Chubbins Level Titles Explained!
Once upon a time we mentioned the idea of going through and explaining the origins of the quirky level titles in Chubbins. Well, as the game is now on sale for the entire month, it seemed as good a time as any to go ahead and finally do this. Weirdness may ensue.
Please note I am NOT bothering with all the proper italics and casing that go with movie titles, etc.
WORLD 1
1 Chubbins May Bounce
Origin: While discussing the name, "Devil May Cry," the two of us began randomly coming up with humorous "<something> May <something>" names.
Reason: Thinking that it might be nice to include some gameplay hint on the initial levels, Chubbins May Bounce seemed a good choice to let players know, this is who your character is and this is what he does.
2 How's Your Footwork?
Origin: Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Reason: Level 2 introduces blocks that may bounce Chubbins higher or lower depending on the arrow speeds. There are also moving blocks. It's all about finding your footing and getting used to these different elements affecting how and where you bounce.
3 CRACKLE-FWOOSH!
Origin: The Turtle Rock Boss in Zelda Link's Awakening.
Reason: Now we introduce blocks that break (crackle) when bounced on, and re-form after a moment (fwoosh).
4 Discovering Float Zones
Origin: While watching Little People: Big Discoveries (voice actor research), the show's theme song became a bit of a joke between us and a buddy of ours. In particular, the lines that say "Discovering <something>" can be applied to practically anything.
Reason: Naturally, in this level Chubbins is discovering Float Zones and how they work.
5 Big Blob Makes His Move!
Origin: This is a twisted quote, originally from the character Big Lob in G.I. Joe: The Movie. With Big Blob taking on a sort of doppelganger persona, "making a move" became synonymous with eating.
Reason: This level introduces the veggies that Chubbins nibbles to change color.
6 Very Fine Hat
Origin: Malcolm Reynolds in the Firefly TV series, said to the character Badger.
Reason: We introduce the Bowlger (badgers wearing bowlers) and Fezawk (hawks wearing fezzes) enemies here, both of which have very fine hats.
7 Fellas, Makin' Progress!
Origin: Junior in Cool Runnings says, "Fellas, look at my progress!" Through many variations of usage over the years, fellas and progress have become interchangeable, so there's nothin' like makin' fellas.
Reason: World 1 is reaching it's end so that's definitely progress, and this is the first level that brings all the introduced elements together.
8 The Pen
Origin: The Pen is an Object that burns in The Lost Room TV series, owned by a character known as "The Weasel."
Reason: As a natural enemy to a rabbit, we had sketched up a weasel to be one of the game's enemies. As a boss, we wanted him to be able to shoot, and having a weasel with fireballs clinched it, we had to give him a pen that would shoot the fire. Incidentally, in The Lost Room, The Weasel's real name is Montague, which is what we ended up officially naming our weasel boss.
WORLD 2
1 One World Is Over, Another Begins
Origin: Based on a line from Gandalf in The Two Towers, "One stage of your journey is over, another begins."
Reason: Well, it's quite true, isn't it?
2 TWENTY-TWO!!!!!!!!!!
Origin: Through our warped sense of humor, Maester Mika from Final Fantasy X has become obsessed with the number 2... Yeah, this one is difficult to explain...
Reason: Two twos is twenty-two, and the old man couldn't be happier about it.
3 Where's The List?
Origin: Ratigan (voiced by Vincent Price) from The Great Mouse Detective.
Reason: This quote works wonders when you're looking for something, and this level deviates from the usual by having Chubbins searching everywhere for the right veggies needed to access the goal.
4 Highway Chance
Origin: Name of a song by the artist YUI.
Reason: This level has a somewhat tedious and dangerous low route, but there's also a high way to go.
5 Tower Outage
Origin: There is no actual origin for this one, other than to say that before we chose to name the levels as we did, we were initially thinking of using more traditional names, and we thought this one sounded like the sort of clever wordplay from a Donkey Kong Country level.
Reason: Chubbins must make his way slowly up a tower, but hitting the walls and using the space outside to bypass obstacles makes the whole thing trickier yet much faster and more satisfying.
6 Legally, We Call It An Instant Upgrade
Origin: Based off an ad we once saw and liked in an airport.
Reason: The level title is a hint, and those who take its meaning can immediately grab a hidden veggie that will help the level go much faster and easier.
7 This Will Make It More Difficult
Origin: Alejandro from The Mask of Zorro.
Reason: It's a great quote and so applicable. This is the last level before the boss, and it's definitely a shake-up, riding along on a moving platform the whole way.
8 Shrink When You Touch The Glove
Origin: Shopkeeper from Milon's Secret Castle.
Reason: We wanted each boss (and enemy for that matter) to have some man-made object and/or piece of clothing, and for the raccoon we chose boxing gloves. We colored them green as an homage to the one in Milon's Secret Castle, and so had to use the quote. Incidentally, as a boxer we were considering naming him Rocky, and then the song Rocky Raccoon by The Beatles came to mind. We had to do it.
WORLD 3
1 Fat Birds!
Origin: Mr. Dawes Sr. from Mary Poppins.
Reason: The Fezawks are quite pudgy, and this level is full of them.
2 What's Your Veggie Of Choice?
Origin: Based on the quote, "What's your weapon of choice," from Thorin in The Hobbit.
Reason: The player is immediately given a choice between the carrot and clover, and the choice affects how the level plays out.
3 Ascending So Soon?
Origin: Seymour from Final Fantasy X, though it's actually said as, "A sending so soon?"
Reason: Getting an alternate meaning from an exact quote is always fun, and this one applies to this level that has Chubbins ascending all the way to the end.
4 Look Behind You, Chum
Origin: One of the vultures from Disney's Jungle Book.
Reason: We created a relatively small set of obstacles for this game, but put a lot of effort into using them in a lot of different ways. In this case, Chubbins is being chased from behind, forced to keep moving or else.
5 This Thing's Bigger Than We Thought
Origin: A random commercial on Cartoon Network that happened to stick with us over the years.
Reason: The level starts with Chubbins able to see his goal, but getting to it isn't so easy, as the level proves quite extensive.
6 Choose Your Weapon
Origin: Diego de la Vega from The Mask of Zorro.
Reason: Another case similar to the Veggie of Choice.
7 Easier Said Than Done
Origin: Uncle Jet from the Future Shock episode of the Ruby Spears Mega Man Cartoon.
Reason: Like World 2, this world ends with another platform ride before the boss, but this one is much trickier.
8 He's Wearing His Lucky Rings
Origin: George Harrison in A Hard Day's Night, said about Ringo.
Reason: It wasn't easy figuring out what an eagle should wear, but we decided on rings and named him Ringo.
WORLD 4
1 Roots In The Community
Origin: Badger in the Firefly TV series.
Reason: This level's most notable feature is the abundant bowlgers, and with a community of badgers, well, the quote was perfect.
2 Climbing The Mountain High
Origin: A name that we somehow gave to one of the stages and its music in G.I. Joe The Atlantis Factor.
Reason: Chubbins makes an arduous climb in this level, much more involved than some of the game's earlier climbing levels.
3 One Day Boom, There We Were
Origin: Barrell from Mega Man Legends 2
Reason: This level just sort of pops Chubbins into existence and gravity immediately sets him on his downward course, demanding immediate action from the player.
4 Is Becoming Evil
Origin: "<something> is becoming evil" has become a common quote for us, originally based off a random Let's Player who said, "This game is becoming evil!"
Reason: In an already challenging game, there's no doubt that this level suddenly looks like a whole new degree of pain waiting to happen.
5 It's Not A Pry Bar
Origin: Tulio from El Dorado, used after someone who's supposed to be getting a pry bar to get he and his friend out of prison, instead produces the keys.
Reason: The goal is easy to reach, but blocked by green spikes. You need to find the clover to get through them, and although it isn't a pry bar, it will work just as well or better.
6 A New Challenge Is Rising!
Origin: Twist on "A new power is rising," said by Saruman in The Two Towers.
Reason: It's another straight-up vertical level, much tighter than any before. We liked the idea that "rising" in this case refers to the challenge itself, rather than what the challenge is doing.
7 Ooh Look Out!
Origin: John Lennon (said, not sung) in the song She Came In Through the Bathroom Window.
Reason: Another chase level.
8 Roll Out Ze Red Carpet
Origin: Dr. Wily from the Mega Man In the Moon episode of the Ruby Spears Mega Man Cartoon.
Reason: For our fox boss we designed him to be curled up on a flying carpet, which happened to end up colored red. And thus we named the fox Wily.
WORLD 5
1 That's When The Game's Going To Get Interesting
Origin: Jirarudan/Lawrence III from Pokémon the Movie 2000.
Reason: Though the consensus seemed to be that we were a couple of masochistic jerks who set out to create the hardest game ever, we actually thought we were were making a perfectly reasonable platformer with short levels and unlimited lives--no game over! We did however, end up creating some levels that we felt would push even veterans to the limit, and of course World 5 is where these ended up, hence the title we chose.
2 You Choose Your Spice Level
Origin: Quote from a friend of ours, said after visiting a Japanese curry restaurant.
Reason: This level can play very differently depending on whether you're powered by the carrot, the clover, or not at all. It's up to the player how spicy they want it.
3 Truly Twisted
Origin: Quote from same friend mentioned above, used frequently in regards to video game spikes.
Reason: So many spikes! This level is definitely truly twisted.
4 Whoa Gee!
Origin: One of the background extras in the TMNT II club scene.
Reason: It's another chase level, with a row of Fezawks flocking after Chubbins. Fun fact, if you slip past your pursuers and let them fly on ahead, you'll find that they're actually being spurred on by a row of spikes behind them.
5 Don't Tell Me You're Going In There
Origin: Kay from Disney's Sword In the Stone, a prominent quote among our extended family.
Reason: This level presents some really tricky situations, particularly in the form of going into places that are clearly dangerous like Float Zones between rows of spikes, and big Fezawk groups.
6 Man We're So Close
Origin: Henry Mendez from Hombre.
Reason: This is one of those lines that's just applicable to so many things and moments in life, and it felt like a fitting place to use it when the game's almost over, but also right before what is potentially the most difficult level. Yes, so close, but the worst awaits.
7 Beautifully Balanced, That Is
Origin: Bert the Troll from The Hobbit.
Reason: Both of us as developers really loved how this level turned out, so simple, yet requiring a high degree of precision control. Beautifully balanced.
8 Mine Is An Evil Laugh
Origin: Wash from the Firefly TV series.
Reason: It's the big final boss, and only getting bigger! While the other bosses cry or moan when dealt damage, this one giggles in a manner both cute and creepy.
BOSS RUSH
Everybody's Here
Origin: Bruce Pandolfini from Searching for Bobby Fischer
Reason: All the bosses gathered, it just fits.