Announcing Project: Dustfall
What up, everyone! Please allow myself to introduce…myself.
My name is Steve, and I’m a solo indie dev. Or is it indie solo dev? Either way, I make video games. Or, I should say, I’m learning how to make video games. I haven’t made any yet. But I’ve played a lot of them! And now I’m on a mission to actually make one.
This is the first in what I’m sure will be many devlogs, where I’ll keep anyone interested up to date on what I’m working on. Right now, that’s my first game, and I’m really excited about it! It has a title, but I’m not ready to share it quite yet. (I want to get all the legal stuff hammered out and reserve a Steam page before I announce it. Not sure if any of that will actually matter, but in my head it does.) So for now, I’m calling it PROJECT: DUSTFALL. Fuckin’ dramatic, right?
I can’t tell you much about the story without giving anything away, but here’s what I can tell you: it’s a first-person, psychological survival horror game.
I’m drawing inspiration from the games I grew up with—Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, Myst, Parasite Eve, and some more obscure titles like The 7th Guest, The 11th Hour, and The Dark Eye. (Anybody remember those?)
I’m also really inspired by games like The Last of Us from a narrative perspective—stories that can be subtle and nuanced without hitting you over the head with their themes and messages. My goal is to create something that stays with you long after the credits roll.
Here’s what else I can tell you: the game is set in an abandoned motel in the American Southwest. The motel is called The Desert Crossing Motel, and it hasn’t seen any visitors for a long, long time. Oh and another thing: this will be a very sad story. Just a warning.
I want the game to tell its story without shoving it in your face. No cutscenes—just storytelling through the environment. The more you dig, the more you’ll uncover. But if you just want to survive and move forward, you can do that too. The story will be there for those who want to seek it out.
And of course, I want the game to fill you with dread. There will be puzzles to solve. There will be…things…stalking you during your stay at the Desert Crossing. You may have to shoot them at some point. But this isn’t a shooter. I want to rely more on atmosphere, pacing…ya know, true horror!
I also want the game to look beautiful. I’m developing it in Unreal Engine 5. I know, I know—“UNREAL ENGINE 5 IS RUINING GAMES!” I disagree, but hey, if my game comes out and sucks, you can say, “I told you so.” Therefore, I’m working hard to make the visuals immersive and detailed, with lighting that pulls you right into the world.
I guess I’m just rambling at this point, but I wanted to get this first devlog out there and say hey. Welcome to the Desert Crossing! I’m genuinely excited to make this game, and I’m putting everything I’ve got into it. I want to make something that feels like those classic games I grew up loving. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
See you in the desert.
—Steve
(P.S. It’s cool that the image for this post is AI, right? There ain’t no room in the budget for concept art! Hell, there ain’t even a budget…)
