Robson Paiva Exclusive Developer Interview for REDO!
We had a chance to sit down with Robson Paiva and chat with him more about his new game, REDO!! Check out the exclusive interview below!
Hi There! Please give our community a quick introduction of yourself. What’s your mission?
My name is Robson Paiva! I’m a solo developer from Brazil and I’m the creator of REDO! I’ve been working as an amateur developer for some time, and I have a good list of small incomplete projects, but they were made just as a hobby. After I dropped college some years ago because of emotional problems I decided to start working as a solo developer for real and then I started REDO! and I’ve been working on it for the past 3 years. My mission is to make engaging game, that’s all! The game is almost finish, but is already available as Early Access.
What’s a fun fact that others may not know about you?
The sounds that the protagonist of the game makes when she gets hit is actually me trying to sound like a girl and I think I did a good job haha.
How did you get involved in developing indie games?
Well, back when I started REDO! I was suffering from some emotional problems, so I spend most of my time inside my house, with lots of free time I decided to start something to keep my mind busy, I didn’t plan too much in the beginning, I just did. If I started worrying about the problems I would have to face to finish this project I would probably just give up. So I just started and didn’t look back. I had some experience with pixel art, so that was the art style I choose. I started studying coding while doing the project. Game maker was a good choice because the Language (GML) is easy to learn, so I didn’t have much problem to learn the basics. The same happened with music and sound design.
What do you do when you’re not developing indie games?
I like to see horror movies, read manga and books, go out with friends to have a beer and chat. You know, the usual stuff.
Let’s talk about REDO! now. You’re tasked with traversing the underground battling biomachines that reminds us a bit of a dystopian Metal Slug (major cool points for that). How did you come up with this amazing concept?
My main goal was to make a mysterious and melancholic world that tell a story about the people that lived in it. The Imaginary that i try to evoke is something like a dystopian future where metal and concrete are mixed up. In the World of REDO! you have people living side by side with huge tubulations and electric circuits, you can see old traditions and high tech occupy the same space. At the same time, the world is very claustrophobic and gloomy. My main font of inspiration was the works of Tsutomo Nihei, creator of Blame!.
What was the biggest challenge you encountered in building REDO!?
I think that balancing Health and damage for player and enemies is a difficult thing to get right, I also find very difficult to have good pacing. You know, a game need breaking points where you do different things if it is combat all the time the game gets boring. so I need to put some quiet moments, some rooms with lore, unique enemies and etc. Having varied level design also helps, nobody wants to walk in a straight line every time, so exploring vertical and horizontal space is very important. For the balancing issues, there’s no way around it, you’ll need to see people playing your game and see how they deal with enemies. after that, you can make changes.
How did you keep your morale up during long stretches of tough game development?
Having friends to talk always help. When I’m feeling tired or overwhelmed with work, I try to have a conversation with a friend, and this makes me feel happy.
What lessons have you learned through the stages of development of REDO!?
I think the main lesson is learning how to work with your limitations. I had to cut things from the game because as a solo developer there’s so much i can do, so having a realistic scope and features that i could do without help was what made this project possible. If I tried to do something bigger it would have taken more years and I’m not sure if I would have will to keep doing the same project for five or more years.
What feature did you develop for REDO! that caused you to step outside your comfort zone?
I had to work around my limitations and try to do the best I could with the tools I had. I’ve been a long fan of Metroidvania games, I love that feeling of exploring the unknown and getting new skills, but I didn’t want to just do a clone of Castlevania, I wanted to do my own spin on the genre. I wanted something slower paced and methodical, similar to the feeling that games like dark souls can evoke. I think that not doing a tradicional fast paced metroidvania was something that made me step outside of my confort zone.
Anything you want to tell the Plexstorm community before we sign off?
Just do it. If you have the time and patience, you’ll get there. Don’t be afraid of critiques, it will make you a better developer. Show your work and also be kind with other developers, they are in the same situation as you!
The full version of REDO! is available for Early Access download on STEAM for $9.99. Be sure to visit and engage with Robson Paiva via the game’s official Itch.io page, STEAM page, and social media pages below as well! If you’re feeling generous, feel free to visit Robson’s Patreon page and make a donation!
As always, thanks for reading and keep on streaming! ❤
