PKind of side-scrolling adventure, partly retro RPG, Beyond Galaxyland looks like a unique mashup of genres, and with its gorgeous pixel art and the promise of a narratively rich sci-fi adventure, it does more than enough to grab attention – not least because it’s a solo effort. There’s a lot we don’t know, of course Beyond Galaxyland But we were curious to learn more, so we passed on some of our questions about its world, mechanics, and more to its developer, Sam Enright, and in doing so, he got plenty of insight into what the game will be about. You can read our full interview below.

“Limiting the gameplay to 2.5D was helpful both from a design perspective and offered really interesting gameplay possibilities.”

Beyond Galaxyland The semi-retro 2.5D aesthetic immediately catches the eye. How did you come up with this look for the game?

The main reason it’s mostly in 2.5D is because I wanted to tell a huge story and thought a fully three-dimensional world would be too much for me as a solo developer. Additionally, I felt pixel art would convey the amount of detail I wanted to achieve while also being manageable for such a large world. Plus, I love the aesthetic of pixel art (and grew up with it: aka that sweet, sweet nostalgia).

How did the idea of ​​combining a 2.5D adventure with RPG mechanics come about? Beyond Galaxyland Was it a core idea for the game mechanics that led to the setting of the game, or were the setting and story the things you came up with first?

The main goal was always to tell a cool story. I am a huge fan of science fiction movies and movies in general. I also love the JRPGs I grew up with, especially Chrono trigger this is my absolute favorite. Limiting the gameplay to 2.5D was helpful both from a design perspective and it offered some really interesting gameplay opportunities. I think the platforming and RPG mechanics blend well into a weird, cohesive whole. The 2.5D platforming aspects blend with the RPG combat elements in a lot of interesting ways: you can jump over enemies to skip fights, or even attack enemies before combat and defeat them without entering combat (if you’re strong enough, of course).

Beyond Galaxyland The retro-futuristic sci-fi setting is one of its most striking elements. What can you tell us about the role it will play in the game and the larger story, and how much the game emphasizes things like world-building?

There is a huge emphasis on world building in this game. I want players to feel completely immersed in the strange world of Galaxyland (and beyond). I firmly believe that narrative is what keeps players coming back to games years later, so building a fantastical world in which to tell an epic story was a big priority. I hope players will appreciate the world’s unique “brand”, funny but also serious, silly but also awesome and animated. I tried to strike a precise tone by offering something humorous but that can also be taken seriously. A quick example: most of the names in the game and some side characters are really silly and not to be taken seriously (for example, many NPC robots are named OtherBot), but many main characters and villains are not to be trifled with, and are treated with even more seriousness and precision.

“This game places a huge emphasis on world-building. I want players to feel completely immersed in the strange world of Galaxyland (and beyond). I firmly believe that narrative is what keeps players coming back to games years later, so building a fantastical world in which to tell an epic story was one of my top priorities.”

How much variety can players expect in terms of the places they will visit throughout the experience?

Oh man, a huge variety! This is one of the Beyond Galaxyland stronger suits. I’m something of a minimalist, so I try to keep each planet mostly themed. That relates to the graphics, the stories told there, and also, importantly, the music. It’s important to me that each location feels different from the last and serves its own purpose. One of the goals with each planet was to deliver a unique biome, often referencing classic tropes, eg: there’s a desert planet, a jungle planet, an ice planet, etc. But each has unique twists to take advantage of the freedom of the space/galaxyland setting. Just a fun example of how stories differ: one planet in particular mimics a classic fantasy RPG setting where the villagers believe in some kind of magic and fairytales…not the kind of adventure you’d normally expect light years from Earth!

What can you tell us about Beyond Galaxyland Combat? How do you play with the game’s 2.5D perspective in the turn-based battles? How much emphasis is placed on strategy?

I am a big advocate of combat systems that don’t have to be overly bloated to be strategic, intense and, above all, entertaining. Back to Chrono triggerthat’s something the game did incredibly well. Chrono trigger has very limited combat options compared to many of its competitors/modern games, but there is so much exciting strategy packed into that simplicity. There is a holy grail for turn-based games in my opinion: when done right, the battles should feel incredibly intense, like it’s life or death and the clock is ticking… but in reality, the game is basically in a total pause state, waiting for action. I think it’s a coherent concept that a “chess-like” game can create such a sense of imminent danger.

Beyond Galaxyland also includes a mechanic that allows you to capture enemies and use them in battle. How extensive will this aspect of the game be? How large is the list of captureable creatures available in the game and how much can they influence the course of battle?

There are a total of 29 enemies/bosses to capture. The creature list extends to most basic enemies in the game, and more bosses can be captured than not (I didn’t want to add a capture mechanic and have you capture huge, optional side quest bosses).

Once trapped, you can equip and level up trapped enemies to use their abilities, which functionally replace spells in this game. For example, you can capture an Ice Elemental to cast Ice, or a Baby Raptor that can boost the party’s strength. Once the Ice Elemental is at level 3, you can use Ice All against all enemies at once. I always say that trapped summons are functionally similar to Materia from Final Fantasy 7 (OG), for those who know.

“I hope, like many aspects of Beyond Galaxylandplayers will find that the mechanics are streamlined and easily accessible, while also providing a satisfying sense of depth.”

What can players expect from Beyond Galaxyland Progression mechanics, especially given the roleplaying nature? How much will players focus on things like build variety and party composition?

This game is based in many of its gameplay advances directly on the classics such as Chrono trigger And FF7In addition to leveling up in the traditional sense (EXP is granted at the end of the battle), Beyond Galaxyland offers a wide variety of builds and options for group composition through its artifact and summoning systems.

Each character can equip up to four artifacts that perform actions such as launching counterattacks, poisoning enemies, starting the fight with haste, etc. So one character may focus on physical attacks and have a combination of them that allows them to counterattack and poison the enemy whenever the enemy strikes. Another character, on the other hand, may focus on healing and be equipped with supporting summons and artifacts to increase the effectiveness of the summons.

I hope, like many aspects of Beyond GalaxylandPlayers will find that the game mechanics are streamlined and easily accessible, while also providing a satisfying sense of depth.

How long does an average playthrough of the game take?

Players can expect the main story to take around 14 hours to complete, 18 hours if you include all the side quests, and 20 hours for players who want to complete everything (find all the hidden tokens, conquer the monster arena, etc… and maybe even find a hidden development museum? Who knows?). I think this is also a good point to mention that this game has no “bells and whistles” of any kind, which I’m pretty proud of. No errand quests, no backtracking, no tedious grinding, no extremely long dungeons, and many other deviations from the standard formula like this.

Also, on the side quests: some planets are completely optional and function as a story in their own right (there are some nice ones, and I am so incredibly excited to see how players will discover them). In other words, the side quests are robust and treated with the same care as the main story. I like to think Beyond Galaxyland is more like a movie than a video game, and I hope that will show as you play it. It has the heart of a great 50-hour RPG, but compressed into a tightly packed, fast-paced adventure.