An Interview With Guilherme Melo Martins (Rdein), Developer of Cult-Classic Metroidvania Series “Momodora”
How did he achieve what he achieved, and what does the now seasoned 32 year old developer think of his legacy?
Introduction
To some the name “rdein” might not mean much. To others he is an inspiration and even a cult legend in the independent games scene. Standing among some of the most long-lasting developers in the modern indie game landscape, he’s been quietly chipping away at the projects he loves dearly for over a decade — at least in the public eye. Martins’ foray into game design actually began all the way back around the time when he was 10 or 11 (a rough estimate given to me by rdein himself). With him now being 32, it is safe to say that the journey to carving out the prolific niche he and his company “Bombservice” have now has been a long one. The first of his acclaimed Momodora games came out in August 8th 2010, and the rest is history… or at least so I figured, before writing to rdein myself in hopes of receiving an inside scoop on the developer’s storied career, with all of the smooth and rough patches along the way. Here is the result:
Interview with Guilherme Melo Martins (rdein)
Note: The right to publish these answers has been provided by rdein himself and the interview has been meticulously reviewed by him before publishing. Some parts of the interview are also not in chronological order, for added clarity.
Q: Does your developer name/online handle actually mean anything in particular?
Yes, it is just a mesh of “Radical Dreamers” (the Chrono Trigger sequel) and “Ein” (the protagonist of GBA RPG Riviera)
Q: Are there any central themes which bind your work together?
Religion, faith, and the general idea of curses or hazards from the “unknown world” are always present somehow. All my protagonists are “clerics” or priestesses of some sort and are on missions or pilgrimages against a force of evil. I also really like plants and nature so the games often have important items (such as sacred leaves) or sacred trees/forests.
Q: Pertaining to the last question: Are you religious?
Actually no. But I do find the concept of faith interesting to work with, hence why it’s always present in the works I make
Q: What are your main inspirations for your game projects?
The answer will depend on which game we are talking about, since the inspirations have changed in the time span of the Momodora series, which is over 10 years old. There’s a little bit of everything I like in these games, although the most obvious inspirations are definitely games like Cave Story, the Souls series, Mega Man and Castlevania.
Q: Why did you take a break between RuTM and Moonlit Farewell to create Minoria?
I didn’t. The day after RUTM was released, I made a new game project to work on “Momodora V”. But that project didn’t work out very well, for various reasons, and it went through about 4 or 5 iterations before I “gave up” on it. Using the scraps I thought to work on something different that didn’t limit my creativity so much, and that was Minoria. To make it clearer, when I talk about limits, I just mean I didn’t know exactly how to follow up from RUTM. There were many, many creative avenues to explore and it was overwhelming. A bit like having choice paralysis.
Q: How did the initial idea for Momodora come to be?
It was just an iterative process over many games I had been making and giving up on throughout the years leading up to the first Momodora. In a way, it is similar to my previous answer, when I gave up on more ambitious projects and just decided to make “something for fun with the scraps”. That’s literally how the first Momodora was born, out of reused assets of a massive metroidvania game I couldn’t finish.
Q: Are you satisfied with how the journey of your characters has concluded?
Personally I am. I spent a long time thinking how to wrap up the story of Momo and Dora with Moonlit Farewell, as well as many other loose ends such as the characters introduced in Momo 2 and 3. There are nods to every game in the series in Moonlit Farewell, and even some nods to Minoria as well.
Q: If you had to describe what the stories of Momodora and Minoria are meant to teach briefly, how would you go about it? (if “teach” is even the right word; maybe simply “say”?)
Most people know that these games are “gameplay first, story second”. The stories and the characters are more a vehicle to showcase the world and the artistic elements, I’d say. I have no formation in writing, nor I consider myself good at it. I don’t think anyone plays Momodora for the story, they do it because of the gameplay, exploration, those factors.
I wouldn’t be so pretentious to say my goal is to teach anyone anything. My goal was always “make a fun game that plays well and has appealing (to me) design elements)”. Of course the stories do have some meaning, like the story of RUTM being about a sacrifice to save many people, even though that don’t even know you. And in Moonlit Farewell there are some themes about envy, among other things, but those were not the primary priorities I had set as a developer when making the games.
That isn’t to say players can’t get their own interpretation or ideas out of the games. I think if you got something out of it that is important to you, that’s great!
Q: If it’s not too much of a sore spot, would you be able to tell me what happened to the original concept for Momodora V?
It’s a very long story, and I’m not sure I can provide accurate dates. We originally started with a straight up “RUTM 2” idea, then we moved it into an “HD” game (fully hand-painted sprites, not pixel art). Initially the HD version was supposed to be hand-drawn frames, but that was too difficult as we didn’t have any experience with massive sprites. Then we tried skeletal animation (something similar to what Vanillaware games do), but again we didn’t have the expertise to make it look as we envisioned.
The project of Momo V then moved onto a “3D” experimental phase because I thought that would be an interesting art style to explore as something new to the series. The 3D experiment was initially something like a top down view in a game like 2D Zeldas or Ys. Then it became something that was more like a 3D Zelda game, or the Souls series. And then those assets were all repurposed for Minoria, first as a 3D game in the same Souls style. But I felt it was too difficult to make that sort of game, maybe because we didn’t have the proper tools. Just making a simple square room took forever. That’s when the entire project moved back to the “2.5D” style that is Minoria. And at some point most of the 3D assets in Minoria was replaced by hand-drawn painted assets, except the characters.
Yeah, there were a lot of iterations! All this just to return to pixel art for MMF, which is what we do best.
Q: Why did you decide to enter game design? (Do you have a degree in it, or in any of the surrounding arts?)
Because I really like games and I had ideas to make games with my own characters. I have no degree in art or game design or programming or anything like that.
Q: What are your central tenets when designing games?
I focus on making character designs that are appealing to me, interesting enemy and boss designs, and fun gameplay systems.
Q: If there was anything you could’ve done differently with the games, what would it have been?
This is a very complex question, and it naturally depends on the game we are talking about. The Momodora series plus Minoria are a total of 6 games, and there are plenty of regrets along the way. With every new entry I’ve tried to improve upon the previous based on player feedback and my own reflections. The number of things I could have done differently are too many, in the hundreds per game.
Q: Is there any particular game idea or game genre you’d like to try your hand at working in, in the future?
A game from a top-down perspective (like classic Zelda games)! I’ve tried many times in the past, but those projects always end up cancelled.
Q: How did Bombservice come about? Who are the members today?
I’m pretty sure we were just members frequenting the same IRC channel or forums. It was Tigsource at the time. We are basically a group of collaborators who work on the projects that I direct. So it’s not like there are “members” in total, but more like “who is available/interested in working for this one project?” and we go from there.
Q: What do you think helped you (and Bombservice) succeed and carve out this niche you have in the independent game scene for yourself?
The fact that we persevered and kept iterating on the new releases based on our reflection and player feedback. I could have stopped at Momodora 1 or 2 and there wouldn’t be much to talk about, but the fact we have kept going for 5+ games and 10+ years is probably due to perseverance.
Q: What do you think of the community surrounding your games?
Nothing but good things! They are awesome. One of the main reasons why I lurk and respond frequently in places like the Steam Forums is due to how great our community is.
Q: What does the future look like for rdein and Bombservice?
I can’t say… Sorry. So much can change, even if I dropped a hint it might be a set up for the wrong expectations!
Q: If you could say something to a younger rdein, what would it be? Do you have anything to say to any fledgling independent developers struggling to make their dream a reality?
I’m not really sure, to be honest. I think it’s important to stay true to your ideas as much as possible, and tweak things when needed while still not losing sight of that idea.
Q: What legacy do you want to leave behind in the independent games scene, or even general games scene more broadly?
I’m just happy that some of my games have resonated with so many people and become truly important to them. I’ve received many heartwarming messages about what Momodora means to some people, how it’s one of their favorite series, or their inspiration. Things like that make me feel like I’ve already done enough.
Conclusion
Many thanks to rdein and Bombservice for inspiring so many developers and artists throughout the years, as well as the stunning, focused ludic experiences which they have continued to so lovingly craft throughout the years.
If you want to support rdein and his company, be sure to check out the original two Momodora games for free on his itch.io, where you can also purchase a DRM-free version of Momodora III, as well as checking out the spin-off Minoria, Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight and the final installment of the Momodora series, aptly titled “Momodora: Moonlit Farewell” on Steam. (The last two entries in the Momodora series are on sale for about a day after this article goes live)
You can also find Bombservice on their website, and by following rdein on Twitter (or “X”, if you prefer).
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