of our group, “Atomic Rush Studios,” and so, a legend was born.

Parallax’s Origin

At the end of the second week, we were given the opportunity to work together on the final project: make a (somewhat) fully-functioning video game. Of course, we decided to do so, and that is where Parallax began. I’d originally pitched the idea of a character that has amnesia and has to escape in an asylum. We went through a variety of different storylines and plot twists to follow it, but Ace’s uncanny creativity launched this story to where it is now.

Nova’s original design

One of the few things that didn’t change was the name of the game. As seen in Nova’s Character Design page, the main character always had that design of a “false” or “blind” eye. Although her powers, which influenced the title, have changed since we first created her, the name Parallax had a nice ring to it, so we kept it.

In the last week, we were working on this game from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM at night (usually only taking a break for lunch and dinner). Although we didn’t fully finish it, we had a solid base for the story, and decided to create our own Discord server for the group, branding ourselves with cool nicknames like Ace and Atlas (y’know, just so we could feel like superheroes).

Should We Continue…?

As Ace headed into his senior year of high school and I headed into my junior year, we had to take a break from making the game to ensure that our grades kept up. However, in February of 2021, we officially resumed Project Parallax, this time expanding the story and planning on having 3D graphics rather than just a standard 2D platformer. Since then, Ace is on the third draft of the storyline, recently reaching 75 pages. On the other hand, I’ve taught myself the basics of 3D modeling, while also working on building this website.

Partner In Crime

Me and Ace (definitely not the Blues Brothers)

But it hasn’t been a smooth road getting to where we are now. For example, back in September of last year, we suffered a major data loss that set us back quite a bit. But if you ask Ace his perspective, he’ll likely say he wouldn’t change a thing. He continued to remind me that these challenges were an incentive for us to rebuild pieces of the storyline from scratch.

This is exactly why I love working with him so much. Not only am I honored to call him a friend, but his positive attitude has motivated me to become a more productive creator in the process. Although we often butt heads on ideas for our game, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him.

Here’s his reaction to our two year anniversary.

Words cannot describe how incredible it is to think that we are hitting our second year anniversary. We started as a small group with an idea and it has now blossomed into a full blown project. For years, I have always wanted to tell creative stories and Atomic Rush has given me an outlet to be able to create. Thank you all so much for the endless support and I can’t wait to continue working on Parallax and whatever future projects the studio will come up with.

― Ace (July 17th, 2022)

The Mighty Orcinus!

Although we didn’t know her back when Atomic Rush was first founded, Orcinus’ entry shifted this game design group as a whole. As an exceptional writer who is an expert at giving feedback, she has had a major influence on Parallax in her first year of being here. Here’s a little something she wrote on behalf of our two year anniversary.

I have always loved video games, but never did I think that I would be a member of a game design team. I am so grateful to Ace and Atlas for letting me be a part of Atomic Rush Studios, and I look forward to the future as we work together to build this incredible story and eventually share it with the world.

― Orcinus (July 17th, 2022)

Reflection

And now, time for the reflection. When the pandemic first hit, I, like many other people, felt very lost. That is, until Atomic Rush was formed. But having spent two years here, if there was anything I could say to my past self, it would be this: Even if you don’t realize it now, there is a place in this world waiting for you. But you’re never going to reach it if you spend your life waiting on calm seas and fair winds. Sometimes you just have to sever the bowline and trust that the right wave will take you there.

Thanks for Reading!

~ Atlas from Atomic Rush Studios

“Rushers Stick Together”