(Welcome to the first edition of Indieverse for OXMonline. We've had a page devoted to Xbox Live Indie games in the print edition of OXM for about a year, but there's way too much going on in XBL Indie Games to keep the coverage relegated to print. From now on, we'll be covering Indie Games right here every week, too! You can expect write-ups on Indie Games we love/hate, mini-features and interviews with rising devs. Speaking of which...)

We talked to the Ottawa, Canada-based Ben Kane, sole proprietor and braintrust of Going Loud Studios, about his recent game DLC Quest— a satirical, pretty, and quirky $1 side-scroller that forces you to collect coins in order to purchase in-game DLC, which effects everything from the game's sound to its ending.

OXM: How and when did come up with the idea for DLC Quest?
BK: "I was in the middle of 'crunch time' for my last project, Lair of the Evildoer, when an exclusive pre-order DLC pack was announced for a big upcoming game. The game wasn't even out, and yet there was this pack that was going to add content that was 'essential' to multiplayer. It seemed ridiculous and the fans were up in arms about it. I thought it would be funny to release a similar 'DLC pack' for Lair of the Evildoer as a jab at the industry but since my project was already running long, I just wrote the idea on my whiteboard. It stayed there for a few months, slowly gathering more and more notes below of other DLC packs that have rubbed the community the wrong way. In a way, it's great that the industry provides so much material to mock.

"After Evildoer launched, I realized that a game revolving entirely around DLC would be likely strike a chord with gamers, but at the same time could be delivered as a short and sweet experience without overstaying its welcome. And with that, DLC Quest was born."

OXM: The opening of your game says it's satire, but the purchasing of even the most basic functions as DLC in the game feels like you're trying to make a statement about DLC. Can you talk about that?
BK: "DLC Quest opens with a commentary on the idea of DLC in the industry being used to withhold necessary features in games today. The player, and indeed the game itself, is severely restricted in their capabilities at the outset - far beyond what any developer has dared do with their DLC (and hopefully they never will!). The exaggeration comes off as ridiculous, but the unavoidable nature of it forces players to acknowledge the restrictions being placed on them. It's a farce, but it's not far off from how players feel when their favorite games use DLC to restrict them from doing things that they feel are essential."

OXM: How did you come up with the ideas for the different in-game DLC that you did? The expensive horse armor, for instance, feels like a nice knock on Oblivion. 
BK: "The vastly overpriced and cosmetic horse armor is indeed a jab at Oblivion, but it's not meant to be evil. In truth, I feel that Bethesda has handled that situation quite well. They really were experimenting with an unknown market, so while it's easy to hold it against them in retrospect, it wasn't the misstep that some people make it out to be. And they've been good humored in acknowledging it as a mistake. It is, however, one of the most infamous examples of DLC not jiving with the community and I would have been remiss to exclude it.

"The other packs are also largely based on common themes found in DLC these days, whether it's to add something completely superfluous or else unlock something vital to progressing through the game. They're extreme versions of real-world DLC, but not so far removed that you can't see the hint of truth in each of them."