My next game: an absurd, dark humor RPG

I always love starting new projects. It’s more of a curse than not- it’s how I’ve managed to accumulate a mountain of unfinished and unreleased games and content over the years.

Midway through the toil of a game, when programming is at its most frustrating, and player feedback is ringing harshly in my ear, I hear the sweet siren of ‘start anew’ singing softly. That sound has become something I know all too well and I regard cautiously. Stop daydreaming! Cold water to the face, a little slap, and back to work.

But… my first game is released. Cryohazard is an actual game- purchasable, searchable, and downloadable. Which means a lot of things- pride in myself for the accomplishment, an incredible amount of learning from seeing through a game all the way to completion, and the tiniest bit of financial reward that has yet to cover even the art commission costs for the project.

But it means something else too. As I lay sweet Cryohazard down to rest, resolute in a peaceful post-mortem state, and look up to see a sunrise of impossible possibility-

I get to work on a new game now!

A completely, utterly, totally, new, unabashedly and completely sincere new game. A game for which I will write every line of dialogue, draw every portrait, and build every map.

Wow. A Whole New Game!

I’m working on a dark humor RPG that I plan to release in chapters over time. I’ll release a demo in the next few months, and if the response is good I’ll continue building, growing, and polishing the game until it’s been seen through to its natural end.

I’ve wanted to work on a serialized project for a long time. Something that can grow and change as I work on it based on interactions with the people playing it. Which is pretty counter-intuitive to how I see most RPG games- insular monoliths that build out their own worlds and invite others inside, but are rarely dynamic in the same way that a live-service game like an MMO would be.

As I work on my new, serialized project, I want to be much more open about it than previous games. I plan to post often and earnestly, keeping watchers updated and attracting new people to the project.

What is Particular to an RPG?

There’s an aesthetic for RPG games that goes beyond just the visuals. It’s a feeling- even playing the same game can feel different if you know it’s on the context of an RPG vs. if it’s an isolated experience.

You aren’t just playing the card game Gwent- you’re playing Gwent in one of the many taverns that populate the roads of the Witcher’s expansive world. A world where there’s a place for both bold action and subtle intent, and between the two you can choose how YOU want to explore that world.

My world, in comparison, is of course much much smaller. A place of fear and hopelessness where the only people doing well for themselves have a prerequisite of being slightly insane. And all seen through the lens of an absolutely absurd plot with a protagonist as bewildered about the whole thing as you are.

Stay tuned for more updates about the new project- it’s going to be a special one.