The partnership started after Galla Studio’s initial Kickstarter for Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo didn’t succeed. When funding was tough, a “scout” from Fellow Traveller saw promise in their work and reached out. Following positive meetings, they made a deal, which was a big turning point for the game. Paulo and Pavel were very thankful, calling Fellow Traveller a “blessing” and a “game changer” for their vital support with money and marketing, letting them concentrate on making their creative ideas a reality.

Reflecting on the indie gaming industry, the Lara brothers noted its challenging nature. They highlighted the scene’s diversity, where developers from different backgrounds bring unique ideas. However, they also noted that the market’s saturation makes it difficult for individual studios to gain attention amidst the numerous competitors.

While development tools and platforms have become more accessible over the last two decades, the brothers acknowledged that reaching audiences and achieving financial stability remain significant hurdles. They expressed admiration for anyone pursuing their passion projects in this unpredictable landscape, recognizing the considerable resilience needed to succeed.

Regarding Xbox Game Pass, Paulo and Pavel view it as a viable model, especially for smaller indie studios like theirs. They believe the service offers crucial visibility by making games seem “free” to subscribers, thereby greatly improving discoverability on the Xbox platform. For developers with less established profiles, this can create a beneficial situation, providing a consistent income while simultaneously introducing their creations to a wider player base.

You can read the full interview here. Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is currently available on PC via Steam, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

The post How Fellow Traveller Helped Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, and Whether Xbox Game Pass Makes a Difference first appeared on IndieGames.

This developer’s story shows how passion and persistence pay off. From loving video games as a kid to working in web development and finally returning to game-making, their journey proves it’s never too late to follow your dreams. After practicing through many game jams and taking the brave step to go full-time indie in 2024, they created Tilemancer Dungeon, a simple but fun game that came from working with tight deadlines. We talked with Nicholas about how the game started, the design hurdles they faced, and the personal wins that made it all possible.

Tilemancer Dungeon is out now on Steam for PC. If you’re on the fence about getting it, check out our review first to help you decide.

To start, could you share a bit about your journey as a developer? How did you get into game development?

I’ve loved video games for as long as I can remember and always wanted to make them. In high school, I created my first game. It was a very small and pretty bad adventure game made on RPG-Maker. I never showed it to anyone, but working on it made me fall in love with coding and creating stuff. A few years later, I went to a computer science school to learn programming and become a developer.

After school, I started working as a back-end web developer. I was good at it, and it was easier to get hired in that field as a junior than in the game industry. It also paid better, and I had student loans to pay off. I worked in web development for seven years and mostly enjoyed it, but it was never a real passion.

In 2020, during COVID lockdowns, I had a lot of free time. That’s when I decided to get back into game development. I learned C# and Unity, and after a few months, I started joining as many game jams as possible. Game jams are events where developers make small games or prototypes in a short time based on a theme. Over two years, I joined 20 jams, learning as much as I could about game design, animation, and development.

By late 2023, I felt confident in my skills and was in a good financial position to turn my hobby into a full-time job. So, at the start of 2024, I quit my job to go indie and began working on Tilemancer Dungeon.

Tilemancer Dungeon combines dungeon crawling with card game mechanics where players build their own dungeons using tiles. What inspired this fusion?

Tilemancer Dungeon actually began as a game jam project. It was originally called “This is your dungeon” and was made for the Kenney Jam in 2023. The theme was exploration, and we had an extra rule, we could only use assets provided by Kenney, the jam host.

Game jams can be really intense. You only have a short time, in this case 48 hours, to come up with an idea that fits the theme and then actually build it. I wanted to try something with grid placement and tile matching, and I found an asset pack perfect for a dungeon crawler. Since the theme was exploration, I decided to make a game about building and exploring your own dungeon.

Looking back, I think the stress, time limit, and restrictions of the jam actually helped shape the idea. Sometimes, limitations force you to get creative! You can still find the prototype from the jam via this link.

The minimalist design, pixel graphics, simple UI, sets Tilemancer Dungeon apart. Was this a deliberate choice from the start, or did it evolve as you worked on the concept?

It’s actually both. The pixel art style is the same as the prototype’s, though I’ve changed a lo, —recoloring, editing, and even making my own sprites. You can still spot some original assets here and there. I chose to stick with this style for a few good reasons.

First, I’m a developer, not an artist. My pixel art skills are decent, but not amazing, and I struggle with starting from scratch. Working with an existing style and improving it helped a lot, thanks to Kenney for that! As a solo developer, you have to pick your battles, and having this base saved me time so I could focus on gameplay and content.

Second, the core idea, building your own dungeon by placing rooms, isn’t common in games. I kept the visuals simple to keep the focus on gameplay and make it easier for players to understand. Honestly, every design choice I made serves that goal, even the character classes, they’re classic archetypes players already know. Everything on screen should be clear at a glance. The gameplay itself is unique enough; adding complex visuals or lore might’ve been overwhelming. So I kept it simple.

Last reason is I think it looks nice like that.

How did you settle on the idea of players building their own dungeons rather than exploring pre-designed ones? What was the “aha” moment that convinced you this was the right direction?

I didn’t really think of it that way. I just wanted to try matching tiles together to make paths. The rest of the game sort of grew from that basic idea. There wasn’t really an “aha” moment since I made the prototype in just 48 hours and that doesn’t leave a lot of time to reflect on what you’re doing since you have to work fast if you want to have a chance to finish. But I do remember other developers in the jam really liked the core concept and gameplay. Their positive feedback showed me this might be more than just a quick prototype, that I might have something special worth expanding.

Where did the initial spark for Tilemancer Dungeon come from? Was it born from a love of dungeon crawlers, card games, or something entirely unexpected?

At my old job, my coworkers and I loved playing tabletop games during lunch breaks. Our favorite was “Saboteur”, this awesome card game where you play as dwarves digging tunnels to reach gold. You build paths by playing tunnel cards and connecting them until someone hits the treasure. That game’s tile-matching mechanic really inspired me. This game is what made me want to experiment with that mechanic and make a game around it.

Looking back at your journey, what was the toughest technical hurdle you faced while developing Tilemancer Dungeon?

By far, the controllers support. The game was originally designed for mouse controls, you’d just drag and drop tiles and click rooms to guide your hero. Just coming up with a control scheme that would let the player do all of that with joysticks and still feel intuitive and nice was already a nightmare to be honest. The most challenging part was definitely navigating from room to room with the destination cursor.

It might sound simple, but trust me, it’s not. With a mouse, players do half the work by pointing exactly where they want to go. But with a controller? The cursor needs to predict where players want to move when they tilt the joystick, and doing that on a node system that keeps changing and can have holes is a real mind twister.

It took me weeks to figure it out and probably added a few white hairs on my head. But in the end, I’m honestly really happy with how the game feels with a controller. Plus, I get to play on my Steam Deck… so totally worth the struggle!

The game gives players a lot of freedom, like choosing where to place rooms, when to fight, and when to heal, but the core objective is always to reach the dungeon boss. How did you approach balancing this open-ended design? Were there any challenges?

Balancing that aspect of the game actually wasn’t that complicated. Each level has a fixed set of rooms in its deck plus a variable set depending on your class. But, in the end, the repartitions on the number of doors & their orientation is always the same. Weaker enemies are in rooms with less doors that are harder to place and less convenient to use. Stronger enemies are in rooms with more doors that give more options but are harder to defeat. Bonuses such as potions are more scarce and don’t always lead you in the direction you need.

The rest of the game kinda balances itself. If the players try to cheese the game by mostly going through potions and chests they won’t gather enough gold coins to spend between levels and will end up being too weak to go through the last levels. If they try to kill too many monsters to grind for gold, they take the risk of running out of health and end up stuck or dead.

In later levels, the initial layout of the dungeon is partially blocked and forces the hero to go through bottle-necks which greatly reduce the players freedom to place rooms wherever they want. Add some spike traps that hurt the hero every time he goes through those bottle-necks to reduce backtracking and the players already have a lot less freedom and a lot more challenges. The hardest part was settling on level sizes; it doesn’t feel too small but also doesn’t let players grind too much.

How many heroes are in the game, what’s unique about them and which one is your favorite?

There are 20 heroes split evenly in five classes. The Knights is the base class you’ll start with. They use shields which make them very tanky and therefore very forgiving in terms of placement and perfect to learn the game and the Berserkers who use a system of rage making them hit harder the more they fight.

The are also Wizards that can kill at a distance but have very low health. Forcing you to manage their mana so you don’t end up in melee. The rogues on the other hand can sneak on their enemies and lure them into traps, while the Cultists start very weak but get stronger the more enemies are alive in the level. You’ll unlock two heroes right away for each class and will have to find the other ones. My favorite one is the hidden ones. So… It’s a secret!

Traps, loots, and equipment are part of the dungeon tiles. How impactful are they for the gameplay?

They’re vital. In order to beat each boss you have to gear up by upgrading your weapon in each level and manage your potions and bombs so you don’t end up dead or stuck. The traps are here to reduce the ability of players to backtrack through levels and therefore increase the difficulty on later levels.

The post How Tilemancer Dungeon Evolved From a Simple Prototype to a Truly Unique Dungeon-Crawler first appeared on IndieGames.

Svetlov emphasized that INDIKA is the result of his long-standing passion for stories that explore human nature. He explained that the game originated from ideas that had been with him for years before development even began. Through this project, he aimed to examine religion as both a powerful social and personal phenomenon, and how it shapes individuals.

For Svetlov, video games are the ideal medium for exploring complex themes such as faith and inner conflict. INDIKA uses the concept of a “game” as a metaphor for the rules we follow in life, expecting a reward for “winning” and fearing punishment for “losing.” The interactive nature of video games allows for an exploration of these themes in ways that films or books cannot achieve. However, as Svetlov notes, game development is still in its early stages when it comes to fully utilizing the potential of this medium.

The puzzles in INDIKA are physical manifestations of Indika’s crisis of faith. The world around her literally falls apart when her inner world reaches the brink of collapse, creating confusing and seemingly inescapable situations that reflect her state of mind. Additionally, INDIKA combines a realistic art style with pixel-art elements, particularly in depictions of the past. This contrast between a dark present and a bright, joyful past reinforces the game’s themes of lost innocence and transformation. The mini-games, while simple, were carefully chosen to complement the narrative, without aiming for excessive complexity.

The Devil in INDIKA is not a traditional antagonist. Instead, he is a part of Indika—her “dark” side that she seeks to eliminate, but also a symbol of the inner voice that whispers thoughts she would never dare say out loud. His presence is portrayed through shadows and voice, adding layers of mystery and psychological depth. Svetlov also revealed that his personal experiences with religion, particularly time spent in churches and women’s monasteries, deeply influenced the creation of INDIKA.

INDIKA is available for PC via Steam, as well as on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

The post INDIKA Is a Brilliant Example of How Video Games Can Explore Faith While Being Designed as an Interactive Movie first appeared on IndieGames.

Bucky shares his journey with Pocketpair, starting before the release of Craftopia, the company’s previous title. He initially joined to handle general LQA and community tasks, eventually taking over all community-related responsibilities. Reflecting on the early days, Bucky describes the company as small and basic, with the office located in a shared rental space in central Tokyo. Most team members, including Bucky, worked remotely, creating a relaxed and fun atmosphere focused on making games.

“It was extremely small and very basic. The company’s office was located in a shared rental space with about eight other small companies in central Tokyo. However, most employees, including myself, worked remotely. Back then, I hardly ever went to the office. The atmosphere was quiet, relaxed, and had a bit of a casual, almost boyish vibe. It was all about having fun, goofing around, and making games. Now it’s, well, I don’t know, quadruple A, or whatever they call it these days. But yes, it’s definitely big business now.”

How Palworld changed the company

The conversation shifts to Palworld, and Bucky reveals that while the team expected the game to perform well at launch, no one anticipated the massive success it achieved, reaching over 25 million players. The initial days following the launch were filled with shock and panic as the team struggled to keep up with the overwhelming response. Bucky also revealed that the game’s development cost was less than $150 million.

Despite the initial surge, Bucky acknowledges that player numbers have since stabilized. The team is now focused on addressing technical issues and implementing features like crossplay and server transfers to improve the game’s longevity. Looking ahead, Pocket Pair is also venturing into publishing, a move inspired by the flood of interest from developers and investors following Palworld’s success. Bucky explains that the decision to start a publishing division was not pre-planned but rather a response to the opportunities that arose post-launch.

“We started receiving emails from investor companies and venture capital firms. As the weeks went on, game companies, indie developers, hobbyist devs, and even major AAA studios, names that would likely surprise many, began flooding our inboxes with inquiries, especially in early January and February last year. The message was always the same. We took numerous meetings, and everyone essentially said, ‘We need funding’. We spent months discussing and evaluating what we could realistically do and how we could support developers who were struggling.”

Controversy surrounding stolen art and AI-generated content

The discussion then turns to the controversies surrounding Palworld, particularly the accusations of stolen 3D models and AI-generated content. Bucky dismisses these claims, emphasizing that the team created the game’s designs through a collaborative process involving in-house artists and community feedback. He also touches on the impact of streamers and social media in driving the game’s popularity, noting that while controversy brought attention, it’s hard to quantify its overall effect on sales or player engagement.

“I’m afraid to say it was human hand, whether people choose to believe that or not is up to them. The design process was fairly straightforward. The actual pal designs follow a simple structure. A team of in-house concept artists spends the day sketching rough ideas for new pals. The project manager and director then review these sketches and select the ones with potential. Once chosen, these designs are refined, fleshed out, and colored. Everyone votes on the designs, indicating whether they like them, dislike them, or think they need adjustments.”

One of the most debated designs that never made it was a pal resembling a shark, but with a small creature inside its mouth.

"The unique concept was that the actual pal was the creature inside, not the shark itself. This idea sparked weeks of debate, and though it never made it into the game, I still argue about it to this day. Maybe talking about it now is the best way to pressure my CEO into reconsidering."

The future of Pocketpair and Palworld

When asked about the future, Bucky confirms that the team’s primary focus is on reaching Palworld’s 1.0 release while also working on other projects, with plans to continue adding content and improving the game’s technical aspects. He also expresses openness to bringing Palworld to new platforms, including handheld devices, and mentions ongoing optimizations for Steam Deck and similar devices.

“Craftopia is still in active development, but despite what some may think, the team is very much working on it. Progress is steady, though the team is quite small. However, they are incredibly passionate and fully dedicated to the project, with no desire to shift their focus elsewhere. The game will reach version 1.0 when they feel it’s truly ready. As for our other games, OverDungeon had been finished for quite some time, but we recently revived it to develop a Switch version, which launched either this month or last. Whether we’ll add more content in the future remains uncertain, but it’s possible."

The post Palworld cost Pocketpair less than $150 million, with more information about the game revealed first appeared on IndieGames.

Amid this uncertainty, Kepler Interactive, a British publisher known for its unique portfolio, is doubling down on the traditional PC and console markets. With games like the driving survival title Pacific Drive, the soccer sim Rematch, the Metroid-inspired Ultros, and the upcoming French-inspired fantasy Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kepler is betting that unique, passion-driven games can still find an audience, even in a saturated marketplace.

Matthew Handrahan, Kepler Interactive’s senior portfolio manager, acknowledges the “pretty frightening picture” painted by current market trends. However, he believes that the focus on older games’ popularity overshadows an important truth: a dedicated audience of players still actively seeks out new games.

“The relatively small percentage of people that buy new games, I do think actually buy quite a lot of new games each year,” Handrahan explained in a recent interview. While not every player will buy every game, Kepler’s strategy is to target different pockets of players with unique interests. The publisher’s bet is that even in tough times, there’s an audience for innovative and distinctive games.

Kepler’s publishing strategy relies heavily on what Handrahan calls a “gut feeling” approach. The team looks for games that excite them and that they believe will resonate with players. While budget and production viability are still considered, the emphasis is on passion and vision. Handrahan highlights the importance of “real specificity” in a game’s concept. For example, Sifu, Kepler’s martial arts action title, stood out because it aimed to emulate the style of Hong Kong action cinema, from the martial arts moves to the camera work and editing.

He points to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Pacific Drive as other examples of games with strong, specific visions. “It’s a case of starting with an experience they wanted to create and then working their way to the gameplay that’s going to deliver that,” he said. While Kepler champions unique visions, Handrahan acknowledges the importance of market realities. He cautions developers about oversaturated genres like Metroidvanias, first-person narrative games, and 2.5D side-scrollers, where success often depends on low budgets and small teams.

The post Kepler Interactive’s Bold Bet on Unique Games in a Tough Market first appeared on IndieGames.

Inspired by her passion for storytelling, she began this journey with her partner during the pandemic. Together, they transformed their tiny home studio in India into a creative hub. Fishbowl is a narrative-driven game centered around Alo, a young woman navigating isolation and grief. Her job as a video editor for a famous streamer introduces you to a unique arcade-inspired mini-game.

This playful twist reflects the often-overlooked complexity behind content creation, offering engaging gameplay that evolves as the story progresses. Alongside this, you will enjoy unpacking puzzles, delving into Alo’s memories, and exploring Indian culture through sentimental objects. These objects carry personal and cultural stories, to enrich the game’s narrative depth.

With Rhea’s artistic skills, Fishbowl shines with beautiful visuals, well-crafted settings, and lively characters. Her talent for combining photography’s storytelling with the interactivity of games creates a one-of-a-kind experience. With plans for more complex puzzles and deeper gameplay, Fishbowl shows the creativity and determination of indie developers.

The game has no specific release date, but is set to launch on PC via Steam.

The post How Fishbowl Became a Unique Coming-of-Age Puzzle Game first appeared on IndieGames.

Set in a small town, you take on the role of Michelle, a young woman grappling with heartbreak. A demon preys on lonely souls, offering companionship in exchange for an ominous deal. The game combines survival elements like combat and exploration with a rich narrative about relationships, choices, and consequences. Players can influence the lives of the town’s residents, unlocking multiple endings by engaging with side stories and character relationships.

The game’s aesthetic, inspired by Silent Hill and Jet Set Radio, sets it apart. Its mix of vibrant visuals and unsettling themes creates a distinct atmosphere. Alamode Games also innovates with gameplay mechanics, seamlessly transitioning between third-person exploration to solve puzzles and uncover secrets, while using first-person for combat.

Sorry We’re Closed is Alamode Games’ first venture into game development. Leveraging their backgrounds in software development and art, the team created a personal experience. With the support of indie publisher Akupara Games, they maintained creative freedom throughout the development process. Also to note, the game boasts over 99% positive ratings on Steam and reached a peak of 254 concurrent players.

The post Indie hit Sorry We’re Closed spaja horor i narativne elemente te ima preko 99% pozitivnih recenzija na Steamu first appeared on IndieGames.

In Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, you play as a clever mouse who needs to turn an empty house into a comfy home. With the help of Nini, a friendly mouse who loves puzzles, you solve challenges to unlock furniture and decorations. Each puzzle you complete reveals a new item, slowly changing the empty space into a cozy place to live.

The game is made for both new and experienced players of nonograms. It offers step-by-step tutorials and a helpful Logic Assist Mode for beginners, while skilled players can take on tougher challenges to unlock different furniture colors. Even in the demo, you can customize a mouse’s home with 35 themed furniture pieces and change your mouse’s look by choosing different fur colors, tail styles, and accessories using the Rodent Editor.

You can read our interview with the developers here.

The post Squeakross: Home Squeak Home Demo Launches December 6 on Steam first appeared on IndieGames.

Egobounds to polskie studio, które podczas PolyJamu zaprezentowało pierwszą wersję swojej gry, noszącej wówczas tytuł Co Było Pierwsze. Szymon od dawna jest częścią zespołu i zajmuje się projektowaniem poziomów. Choć z wykształcenia jest psychologiem, zafascynowało go tworzenie gier i postanowił poświęcić się tej dziedzinie. Z kolei Jan zajmuje się tworzeniem assetów i grafik 3D. Podczas pandemii samodzielnie nauczył się pracy w Blenderze, który teraz jest jego głównym narzędziem.

Piotr odpowiada za styl oraz artystyczne aspekty gry, jak i za szczegóły techniczne związane z grafiką. Jak sam mówi: „mam pewne doświadczenie w programowaniu”, jednakże jego głównym zadaniem jest zapewnienie spójności wizualnej gry. Kolejnym ważnym członkiem zespołu jest Krzysztof, główny programista odpowiedzialny za funkcjonalność kontrolerów, pracę kamery oraz prawidłowe działanie gry od strony technicznej.

Egging On to wymagająca gra wspinaczkowa z wykorzystaniem realistycznej fizyki jajka, inspirowana takimi tytułami jak Getting Over It czy Only Up!. Od czasu zapowiedzi gry podczas wydarzenia Guerrilla Collective z czerwca tego roku projekt ten zdobył ogromną popularność, gromadząc ponad 5 milionów wyświetleń w mediach społecznościowych oraz ponad 25 000 dodań do listy życzeń na Steamie.

Na początku wyjaśnijmy sobie najważniejszą kwestię: czy lubicie jajka?

(Szymon): Tak, ja prawie codziennie na śniadanie jem jajka. Moją ulubioną formą podania jajek jest kanapka, gdzie na chleb kładę jajko sadzone z jeszcze na wpół płynnym żółtkiem. To jest ulubieniec jeszcze z czasów studenckich.

(Krzysztof): Dla mnie idealne jajko jest wtedy, gdy jest dokładnie pomiędzy miękkim a twardym – taki idealny balans. Ale jajecznicę też lubię.

(Jan): To śmieszne, bo ja w ogóle nie jadłem jajek od chyba czterech lat. Ale jak jadłem, to najbardziej lubiłem jajka sadzone, ale takie mega-giga wysmażone. Takie suche jak wiór jajka były moje ulubione.

Pytam, bo patrząc na statystyki dotyczące waszej pierwszej gry, Egging On, widać, że gracze zdecydowanie lubią jajka – 5 milionów wyświetleń na różnych kanałach w mediach społecznościowych, a dodatkowo już ponad 25 tysięcy osób dodało tę grę do swojej listy życzeń na Steamie.. Jak wy odbieracie te wyniki? Czy spodziewaliście się takiej popularności?

(Szymon): Na pewno największym zaskoczeniem były te wyniki IGN-owe z ich materiałów, które o nas nagrali. Pierwszym zaskoczeniem było to, że nagrali materiał na podstawie naszego trailera na Guerrilla Collective – że to nie było tylko zrepostowanie naszego materiału, tylko rzeczywiście nagrali własny content. I to, jakie numery to osiągnęło, było dużym zaskoczeniem. Jeżeli chodzi o wishlisty, to wychodzimy z założenia, że robimy grę wysokiej jakości, stąd im więcej osób wyraża nią zainteresowanie, tym bardziej czujemy, że to się potwierdza.

(Jan): Fajne jest to, że właściwie wszyscy kochają jajka, więc ludzie chętnie rozmawiają o tych wszystkich eggpunach z gry. Nawet w tej rolce od IGN oni sami stworzyli „mema” – dali z takim dużym reverbem śmieszny głos na to, jak jajko się rozbija i przechodzi w tryb yolkstate, co dużo osób wtedy podłapało. Więc mam poczucie, że marketing sam się toczy.

(Szymon): Tak, nawet na PolyJamie ludzie przychodzili i pierwsze pytanie jakie zdawali to było: a może się rozbić to jajko? Dużo jest po prostu ciekawości z tym związanej, że ludzie widzą jajko i nagle tworzy im się 10 pytań w głowie, na które chcą poznać odpowiedź. Tym bardziej, że nikt nie może się powstrzymać przed żartami jajecznymi. Zwłaszcza po angielsku – wszystkie słowa z ex zamieniasz na egg i jest ubaw. Także bardzo nas cieszy, kiedy widzimy, że ludzie też się tym bawią.

A skąd w ogóle wziął się pomysł na stworzenie gry o turlającym się i skaczącym jajku?

(Szymon): To była propozycja Krzyśka na PolyJamie: zrobienie gry o toczącym się jajku. Wcześniej to właściwie nie było tak w pełni skaczące i wspinające się jajko – pierwszą wersję naszej gry ja żartobliwie nazywam grą wyścigową, ponieważ tam ścigasz się z surową kurą z lodówki w stronę patelni. Tam skakanie było tylko jedną z interakcji i bardziej skupialiśmy się na kształcie jajka. Potem zaczęliśmy się zastanawiać, co by było, gdyby to jajko zaczęło się wspinać gdzieś wysoko, tak jak w grach typu Only Up!, Jump King, ALTF4 czy Getting Over It. Wpletliśmy więc do tego formatu różne cechy jajeczne – jajko jest bardzo kruche, bardzo delikatne, więc to bardzo podbija napięcie, kiedy się nim wspinamy, ponieważ upadek jajka jest dużo bardziej drastyczny niż upadek gumowej kulki, rycerza, czy pana w garze.

Skoro jajko można tak łatwo rozbić, to czy będą w grze jakieś checkpointy? Czy raczej trzeba będzie zaczynać wszystko od nowa?

(Szymon): Aktualnie mamy dwa kierunki checkpointów. Pierwszy to jest tak zwany system soft checkpointów. Przyjmujemy tutaj, że co jakiś czas gracz dociera do bezpiecznych przestrzeni, z których w naturalny sposób nie spadnie dużo niżej, co ułatwi trochę zachowanie całego progresu. Oprócz tego bierzemy również pod uwagę alternatywny, opcjonalny tryb rozgrywki, który nazywamy Assist Mode. Tam są checkpointy tzw. twarde: docierasz do pewnego punktu, gra zapisuje te informacje i jesteś w stanie dotrzeć natychmiastowo do tego właśnie miejsca, czyli klasyczny gamingowy checkpoint. To wersja dla osób, które nie mają takich tendencji masochistyczno-ekstremalnych, jak gracze Dark Soulsów albo klasycznych climberów.

(Krzysztof): Główna rozgrywka jest hardkorowa, tak jak pozostałe climbery, ale chcieliśmy również stworzyć opcję dla osób, które nie czują się tak pewnie w tego typu grach.

Ile czasu założyliście na przejście Egging On?

(Szymon): W domyślnym trybie rozgrywki powinno to być około 16 godzin. Jeżeli przyjmiemy czas rozgrywki w trybie asystowanym, to będzie to pewnie około połowa tego czasu.

(Krzysztof): Przy czym też trzeba pamiętać, że tak jak na przykład Getting Over It da się przejść poniżej dwóch minut czy nawet minuty, to tak samo będzie też u nas – jak ktoś naprawdę będzie już potrafił w to grać i będzie to robił po raz któryś, będzie w stanie przejść tą grę nawet w pół godziny.

(Szymon): Tak, sama sekwencja w kurniku to pokazuje: gracze potrzebują około godziny, żeby przejść ją po raz pierwszy, jednakże po kilku rozgrywkach są w stanie go przejść w minutę. Mapa nie jest w stu procentach liniowa i są skróty, które albo celowo zaprojektowaliśmy, albo nie zauważyliśmy wcześniej, że jest szansa, by gdzieś się przeturlać i w ten sposób skrócić sobie podróż. Także zarówno umiejętność kontrolera, jak i znajomość otoczenia, skracają czas rozgrywki przy kolejnych podejściach, więc dla speedrunerów i dla totalnych wyjadaczy tego gatunku jest to duża przestrzeń, żeby szukać, kombinować i skracać ten czas przejścia.

Wspomniałeś o kurniku jako jednej z lokacji – jakie inne miejsca będziemy mogli odwiedzić?

(Szymon): Zakładamy kilka głównych lokacji. Pierwsza to jest kurnik z farmą, potem jest processing plant, sklep, kuchnia i jeszcze jedna lokacja, której nie chcemy jeszcze ujawniać. Każde z tych miejsc ma swój własny styl wizualny oraz poziom trudności, stąd za każdym razem trochę inny styl rozgrywki jest wymagany od gracza. Te lokacje mają też swój  wyrazisty klimat podkreślany w muzyce, w udźwiękowieniu – wyraźnie można poczuć przejście z farmy do chłodnego, metalicznego processing plantu.

Porozmawiajmy w takim razie o samym procesie tworzenia Egging On. Jak długo już pracujecie nad tą grą?

(Szymon): Pierwsza wersja PolyJamowa powstała w styczniu tego roku. Kilka tygodni po tym spotkaliśmy się, aby zaplanować zrobienie z tego pełnej gry. I wtedy przez kilka miesięcy pracowaliśmy nad tym, nie zawsze na pełen etat, czasem wieczorami, ale zawsze pełną parą. Od lipca tego roku zaczęliśmy pracę pełnym składem, w pełnym wymiarze godzin z dodatkowymi osobami pomagającymi nam z audio i z narracją. Wcześniej nie robiliśmy tego na pełen etat: trzeba było przygotować materiały promocyjne, Steam Page’a zrobić, nagrać trailer, umawiać rozmowy, szukać wydawcy, sprawdzać umowy itd. Niby wkładaliśmy czas w ten projekt, ale nie przekładało się to na grę; teraz za to zdecydowana większość pracy idzie prosto do silnika, do gry.

W tym momencie warto również podkreślić, że jest to wasz debiut w branży gier, stąd chciałabym zapytać, co było dla was największym wyzwaniem?

(Szymon): Ja mogę powiedzieć z perspektywy wyzwań level designu: jako, że jest to gra, która wymaga precyzji od gracza i gra kara gracza za błędy, to levele muszą być bardzo precyzyjnie skonstruowane i być „interconnected” w swojej budowie.

(Krzysztof): Myślę też, że największe wyzwaniem było w sumie na samym początku, kiedy musieliśmy wyklarować wizję tej gry. Było tyle pomysłów na to, że w końcu musieliśmy się zdecydować, że chcemy zrobić ten climber, żeby to stłuczenie jajka miało większe znaczenie. I tutaj też dochodziła dodatkowa praca kamery, bo na przykład w tej wcześniejszej wersji kamera była ustawiona od góry, czyli się nie ruszała. Dlatego też w momencie, kiedy odblokowaliśmy ruch kamery i zrobiliśmy pełną przestrzeń 3D, to stanęliśmy przed wyzwaniem, by tę pracę kamery dostosować do nowej przestrzeni.

(Piotr): Uważam też, że wyzwaniem jest samo planowanie produkcji i taki konflikt pomiędzy tym, że chcesz coś dopracować, ale chcesz również zdążyć na czas. To jest jednak trudne, by jakoś to wypośrodkować.

Kwestie techniczne i organizacyjne na pewno nie są łatwe do realizacji, ale w takim razie zapytam też z drugiej strony: co sprawiło wam najwięcej frajdy w tworzeniu Egging On?

(Jan): Ja myślę, że tworzenie Egging On to jest w ogóle frajda sama w sobie. Czuję w ogóle, że miałem z tym projektem wielkie szczęście – nie znaliśmy się przed GameJamem, a tak wyszło, że złapaliśmy kontaki i mieliśmy wszyscy pomysł na tę grę. Mi frajdę sprawia tworzenie tych modeli 3D oraz grafik, i że robię to cały dzień na pełen etat.

(Krzysztof): Dla mnie fajne jest to, że tworzenie Egging On jest bardzo podobne do grania w Egging On albo w Getting Over It, albo w jakąkolwiek inną grę, w której trzeba walić głową w ścianę, aż w końcu się uda. Na przykład wiele razy miałem tak z kontrolerem jajka, że ono się jakoś dziwnie przetaczało i w końcu odkryłem tą metodę, jak zrobić, żeby ono toczyło się pionowo. To daje ogromną satysfakcję, jak w końcu uda się coś osiągnąć po wielu próbach.

(Szymon): Ja mam największą satysfakcję po prostu z oglądania, jak ludzie grają i patrzenia, w jaki sposób podchodzą do tej gry, jak im idzie odkrywanie nowych skoków. Tak samo jest, kiedy razem testujemy jakieś rzeczy i oddaję fragmenty levelu do przetestowania – robimy wtedy takie własne speedruny, gdzie szukamy najszybszych ścieżek i wymieniamy się trickami, które znaleźliśmy we własnej grze, co jest dla mnie po prostu niesamowite.

W sprawie wydania gry nawiązaliście kontakt z Alibi Games. Jak oceniacie waszą dotychczasową współpracę z tym wydawcą?

(Szymon): Jest profesjonalnie, obie strony dbają o przejrzystość w komunikacji. Ich zasadą jest to, że podpisują umowę z grami, które realnie uwielbiają, i my to czujemy we współpracy – jak dajemy im kolejną sekcję gry do rozegrania, to oni rzeczywiście się tym ekscytują i lubią tę grę osobiście. Jeżeli o to chodzi, to uważamy się za jedną, wielką drużynę.

Nie mamy jeszcze informacji o dacie wydania Egging On oraz jego ewentualnej dostępności na konsolach – jakiś komentarz w tej kwestii?

(Krzysztof): W tej chwili nie możemy zdradzić żadnych informacji na temat premiery. I myślę, że co do konsoli, to też jeszcze musimy zaczekać z decyzją.

(Jan): Ale za to możemy zaprosić wszystkich zainteresowanych grą na nasz serwer na Discordzie. Można tam zobaczyć progres w tworzeniu gry oraz różne newsy, można też zadawać nam pytania.

(Szymon): Mamy tam kanały zarówno na feedback, jak i na playtesty, które planujemy organizować z udziałem osób z Discorda. Chętnie przyjmujemy również pomysły od graczy w kontekście tego, co chcieliby zobaczyć w tej grze i Discord jest właśnie miejscem wymieniania się tymi pomysłami.

Na sam koniec zapytam jeszcze: czy w porządku jest płakać nad rozlanym żółtkiem?

(Szymon): W porządku jest płakać, tak samo jak w porządku jest próbować aż do skutku.

The post Egging On – Szymon, Jan, Piotr i Krzysztof (Polish version) first appeared on IndieGames.

This is a Polish studio whose first version of this game was created during PolyJam under the original title What Came First. Szymon is the level designer on this project and has been part of the team for a long time. Although he is educated on psychology, he became fascinated with level design and decided to dedicate himself to that field. Janek, on the other hand, works on creating assets and 3D graphics for Egging On. During the pandemic, he independently learned to work in Blender, which is now his main focus.

Piotr is involved in the style and artistic aspects of the game, as well as the technical details related to the graphics. As he says, "I have some experience in programming," but his main responsibility is visual consistency and the overall look of the game. Another important team member is Krzysztof, the lead programmer responsible for controller functionality, camera work, and the overall technical functioning of the game.

Egging On is a challenging climbing game that features realistic egg-based physics, inspired by titles like Getting Over It and Only Up!. Since its announcement in June 2024 during the Guerrilla Collective event, the game has gained significant attention, accumulating over 5 million views on social media and more than 25,000 wishlists on Steam.

Let’s start with the most important question: do you like eggs?

(Szymon): Yes, I eat eggs for breakfast almost every day. My favorite is a sandwich with a fried egg, where the yolk is still half-liquid. It’s been my favorite since my student days.

(Krzysztof): For me, the perfect egg is the one that’s exactly between soft-boiled and hard-boiled – the perfect balance. But I also like scrambled eggs.

(Jan): Funny enough, I haven’t eaten eggs for about four years. But when I did, I used to love fried eggs – super well-done ones, dry as a bone.

I ask because from the statistics overview of your first game Egging On, it is clear that players definitely love eggs – 5 million views on various social media. How do you feel about these results? Did you expect this level of popularity?

(Szymon): The IGN results from the content they made about us were the biggest surprise. Initially, we were shocked that they created a feature based on our Guerrilla Collective trailer, rather than just reposting our material. The numbers it reached were unexpected. Regarding wishlists, our principle is to create a high-quality game, so the more people express interest in it, the more it confirms our efforts.

(Jan): It’s cool that practically everyone loves eggs, so people naturally engage with the egg puns from the game. Even IGN made a „meme” in their reel, giving a dramatic echo to the sound of the egg cracking and transitioning into its “yolkstate,” which many people picked up on. It feels like the marketing is running itself.

(Szymon): Yes, even at PolyJam, people kept asking, “Can the egg break?” The curiosity around the egg triggers so many questions in people’s minds. Also, nobody can resist egg jokes, especially in English – swapping “ex” with “egg” is always funny. Seeing others enjoy this as much as we do is gratifying.

Where did the idea for a game about a rolling and jumping egg come from?

(Szymon): It was Krzysztof’s idea during PolyJam: to create a game about a rolling egg. Initially, it wasn’t fully jumping and climbing. The first version was more of a racing game where you’d race against a raw chicken from the fridge to the frying pan. Jumping was just one interaction back then; we focused more on the egg’s shape. Later, we wondered what would happen if the egg started climbing to great heights, like in Only Up!, Jump King, ALTF4, or Getting Over It. Then we incorporated egg-like traits – being fragile and delicate – which heightens the tension when climbing, as a falling egg is much more dramatic than a fall of rubber ball, a knight, or a man in a pot.

Since the egg can break so easily, will there be any checkpoints in the game? Or will players have to start over each time?

(Szymon): Currently, we have two approaches to checkpoints. The first is a “soft checkpoint” system: the player occasionally reaches safe spaces where they can’t fall much lower, making progress easier to maintain. We’re also considering an optional Assist Mode with “hard checkpoints.” Here, reaching a certain point saves your progress, allowing you to restart from that exact location. It’s a version for players who aren’t into the masochistic extremes of Dark Souls or classic climbers.

(Krzysztof): The main gameplay is hardcore, like other climbers, but we also wanted an option for players who might not feel confident in this genre.

How much time do you estimate it will take to complete Egging On?

(Szymon): In the default mode, around 16 hours. In assisted mode, probably about half that time.

(Krzysztof): Just like Getting Over It, which can be completed in under two minutes or even one, our game also makes that possible. Once someone masters it, they could finish in as little as 30 minutes.

(Szymon): Yes, the sequence in the chicken coop demonstrates this: players need about an hour to complete it for the first time, but after a few runs, they can do it in a minute. The map isn’t entirely linear, and there are shortcuts – either intentionally designed or discovered by players – to roll through and shorten the journey. This opens up a lot of possibilities for speedrunners and seasoned players to experiment and reduce their completion times.

You mentioned the chicken coop as one location. What other areas can players explore?

(Szymon): We have several main locations planned. First, the chicken coop and farm. Then, a processing plant, a store, a kitchen, and one more location we’re keeping under wraps. Each has its unique visual style and difficulty level, requiring a slightly different gameplay approach. These locations also have distinctive atmospheres enhanced by music and sound design – you can clearly feel the transition from the farm’s warm vibe to the cold, metallic processing plant.

Let’s talk about the process of creating Egging On. How long have you been working on this game?

(Szymon): The first PolyJam version was created in January this year. A few weeks after that, we met to plan the development of a full-fledged game. Over the following months, we worked on it – not always full-time, sometimes jus in the evenings – but always in full flow. Starting in July, we began working as a complete team, full-time, with additional people helping us with audio and narration. Before that, we weren’t fully committed due to needing to prepare promotional materials, set up the Steam page, record a trailer, arrange interviews, find a publisher, review contracts, etc. While we put time into the project, it didn’t directly translate into the game itself. Now, however, the vast majority of our work directly goes into the engine and the game itself.

Since this is your debut in the gaming industry, I’d like to ask: what was your biggest challenge?

(Szymon): Since it’s a game that requires precision from the player, the levels also had to be very interconnected. It’s not just about perfecting a specific section; everything has to connect well because you can fall back from one section to another. Designing a space that meets the difficulty requirements of the game was tough. Another challenge was realism – objects had to be properly scaled. If an object was too large for the egg to jump onto, we simply couldn’t use it. I think the more we work on this project, the faster we find solutions to these problems. However, finding those solutions for the first time was probably the most difficult part.

(Krzysztof): I think the biggest challenge was at the very beginning when we had to clarify the vision for this game. There were so many ideas that we eventually had to decide we wanted to make a climber game, giving more significance to the egg breaking. This also involved additional work with the camera because, in earlier versions, the camera was fixed from above and didn’t move. When we unlocked the camera’s movement and created a full 3D space, we faced the challenge of adapting camera work to this new environment.

(Piotr): I think one of the challenges is production planning itself – balancing the desire to polish something and the need to stay on schedule. It’s tough to strike that balance.

Technical and organizational issues aren’t easy to tackle, but on the flip side, what gave you the most joy while creating Egging On?

(Jan): I think creating Egging On is pure fun in itself. I feel I’ve been incredibly lucky with this project – we didn’t know each other before GameJam, but we clicked and shared a vision for this game. Personally, I enjoy creating the 3D models and graphics, and the fact that I get to do it full-time is amazing.

(Krzysztof): For me, the fun part is that making Egging On feels very similar to playing it – or playing Getting Over It, or any other game where you have to keep banging your head against the wall until you succeed. For example, I had many moments where the egg behaved strangely, and I finally figured out how to make it roll upright. That sense of achievement after many attempts is incredibly satisfying.

(Szymon): I get the most satisfaction from simply watching people play the game, seeing how they approach it, and how they discover new jumps. The same happens when we test things together – I hand over level fragments for testing, and we do our own speedruns, searching for the fastest paths and sharing tricks we discover within our game. That’s just amazing to me.

You’ve partnered with Alibi Games to publish the game. How do you assess your collaboration with this publisher so far?

(Szymon): It’s professional – both sides care about transparent communication. Their principle is to sign contracts only for games they genuinely love, and we can feel that in our collaboration. When we send them a new section of the game to play, they truly get excited and personally enjoy it. In this regard, we feel like one big team.

We don't yet have information on Egging On's release date or its potential availability on consoles. Any comments on that?

(Krzysztof): At this moment, we can’t reveal any information about the release date. Regarding consoles, we also need to wait before making a decision.

(Jan): But we can invite everyone interested in the game to our Discord server. There you can track the game’s development progress, read news, and ask us questions.

(Szymon): We have channels for both feedback and playtests, which we plan to organize with Discord members. We also welcome player ideas for what they’d like to see in the game, and Discord is the perfect space for exchanging these ideas.

Finally, is it okay to cry over spilled yolk?

(Szymon): It’s okay to cry, just as it’s okay to keep trying until you succeed.

The post Egging On – Szymon, Janek, Piotr i Krzysztof first appeared on IndieGames.