We’ll be working on a review for The Hero of Nostalgaia, so I got in touch with John at Over The Moon Games to talk a bit about the game and its development. Come check it out!
PS4Blog: Hi John! It’s been a while. Good to have you back. How’s everything on your end?
Not bad! Indie dev lifestyle suits me fine. Making games from home, spending time with my family… not much to complain about. Product launches are always stressful, but I can hardly complain about that.
PS4B: On that note, let’s talk about The Last Hero of Nostalgaia! How would you describe this one to someone who’s new to it?
The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is a Soulslike, which means it’s a difficult, action sword fighting game with some deep lore and world-building. It’s set in “the world of video games,” which has become a little too obsessed with nostalgia, retro styles, and the past, and it’s collapsing back into pixelated oblivion. You play as a mysterious pixelated hero who has awoken, for reasons you don’t understand, into a world that categorically hates you. Can you understand how to save this world before it falls into the abyss? The Last Hero of Nostalgaia can largely be understood as a love letter to Dark Souls. Those games had some really beautiful things going on, and we’re paying homage to them. It is certainly NOT a satire of Dark Souls, but an affectionate satire of our culture’s love of nostalgia.
PS4B: Along with its launch on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, there’s also The Rise of Evil DLC to discuss! What does this additional expansion add to the game?
Two new fairly large areas, 3 additional boss fights, and it also wraps up one of the last big unanswered questions in our story. The DLC is designed to provide great content for players to expand their experience, but it should also be very particularly rewarding for players who have really engaged with our content. The Hero of Nostalgaia contains a secret ending in the base game, and the DLC actually adds on top of that as well. It’s risky, in a way, to offer content that only really engaged players will encounter, but I think it’ll make for a richer product.
PS4B: With the game and the DLC now available, will you be taking a break? Or are you already working on more stuff?
Hell no! Bills to pay, man. Are you taking a break? Have you seen the state of this industry? I’m half joking… it’s not all like that. I love what I do. Truth be told, my wife and I took our daughter to Hawaii for a week and had a blast. I’m taking care of myself over here. I’ll be fine. If I don’t have a creative outlet, I go a little crazy in about… well, a week, honestly.
PS4B: Have you considered working on PlayStation 5 native versions of The Fall and its sequel to take advantage of what the console has to offer?
I have considered that, yes. The Fall is still selling in a trickle, so people are still interested in it. That said, the market is so completely insane right now that I’m not sure if a release like that would be worth the time. I suspect it would not, tragically. I keep meaning to make a video sharing my thoughts about the future of The Fall. Maybe I’ll do that in the next few days…
PS4B: And now it’s time for us to go. Is there something else you’d like to add before we end this one?
Well, not really, other than saying that if people are interested in The Hero of Nostalgaia, they can always join Coatsink’s Discord. I’ve got my eye on the channel and often chat with people who post, so if you like the game, let us know!
