Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Inside ‘Inferno’

Old School Gamer Magazine chats with Indinera Falls, Founder, Director and Game Developer of Aldorlea Games, who discusses his newest game, Inferno.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How was this game born?

Indinera Falls: From the wanderings of my crazy and twisted mind… I tend to have ideas occur to me all of a sudden, and then the pieces of the puzzle assemble themselves very fast.The moment I had the plot, I knew a game was in the process of being born.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What was your role in the game?

Falls: It’s a one-man-venture, so most of it. I do get help from freelancers, for instance the artworks in this game were made by a very talented artist called Eskhar Hygan (https://www.facebook.com/eskharhygan86/). They give a real plus in my opinion.

But overall the game is my solo effort. As are most games in my back catalogue (https://aldorlea.org/ourgames.php).

Old School Gamer Magazine: How is this different from your other games?

Falls: It plays more like a movie. Obviously it’s still a roleplaying game with fights, places to visits etc. but it’s shorter than my previous releases (such as Witch Hunt: https://aldorlea.org/witchhunt.php) and focuses on dialogues, cut scenes and the development of an innovative story.

There’re several twists in Inferno and I’d be very surprised if a player can guess them all.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What was development like?

With ups and downs, but most of the final line was an up.

At the beginning, I wasn’t really sure where I was going, and the maps (locations of the game) weren’t polished yet, so I wasn’t feeling much connection with the game. This means: slow development.

Then it started to all come together, the maps became more appealing visually, a haunting atmosphere and soundscape were developing, so as a consequence, I was starting to feel a deep connection with my characters, and the story expanded and fleshed out really well.

The moment I had the belief I had a very good and unique storyline, I was set on getting the game ready in a timely fashion. It’s the key factor in development: if you like what you’re doing, you can just sky-rocket through the hurdles like there’s no tomorrow.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What makes this game special?

Falls: To me, as I’ve already mentioned, it’s the story.

The artworks are very good in my opinion, but the story and the interactions between the characters are really what makes it stand-out.

As I said, it could be made as a movie that I think would hold itself together pretty well. And the finale is probably the best I’ve ever made.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What games influenced this one the most?

Falls: I used to reply Phantasy Star, Breath of Fire or the usual Final Fantasy to that question, but it wouldn’t be so true for this last one.

I guess I can’t really pinpoint any influence for that… maybe sci-fi movies like Predator or The Thing, as I’m a die-hard horror fan.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Falls: Nah, I wish I could tell you something fun or outlandish, but development is mostly me in front of my monitor, with music in my ears. The music itself can be wild at times, as I tend to work very fast on some specific aspects of game-making (like mapping or redundant tasks in general) if there is some cool pulsating sound taking control of my brain.

Now that I’m thinking about it, an enjoyable moment was when I got my first feedback (from my long-time loyal proofreader) and the verdict was excellent: it’s always nice to get confirmation on such an important aspect of a game.

But truth be told, I get far more fun stories or wild moments from vacations than dev time.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What were the major lessons learned?

Falls: Quite a lot I guess, let me see…

That I’m still around and alive as a dev, after 18 years.

That I still have stories to tell and hopefully an audience to live and play them.

That I like my job and have plans for many more games in the years to come; hopefully this will come as a reality.

That the videogame landscape is evolving and now is a time for shorter games with a stronger focus on character development.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Falls: Not necessarily, but what is important in my opinion is to be true to oneself. As a player I do like these mechanics and how they play out, so I’m always happy to delve into them one more time.

I also try to implement subtle nuances to the usual formula, to renew it a bit, even if only slightly.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How do you want this game to be remembered?

Falls: As the best game ever. Oh, you meant, realistically?

As a successful game worthy of my most popular games through the ages, Millennium (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvFpNQe3tkg), The Book of Legends, Asguaard.

And maybe as an innovative story, for those who’ll play it until the end.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s next?

Falls: I’ve got a game scheduled for Halloween.

Last year I released “Fortress of Hell” (https://aldorlea.org/fortressofhell.php) during that period, it was an RPG with strong horror elements, this year I’ve got another one up my sleeve, obviously with horror elements as well.

This new one will follow 6 roleplayers but rather than trying to explain it, here is the synopsis (that’s what they are for!)

Night falls on a group of friends roleplaying together, and as eyelids become heavy, bedtime seems to be the only option.

But Sven has another idea. He wants to show his friends an old castle that hasn’t been inhabitated for centuries. Good or bad idea?

Despite a bit of reluctance from some, the group enters the castle and decides to give it a short visit. What started as a bit of fun is about to become a life-changing event for them. But the real question is: can they make it out of the castle alive?

After that, coming into 2020, I have ideas for a game following the style of Inferno, but in a brand new universe.

I also want to release a more traditional but epic RPG, kinda vintage Aldorlea, or back to roots, if you prefer. It’s important to cater to all styles and not forget a part of your audience, the one that loved the likes of Laxius Force and The Book of Legends, which are some of my best-sellers.

I’m never out of ideas, that’s a good thing I guess!

Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you’d like to add?

Falls: I’ve been around for a long time and I’m still making new games, so I hope people will give Inferno a chance. There are a LOT of games being released nowadays I know, but I believe this is a game worth your time.