So… Chapter I is Actually Done. Yesterday I finished the final cutscene of Chapter I of Behind the Beyond. I'm not gonna lie, it felt surreal. Did that actually just happen? This project has been part of my life for a long time.
And when I say long, I mean life-happened-kind-of-long.
So I thought it might be a good moment to talk a bit about how we got here.
And when I say long, I mean life-happened-kind-of-long.
So I thought it might be a good moment to talk a bit about how we got here.
The Game Jam Days
You might know this already, but Behind the Beyond began its life as an AdventureJam entry, about 10 years ago. (Sheesh! Has it been that long?!)
At the time it was just something we did for fun. The goal was to capture the essence of Hungarian folktales: the youngest boy, the cunning fox, cursed people, that sort of stuff. We were just chucking random pieces of folktales at each other with no rhyme or reason. The characters had no purpose, no backstory, no motivation other than that they were an archetype of a fairytale.
At the time it was just something we did for fun. The goal was to capture the essence of Hungarian folktales: the youngest boy, the cunning fox, cursed people, that sort of stuff. We were just chucking random pieces of folktales at each other with no rhyme or reason. The characters had no purpose, no backstory, no motivation other than that they were an archetype of a fairytale.
Do you remember this guy? Jánoska 1.0?
But after the jam we looked at it and thought:
“Actually… there might be a proper game here.”
So we kept going.
But after the jam we looked at it and thought:
“Actually… there might be a proper game here.”
So we kept going.
Then Life Happened (A Lot)
Development didn’t exactly go in a straight line.
At some point the team structure changed and I ended up continuing the project mostly on my own. I still worked with artists on commission here and there, but the game basically became a solo project. Which sounds terrifying at first! But honestly, I didn’t mind too much. I am a bit of a generalist anyway, so I ended up covering many aspects of development myself. The things I didn’t know how to do yet, I learnt along the way.
During development I also got married, we had our first child, and later our second. Not so long ago we also moved into our house, which was a massive fixer-upper. I couldn't even sit down and open my laptop for months! I spent my time doing things like tearing down literal walls, stripping wallpaper, installing new flooring, new ceilings and then painting everything. All while taking care of two small kids.
It's still not finished, btw...
So if you ever wondered why development took longer than expected… well… that might have something to do with it.
At some point the team structure changed and I ended up continuing the project mostly on my own. I still worked with artists on commission here and there, but the game basically became a solo project. Which sounds terrifying at first! But honestly, I didn’t mind too much. I am a bit of a generalist anyway, so I ended up covering many aspects of development myself. The things I didn’t know how to do yet, I learnt along the way.
During development I also got married, we had our first child, and later our second. Not so long ago we also moved into our house, which was a massive fixer-upper. I couldn't even sit down and open my laptop for months! I spent my time doing things like tearing down literal walls, stripping wallpaper, installing new flooring, new ceilings and then painting everything. All while taking care of two small kids.
It's still not finished, btw...
So if you ever wondered why development took longer than expected… well… that might have something to do with it.
The Kickstarter That Didn’t Work
I published a demo of the game and it was doing well. The game appeared at several events and at one point I was even invited to talk about it on Hungarian national television. Which is a whole other story... but anyway...
In 2021 I launched a Kickstarter campaign for the game.
It failed.
That was a rough period, because crowdfunding takes a ridiculous amount of effort. When it doesn’t work out it feels like the months you spent prepping for it just went out the window. For a while I was pretty down. I wasn't disappointed in the game itself, it was more about the fact I had a plan for what I would be able to do with the money, which wasn't going to happen anymore. I always had a Plan B if things go sideways, I just didn't really like Plan B, that's all. Instead of running another Kickstarter I decided to do something radical: I went back to actually making the game.
In 2021 I launched a Kickstarter campaign for the game.
It failed.
That was a rough period, because crowdfunding takes a ridiculous amount of effort. When it doesn’t work out it feels like the months you spent prepping for it just went out the window. For a while I was pretty down. I wasn't disappointed in the game itself, it was more about the fact I had a plan for what I would be able to do with the money, which wasn't going to happen anymore. I always had a Plan B if things go sideways, I just didn't really like Plan B, that's all. Instead of running another Kickstarter I decided to do something radical: I went back to actually making the game.
Fixing the Story
One of the biggest turning points came when I sat down with a friend of mine who is much more well-read than I am and also has experience with game development.
She asked me a very uncomfortable question:
“What is the actual story here?”
Because the original version didn’t really have one. We had folktale elements. We had characters. We had situations. But there wasn’t a strong narrative arc tying everything together. So we got together regularly and sat down and started laying out the storyarc. We didn't scrap anything from the original goulash soup of random folktale bits, but we gave them purpose. And then added some more. Characters got proper motivations. Backstories. Relationships.
Some themes also started emerging that suprised me so much that it gave me the chills. You know the ones when you are watching a murder mystery movie and you figure out whodunit. Some story elements are just mundane things on the surface like a fancy haircomb, or a character being cursed, but on a metaphorical level it is actually about subjects like the sacrifices of motherhood, challenging relationship dynamics and the importance of a healthy work-life-balance.
Most of the heavier emotional stuff will happen in later chapters though. Chapter I is more about setting things up.
She asked me a very uncomfortable question:
“What is the actual story here?”
Because the original version didn’t really have one. We had folktale elements. We had characters. We had situations. But there wasn’t a strong narrative arc tying everything together. So we got together regularly and sat down and started laying out the storyarc. We didn't scrap anything from the original goulash soup of random folktale bits, but we gave them purpose. And then added some more. Characters got proper motivations. Backstories. Relationships.
Some themes also started emerging that suprised me so much that it gave me the chills. You know the ones when you are watching a murder mystery movie and you figure out whodunit. Some story elements are just mundane things on the surface like a fancy haircomb, or a character being cursed, but on a metaphorical level it is actually about subjects like the sacrifices of motherhood, challenging relationship dynamics and the importance of a healthy work-life-balance.
Most of the heavier emotional stuff will happen in later chapters though. Chapter I is more about setting things up.
The FOx as a second character
Another big change was the second playable character. The Fox was always part of the story, but originally, she was just going to be a tool that Jánoska can use to solve situations. But the dynamic between them was just… too good to ignore!
They complement each other in all sorts of ways: boy vs girl, day vs night, human vs magical creature, inexperienced vs knowledgeable.
They complement each other in all sorts of ways: boy vs girl, day vs night, human vs magical creature, inexperienced vs knowledgeable.
Gameplay-wise this also opened up a lot of possibilities. Jánoska has three skills he can improve. The Fox has three spells she can cast. They both have +1 special action: Jánoska can combine and take apart objects, while the Fox can sniff out scents. It definitely added a lot more work, but narratively it was absolutely worth it. I just love they complement each other. And it added to their characters when I was writing dialogue. I tried to keep Jánoska a naive peasant boy, while the Fox is more sophisticated and knows a lot of stuff.
So What Is Chapter I About?
Chapter I is basically the foundation of the whole game. You get adjusted to the controls and the unorthodox, new concepts we added to your basic point click setup. You meet the main characters, learn about the world. And when you have mastered it all, you encounter one of the most important elements of Hungarian folktales: The Three Trials. This will set Jánoska on the path to earning half-a-kingdom and a princes, if you do things right! No pressure.
What Next?
Now that the final cutscene is finished, Chapter I can finally be played from start to finish.
The next steps are polishing, bug fixing, and then recording the voice overs.
After that the game will move toward Early Access, where players will be able to experience Chapter I while the rest of the story continues to be developed. But it also means I will likely be able to set a realistic Early Access release date very soon!
It has taken far longer than I expected when this whole thing started as a small game jam entry. But seeing Chapter I finally come together makes it feel worth it. And honestly? I’m really excited to see people play it!
The next steps are polishing, bug fixing, and then recording the voice overs.
After that the game will move toward Early Access, where players will be able to experience Chapter I while the rest of the story continues to be developed. But it also means I will likely be able to set a realistic Early Access release date very soon!
It has taken far longer than I expected when this whole thing started as a small game jam entry. But seeing Chapter I finally come together makes it feel worth it. And honestly? I’m really excited to see people play it!
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