Today marks the conclusion of the 2024 edition of Red Bull Indie Forge, the initiative created by Red Bull with the support of Excaliber to give wings to the Italian indie game development scene. After an intense schedule of live streams produced with RoundTwo and the showcase at Milan Games Week at the end of November, the winner has finally been announced, chosen by a jury of esteemed industry professionals.
Taking home the Jury Prize is… The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles by Fix-A-Bug!
On this occasion, Excaliber interviewed Paolo Nicoletti and Luca Blegnino, Head of Development and Writer, respectively, for The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles.
The concept behind The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles is very entertaining and also a bit crazy. How did it come about? Is there a particular story behind its creation?
Paolo: The idea came about somewhat by chance and somewhat as a fun experiment. In my spare time, I like to create small projects, and one day I started playing around with algorithms to generate mazes. I put together a simple graphical base with a sprite and some enemies, and out came a rudimentary prototype, written purely in HTML and CSS. It was rough, but it worked! Then, during a business trip, I showed it to a friend who said, ‘If you rewrite and improve it, this could turn into something really cool.’ That comment gave me the motivation to spend the summer of 2022 seriously designing the game. By December, I brought Luca on board, and he added an incredible narrative dimension to the project. From there, things kept getting bigger and better.
Luca: When Paolo came to visit me in Cuneo and proposed collaborating on his project, I immediately said yes. I had already worked with him back in the day on The Secret of Castel Lupo, which was an absolute blast. I couldn’t wait to create something with him again because we work so well together. Plus, his idea was fresh and had tons of potential. The concept of a procedural, chaotic, and random dungeon lent itself perfectly to an ironic, self-referential narrative. It was so much fun turning a simple draft into a rich and vibrant world. Looking back now… it’s amazing to think how much the project has grown since that first brainstorming session.
Your title is incredibly packed with references, easter eggs, and nods to other works. What were the main inspirations for the game’s concept?
Paolo: There are so many inspirations. We grew up (partly) with classic Amiga and PC games, so there’s a lot of Dungeon Master, Lands of Lore, and even Monkey Island in there for its nonsensical humor. For the combat system, Undertale was an obvious source of inspiration. However, we didn’t want to limit ourselves to just referencing the classics – our goal was to create something original, a unique mix. Each level has its own identity, a particular mechanic that sets it apart, and it serves as a homage to nerd culture and games from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Even the soundtrack was designed to recreate the atmosphere of that era, thanks to the work of Alessandro, our musician, who chose sounds typical of the early ‘90s, deliberately avoiding chiptune as the main element.
Luca: On the narrative side, we aimed for that mix of fantasy and humor you find in certain old games, comics, or humorous novels. In particular, I was inspired by hilarious authors like Terry Pratchett and gamebook author Herbie Brennan. LucasArts-style humor was another guiding light: breaking the fourth wall, wacky situations, over-the-top characters, and a touch of black humor. We tried to create dialogues that would leave the player surprised or amused – those classic moments when you think, ‘Wait… what did I just read?‘ It’s a sort of blend of unpredictability and lightheartedness, reflecting the gameplay mechanics, which are equally fun and unexpected.
It is common for indie development studios to face challenges, whether small or sometimes quite significant, in turning their initial idea into a concrete project. Did this happen to you?
Paolo: Absolutely. The biggest challenge was balancing the many initial ideas with the need to simplify. At first, we had ten different skills, but we realized they made the gameplay overly complicated, so we reduced them to three. Keeping cohesion between crafting, survival, combat, and narrative was also tricky. And, of course, time is always an issue: we work on the game in our spare time (and on weekends), and finding a balance between development, work, and personal life is not easy.
Luca: On the narrative side, as usual, it’s tough to create an engaging story without breaking the flow of the gameplay and staying true to the game’s concept. We wanted every line of dialogue to have meaning and contribute to the game’s atmosphere. Every word was carefully chosen to add something to the experience. I also tried to avoid filling space with unnecessary ‘blah blah’. It is a big challenge, but it is also very satisfying to see everything gradually come together.
Speaking of the artistic and cultural style of The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles, what influences guided its design and narrative?
Paolo: Artistically, we were inspired by retro gaming from the ‘80s and ‘90s. The pixel art and soundtrack evoke that era, but each level was designed to be unique, both visually and mechanically. From a cultural perspective, we drew inspiration from classic RPGs, graphic adventures, as well as fantasy films and stories. We wanted to create a game that paid homage to the past but also resonated with today’s players, maintaining a light and playful tone.
Luca: Terry Pratchett, Herbie Brennan, and Ron Gilbert, definitely. All that comedic and slightly irreverent fantasy. Then, if we’re talking about references, tributes, or nods, there are tons, of course. From The Big Bang Theory to Italian trash comedies from the ‘70s, the great classics of American comedy films from the ‘80s, to Konami video games, from Pink Floyd to Iron Maiden… we tried to blend it all together in search of the right balance. But we always aimed to avoid being overly cheesy or adding a reference ‘just because’. We tried to give these wacky characters a minimum of coherence and narrative depth, in other words.
The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles has been already showcased in several national and international events, such as the Tokyo Game Show and Milan Games Week, also earning some recognitions. Overall, how has it been received so far?
Paolo: The response has been incredible! The Tokyo Game Show was an amazing experience: being selected for the Selected Indie 80 showcase gave us international visibility and a huge boost. Then, becoming finalists at Red Bull Indie Forge and ultimately winning was just as extraordinary. This recognition not only attracted the attention of new players but also gave us confidence and made us realize that we’re on the right path. The demo on Steam has received great feedback, and seeing the wishlists grow day by day is an incredible satisfaction.
Luca: Attending events was a key moment for understanding whether we were on the right track. Tokyo was incredible. The location of our booth, near the merchandise area, brought in lots of visitors to try out the demo. It was fascinating to see players on the other side of the world chuckling or being surprised by jokes translated into Japanese. The Red Bull Indie Forge showcase at Milan Games Week, on the other hand, was a launchpad for the Italian audience. It was strange and heartwarming to see players, even very young ones – who weren’t exactly the target audience we had in mind – getting hooked on the game… and occasionally even on the dialogues, despite the typical ‘festival conditions’ (which means chaos, short trial times, and having to play standing up) not being ideal for following the narrative side of things.
Thank you so much for all the insights you have shared. However, there is one last question: what does winning the 2024 edition of Red Bull Indie Forge mean to you?
Paolo: It is an incredible recognition. We are a small team with limited resources, but this victory shows us that our passion and ideas work. The award gives us visibility and credibility, two essential elements in a competitive market. Now we are even more motivated to make The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles a memorable game.
Luca: For us, it is a sign that we are heading in the right direction – or at least I hope so. Knowing that our creativity and all the heart we have poured into this have been recognized is already a great satisfaction in itself. It is definitely a nice boost to tackle the final phases of development. But I also see this initiative as a huge encouragement for other small teams. Good results can be achieved even with small teams and limited budgets, as long as the project is developed with care, attention to detail, and respect for the players.
The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles is currently still in development and will be released in 2025 on PC, followed by a console release. However, a demo is available to everyone on Steam. To download it or get more information about the game, click the link below.
