Today’s Arcade Highlight combines impressive technical achievement with simple, clean gameplay to bring you psychedelic action. It’s none other than Bounty’s Tessera. One of our most prolific developers, Bounty is known for Haunted Forest, Photon Discs, and a previous Arcade Highlight, Ling Ling Rocket. Bounty has a knack for creating games that are easy to jump into and start playing, without complicated instructions or tutorials. Check out our full highlight.

If you think you can handle the action, grab some friends and blast your way to victory in Tessera, available on the completely free StarCraft II Arcade.

Launch Tessera

Check out our full interview with Bounty.

Traysent: Welcome back! This isn’t your first highlight, but can you please introduce yourself?

My name is Mark ‘Bounty’ Eissler and I am the creator of such games as Haunted Forest, Photon Discs, Doodad Hunt, Gnolls VS Trolls, Trifaction and of course Tessera and more!

T: How long have you been involved in the mod community?

Mark: I have been involved in the modding community since the start of the StarCraft II beta.

T: What was the inspiration for Tessera?

Mark: Tessera is heavily inspired by LowGrav Instagib from Unreal Tournament. I was a huge fan of the game mode back in the day and I wanted to make my own version of it.

T: How long did it take to complete Tessera? How many people worked on it and what roles did they have?

Mark: Tessera took about a month and a half to complete. As with all of my games, it was just me on the team with the exception of the composer of the music.

T: What was the most challenging part in the development process? How did you overcome it?

Mark: The most difficult part about making Tessera was easily the creation of a 3D map. Being able to walk under or jump on top of platforms is a major technical accomplishment as Starcraft II does not natively support it. Like most things that Starcraft II does not support natively, there is always a work around and it’s possible.

T: What do you feel makes your game compelling?

Mark: While Tessera is based on a game mode from an already made game, it is very unique in its gameplay. It is not only extremely fast-pace and it requires strategy when it comes to using your shield and sprint ability.

Outside of the typical game modes like Deathmatch and Capture-the-Flag, there is a mode called “Pitfall” that I feel is the most compelling and fun. Rather than killing your enemies directly with your gun, the objective is to push your enemies off the map and into the abyss via your weapon.

T: Do you have any plans for other games or future goals as a game designer?

Mark: I am currently working on a game that I plan to Kickstart when it hits a playable stage so people can try it out and see if it’s worth backing. I won't say much regarding the details about it but I think people will be very happy when they see what it is.

T: What would you say to someone who is interested in making their own game but is intimidated by the StarCraft II Editor?

Mark: Think of the StarCraft II Editor as that boss or game you felt you would never beat, but when you beat it and you reflected on it you thought to yourself “That wasn't so hard.” The editor is exactly like that when first getting into it. As soon as you jump the intimidation hurdle you will be on a straightaway of comprehension, making awesome games and looking back saying “That wasn't so hard.”

T: What’s the best way people can follow you and your work (Twitter, Facebook, Website, etc.)?

Mark: Currently, the best place to follow my work is via my Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/bounty4321

T: Do you have any favorite games on the StarCraft II Arcade?

Mark: Tessera, of course. Mafia would be my favorite game that is not made by me though.