Underneath the Stairs is a small studio based mostly in Zagreb, Croatia, and on July 14, its first recreation lastly hit Steam. From a small, tight-knit staff, Eyes within the Darkish: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom yielded a 5/5 rating in our evaluation for its distinctive tackle, and contemporary strategy to, the roguelike style.
The roguelike style isn’t my favorite. Whilst you can catch me ploughing hours past hours into numerous sims that require a tonne of grinding, roguelikes have by no means been capable of hold me hooked for all that lengthy. Eyes within the Darkish, nonetheless, felt like a breath of contemporary air, and nearly prefer it was made for folks like me. For those who have simply by no means gelled with the style.
We sat down with Underneath the Stairs’ director, Vladimir Bogdanić, to speak all about how the studio got here collectively, and the way Eyes within the Darkish got here to fruition. From indie growth, inspirations, music, and even what the longer term holds for Underneath the Stairs, right here’s our perception into the world of Underneath the Stairs and its quaint recreation, Eyes within the Darkish.
How did Underneath the Stairs, a ‘tight-knit group’, come collectively? And the way did the thought of Eyes within the Darkish come collectively because of that?
Vladimir Bogdanić: At a recreation jam, we made one thing, however we weren’t fairly positive what it was. A bunch of individuals left, however the thought stayed, and it wasn’t actually till a few years after that we lastly began as a studio. Principally as a result of I didn’t actually have entry to any funding or something.
The corporate itself was based once we discovered traders within the UK, after which it actually turned a a lot larger factor the place we out of the blue had cash and will rent folks, and we may begin engaged on this correctly.
Up till that time, I ran a small net growth firm on the aspect. And I nonetheless kind-of do. I used to be principally utilizing the funds from the online growth stuff to bootstrap the sport growth efforts. We weren’t positive what we have been getting ourselves into, nevertheless it labored out in the long term.
I’ve learn that the staff at Underneath the Stairs all have pursuits throughout completely different genres. How did these come collectively and encourage the sport?
Vladimir: It was positively form of a tug-of-war factor the place a variety of us are coming in with completely different pursuits and views. What occurred was that each one of us and our completely different backgrounds got here to strengthen the thought by merely fixing issues uniquely or providing completely different views.
There have been moments in growth when there was a consensus round a specific drawback and the right way to resolve it, however then one particular person actually wished to do one thing else and made a very good case for it. That turned the answer. Talking extra in broad phrases, I feel that’s actually beneficial to have on small groups; folks coming from completely different backgrounds and giving their very own distinctive viewpoints.
There will not be a variety of alternatives in Croatia: a variety of us have grown used to working various kinds of jobs who require a distinct ability set, so over time you are likely to study a variety of various things, and if you get to a undertaking like this one, all of it actually helps.
I additionally learnt that you just was once a resident DJ for fairly just a few labels. Did music, and your expertise with it, tie into the event of Eyes within the Darkish and its soundtrack in any respect?
Vladimir: Oh, completely. I do know a variety of artists from the psychedelic-trance music scene, and I’ve toured extensively, so I’ve just a few contacts there. After we have been fascinated with what to do with the soundtrack, I had a pool of those who I may contact base with.
Versus the artwork model and path, which was Filip’s [Filip Neduk, Game Designer] factor, the music was extra of an iterative course of within the sense that I’ve a variety of unused tracks on my onerous drive. There may be a variety of music that hasn’t made it into the sport for no matter cause, and I feel the great factor there’s that I’ve the expertise of curating tracks for report labels. So, I do know what it takes to construct a music compilation, and that has been actually helpful in nailing down what kind of really feel we would like for the soundtrack.
The sport has a really flat artwork model with no depth or blurring; how do you make music that accompanies that? Initially, we had numerous reverbs, echoes, and extra orchestral-type tunes. Ultimately, we obtained to scrap all of that and went extra alongside the strains of “let’s have some extra chip tunes”; one thing that sounds form of flat, however if you hearken to it, there are layers in there, nevertheless it’s all compressed and matches the model higher.
One other key factor that I feel actually helped is growing the tempo and ensuring that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing within the recreation, there’s some form of beat to maintain the tempo going so that you just don’t get slowed down. That was a key choice that we made that influenced your entire soundtrack.
What you suppose makes the flashlight stand out? And did it, alongside ‘mild fight’, pose any points throughout growth?
Vladimir: There have been positively a tonne of points. There’s not one particular factor right here that I might say makes the flashlight one of the best factor ever, it’s extra a mixture of a number of smaller modifications over the course of a very very long time. It’s small touches like if you activate the flashlight – it does not instantly activate, there’s a bit little bit of a delay.
Problem-wise, once we initially began with the thought of utilizing the sunshine as a fight mechanic, there was no tinkering. You weren’t combining bits and items to get a flashlight. We had a flashlight, some matches, a flare gun, and we had some cherry bombs. We have been simply messing round with utilizing these in any state of affairs. So, you’d begin exploring, and also you’d waste issues like battery fees, hearth, or no matter it was, and the sport slowed right down to a crawl.
For the flashlight, it largely got here right down to utilizing it as a melee-like weapon – extra like a defend, actually – slightly than one thing that pushes you ahead. Then we form of crystallised there, into “let’s have these three completely different classes”: the flashlight, projectiles, and devices.
That’s the way it developed. The primary differentiator was that it is a flashlight, we would like somebody to tinker with it, and each flashlight has a spot for batteries. So, what should you may put various kinds of batteries in there to alter the way it works?
It’s taking inspiration from an actual world object, and giving it an influence journey fantasy, to be able to go wild with it.
Eyes within the Darkish captures the gloomy, gothic temper of the mansion by each its design and inspirations, and the expertise is true to a toddler being afraid of the darkish – is that this what you have been aiming for?
Vladimir: I’m actually pleased to listen to you say that, as a result of it’s positively a sense that we have been making an attempt to seize. One of many inspirations, for me, was the Beetlejuice cartoon. For those who’re watching it from a distance, there’s at all times that “Oh, that is actually bizarre and creepy, what the hell is occurring?” however the whole lot has a very light-hearted tone. It’s actually enjoyable and fascinating.
I feel a variety of horror and associated video games don’t typically go that route, it’s extra leap scares or gore or no matter.
One other factor, by way of structure and degree design, is that a variety of roguelikes have random degree era. We wished our recreation to really feel like an precise place. That comes at a value from a manufacturing viewpoint.
There’s extra guide labour concerned, however the finish result’s that it seems like a spot; a spot you’d wish to go to. You enter a room, and it’s not only a random set of tiles and ranges, it’s an precise room in a mansion. That was the intent all alongside, and I feel the narrative helps to strengthen that.
What made you resolve to make the sport non-linear, and did another video games inform you of what you didn’t wish to do with Eyes within the Darkish?
Vladimir: We positively love the roguelike style, I may identify titles like Binding of Isaac – it’s been an enormous inspiration – and I’m an enormous fan of Spelunky, for instance. But in addition video games like Slay the Spire or Useless Cells.
We didn’t say “we actually love this one recreation, we’re gonna rip off half of it then do our personal factor”. We seemed on the total style, and we figured what can we do right here that can set us aside? What can we do to attempt to push the style in a distinct path? I actually suppose that the style has a tonne of potential for some cool and revolutionary stuff.
Initially, we had one thing that was extra conventional; you end a run, and perhaps achieve some expertise, unlock some data, nevertheless it was extra grindy. One of many issues that I don’t like about fashionable roguelikes is that they have an inclination to lock a variety of the content material behind a grind, and look, I’ve a 10-month-old son, I don’t have the time!
I wish to simply play it, and I wish to be completed with it, however on the identical time, I like having the ability to return to it at times and perhaps get a distinct kind of really feel for it.
Are there any elements of the sport, now that it’s on the market, that you just want you might change, and do you will have plans for any post-launch updates?
Vladimir: The narrative general has been the toughest one to nail, initially we had extra of a quest-based system. It turned an enormous drawback since you’d develop into confused; when does a quest finish? Is it if you choose up a few objects? However then you definately’re completed with the search, so what’s the motivation to maintain going?
That was an enormous factor that we iterated on quite a bit. In the long run, we determined to do one thing the place you’ll achieve some form of narrative data; one thing that’s going to broaden the storyline additional and progress the whole lot. However, it’s nonetheless a run the place it’s a must to end the whole lot from starting to finish. I feel that was the precise option to make.
By way of what we wish to add, I want to add extra bosses and enemies, perhaps extra zones that rotate relying on what run you’re doing. I feel we left the construction, general, open sufficient in order that we are able to add extra objects, impediments or perks. It largely boils right down to how the following couple of months search for us.
By way of the overall construction and the way it’s been completed, I might in all probability not change a lot. We’re actually pleased with the top consequence, particularly for our first recreation.
Do you will have plans to do something in another way in your subsequent recreation?
Vladimir: We’re within the very early levels, so I can’t actually share data. The one factor that I might say is, as you mentioned, Eyes within the Darkish hopefully makes roguelikes extra accessible to individuals who don’t typically play them.
Let’s simply say that I want to do the identical factor with a distinct style.
Eyes within the Darkish: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom launched on July 14, 2022 on Steam and the Epic Video games Retailer.