In the realm of indie gaming few experiences are as rewarding as stumbling upon a hidden gem that enchants both the heart and imagination. Rune Fencer Illyia, a ‘cute and dark’ Metroidvania game developed by the talented duo of Alex Miller-Okiyama and Shirley Miller-Okiyama, promises to be exactly that kind of experience. Igniting a spark of anticipation and setting the stage for one hell of an adventure, Rune Fencer Illyia has won the hearts of backers from around the globe with a current funding of $131,000 pledged (as of this writing), surpassing their initial $35,000 goal on Kickstarter. Our excitement for this game began long before Nootbox Games’ resounding success on Kickstarter; for over a year we have been captivated by Rune Fencer Illyia, playfully labeling it as ‘the best upcoming Metroidvania you probably never heard of.’ What truly sets this game apart is its innovative combat system. As the fearless Illyia, players will embark on an imaginative adventure where they can steal enemy abilities and fight back with their own runic magic. It’s a thrilling concept that adds a layer of strategic depth to the fast-paced combat. In this exclusive Duel Screens interview we delve into Alex and Shirley’s inspirations, design choices, and the collaborative magic that brought this mysterious and beautiful world to life.
The journey of creating Rune Fencer Illyia has been a labor of love spanning nearly a decade. Alex recalls, “Some of my biggest inspirations were Cave Story and Maddy Thorson’s Untitled Story. The first concept of what eventually turned into Rune Fencer Illyia started a long time ago! I had yet to enter the game industry professionally, and so in my free time during college, I noodled around on a small prototype, mostly for fun and for my work portfolio. It was a dramatically different game, both visually and in gameplay, and MUCH lower in scope. The protagonist was still named Illyia, although she was quite different and had purple hair!” After graduating, Alex pursued a career as a production artist and later entered the games industry as a level designer for various studios. He put the original concept of Rune Fencer Illyia on hold for about 6-8 years. “I remember Shirley was working in analytics and marketing in the game industry at the time. Eventually, Shirley and I got married. At that point, the project itself and everything about it was essentially long gone.”
Ultimately a turning point arrived when Alex, weary from the demanding nature of his job, made a courageous decision. Determined to revive the long dormant project he resigned from his position and devoted himself to the game’s development full-time. Alex embarked on the task of revitalizing Rune Fencer Illyia armed with invaluable experience and skills acquired from his professional journey. “After a particularly thankless and grueling month of crunching 12-hour days, including weekends, I decided I had had enough. I resigned from my job and began prototyping Rune Fencer Illyia completely from scratch, using all of the skills and experience I’d gained from the industry. And that grew into the game we have today.” Shirley, taking on the role of artist and animator, joined the project during its transition from a hobby game to a full-time endeavor. “At that time, Alex was also determined to do the pixel art/animations but realized it was too much for him and asked me to take over. There are some remnants of his original style in the art of the game, which I’ve kept because I think it’s charming.” With their passion reignited, Alex and Shirley embarked on a remarkable journey to bring Rune Fencer Illyia back to life.
As the duo delved deeper into the development process, Alex faced a formidable challenge: designing the combat systems in Rune Fencer Illyia. Alex recalls, “Very early on, in the prototyping phase, Illyia had a parry in addition to her dodge roll. It was very souls-y!” However, there was a major hurdle to overcome—Illyia’s extraordinary mobility. “With her ability to jump, wall-jump, ceiling-walk, and air-dash, it raised the question: why would players use parry or dodge roll when they could simply evade enemies by running or jumping away?” Alex recognized that the parry and dodge roll mechanics were better suited for grounded and weighty gameplay found in 3D titles like Dark Souls. He explains, “Movement is very heavy in a game like Dark Souls, and often attacks are simply unavoidable without resorting to a dodge roll. 2D games like Blasphemous can sort of pull it off, but that’s because there’s not really any movement tech, and even then, I’m sure there were problems making it feel useful most of the time!”
To tackle this dilemma, Alex made a bold decision. He focused on elevating the dodge roll to be the defining combat maneuver by removing the parry. Inspired by the satisfaction of successfully parrying an enemy and launching a devastating counter-attack, he introduced what he refers to as the Riposte System. “One of the best parts of successfully performing a parry is, of course, counter-attacking an enemy for massive damage. Now, narrowly dodging an enemy attack results in a massive critical hit on the next attack, while also instantly refunding the stamina used in the dodge. It had effectively morphed what is considered a defensive action into one of the best offensive options. I kept it as the defining mechanic for Illyia’s sword gameplay. Avoiding an enemy without it is still a valid tactic, but very often the optimal move is to dodge roll and riposte“. Reflecting on the process Alex reveals his love for the intricate problem-solving nature of game design. “I sort of love puzzling over these sorts of things,” he shares. “Once you get enough experience as a designer, you quickly gain an instinct for anticipating and fixing a lot of gameplay problems before playtesting even happens.”
To bridge the gap between the intense world of game creation and their personal lives Alex and Shirley seamlessly weave their creative endeavors into their daily routines. “We’re both incredibly creative people, so even if we’re out on our daily walk, doing groceries, or doing dishes, we’ll often have sparks of inspiration and immediately bounce them off each other“, says Alex. Their shared passion for the project allows for continuous collaboration and the generation of ideas in various aspects of their daily lives. However, maintaining a clear separation between work life and home life can be challenging, particularly since they work from home as independent developers. “Work-life separation is always going to be an issue being an indie dev; especially since we both work at home. But as it turns out, crunching for yourself does hit a lot differently than crunching for a job.” When it comes to conflict resolution within their development process Alex and Shirley emphasize the trust they have in each other’s judgment. While conflicts are not frequent, they acknowledge that disagreements or problems may arise. In those situations they approach them with open communication, often discussing the matters over dinner. This level of trust and effective communication allows them to address any issues that may arise and find mutually agreeable solutions.
Their seamless collaboration flows into the design process where Alex and Shirley synergistically create the mystifying Sunken Kingdom of Ithos and its colorful inhabitants. “Alex usually has a design doc for the NPCS, enemies, and boss encounters. I take a look at them and start sketching out what I think their silhouettes should look like in a notebook. The sketches are pretty basic, they’re usually just stick figures and shapes that are only decipherable by me which I then transfer over to Clip Studio Paint and Aseprite to draw and animate. Throughout the process, I’ll usually show it to Alex and ask what he thinks and if he likes it, I go on animating it until the end. There’s usually a back and forth between us until it’s good to go.” Shirley’s journey as an artist and animator for Rune Fencer Illyia has been a profound learning experience. She humbly admits that her artistic skills were honed through the undertaking of bringing Illyia and her surroundings from sketch pad to screen. Through determination and hands-on practice she has developed her talents and brought the imaginative world of Rune Fencer Illyia to life. Her dedication and creativity in crafting The Sunken Kingdom of Ithos and everything Rune Fencer Illyia has to offer has not gone unnoticed. One extraordinary design that caught our attention was a giant turtle who not only serves as a mode of transportation but also adds depth and history to Illyia’s journey. “Oh yes! She is known as The Matron. She’s a giant turtle who can speak in Illyia’s tongue, and asks for Illyia’s help in finding her lost hatchlings. In exchange, she’ll zoom Illyia all around in the kingdom via the massive aqueduct system. She’s an ancient creature, and she’ll often comment and provide historical context for many of the areas you arrive in.”
After launching the campaign on April 26th, Rune Fencer Illyia achieved phenomenal success reaching 100% of its funding goal within a remarkable six hours. The overwhelming support from the community has opened up thrilling possibilities for stretch goals including the game’s expansion to additional platforms like PlayStation. When asked about the prospect of bringing the game to Sony’s home console Alex enthusiastically assures players that there will be a Platinum Trophy to strive for. He playfully adds, “Oh, I will absolutely make that a thing. I’ll warn you, though, it might be a tough one to get!” When asked about their plans for the future Alex revealed the boundless creativity that fuels his ambition. “As a game designer, I think you’re contractually obligated to have a small notebook titled ‘Ideas for Games that I Desperately Want to Make‘,” he remarked with enthusiasm. “Oh man, I have so many ideas. Some of them are directly tied to Rune Fencer Illyia, and others are spiritual successors to old, forgotten games that I’d love to make someday.” It’s clear that Alex’s passion for game development extends far beyond their current project. One of Nootbox Games’ primary goals is to establish themselves as a sustainable force in the indie game industry. “Rune Fencer Illyia is an enormous investment for us, and for our future,” Alex emphasized. “I want us to be making games for a very long time.” The tremendous success of their Kickstarter campaign provides a strong foundation for Nootbox Games to continue crafting innovative and engaging gaming experiences. Shirley chimed in with insights about their future endeavors. “The next game we work on will definitely have a shorter development cycle than Rune Fencer Illyia,” she assured.
In the ever-evolving landscape of indie gaming Rune Fencer Illyia shines as a testament to the power of passion and perseverance. Overcoming obstacles and breathing life into a world that captivates players with its beauty and mystique; Alex and Shirley have poured their hearts and creativity into this project. With the overwhelming support of the community and the resounding success of their Kickstarter campaign Nootbox Games is poised to make a lasting mark in the indie game scene and video games industry at large. We can’t help but marvel at the incredible journey of its creators and eagerly await the adventures that lie ahead as we look forward to uncovering the secrets of The Sunken Kingdom of Ithos and the release of Rune Fencer Illyia.
This delve into Rune Fencer Illyia wouldn’t be true if we didn’t ask the minds behind Nootbox Games the hard hitting rapid fire questions that you expect from Duel Screens. Our Patreon Producer Colton “The Apprentice” Nesler corresponded with Alex Miller-Okiyama and Shirley Miller-Okiyama and has provided these answers to better help you get to know Alex and Shirley.
Colton: A time honored tradition for Duel Screens interviews, Pineapple on Pizza, yes or no?
Alex: Yeah, why not! Also, fig and bacon pizza with sage? Delicious. Honestly, there’s not many things that I dislike when it comes to food.
Shirley: I think it’s fine. I grew up with Japanese Domino’s mayo jaga pizza as my favorite so I don’t really get the obsession over toppings discourse here. I can’t tell if you’re all actually angry or having fun.
Colton: If you got a call that the other was arrested, what would the hypothetical charge(s) be?
Shirley: I don’t know. Can you get arrested for taking too many Costco cheese samples?
Alex: Hmm. I’m not sure but I hope it’s something cool, like keying some chud’s car. Good for her. Good for her!
Shirley: I wouldn’t get caught.
Colton: Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?
Alex: In this economy?? Flying, definitely.
Shirley: Invisible.
Colton: Besides video games, what’s another favorite hobby of yours?
Alex: Oh, I love to read and write. Traveling and enjoying good food in different places around the world is one of my favorite things to do.
Shirley: I like making ice cream and crocheting.
Colton: Star Wars? Star Trek? Neither?
Alex: Oh, that’s a rough question. I love Star Wars… mostly! I loved the original films, KOTOR, the old EU. Magic swords made out of light are definitely something I enjoy, as evidenced by Rune Fencer Illyia. Also, thematically, Finn should have become a jedi. What were they thinking? At first, we were never super big Trek fans. At least, until we binge-watched DS9 in its entirety. Some quirks (Quarks?) aside, I’d say it’s definitely our favorite take on Trek.
Shirley: They’re all fun in their own ways but I like DS9 the best.
Colton: What’s the first splurge purchase you’d make if you won the lottery? After the sensible stuff like debt and not having to worry about housing, of course.
Alex: Assuming there’d be anything left after the crippling student debt, I’d love to just take a year to travel and see all of the places I’ve always wanted to visit.
Shirley: I would like to buy and collect paintings of artworks. I’d like to ask for big commissions from my friends and people online, and buy some of their artwork. The guy who does those taco bell oil paintings? I’d have one of those in my collection as well.
Alex: I changed my mind, I’d purchase as much baja blast as I can. I’d hoard it in a wine cellar. We can hang the taco bell oil painting in there. Oh! And we can finally get a PS5. Maybe…
Colton: If you could master any one food recipe, what would it be?
Alex: Like, if I were to snap my fingers and master it instantly?
Fugu sushi preparation certification, because in my mind, that would require the most time and money to acquire. It doesn’t hurt to have a highly paid back-up plan when it comes to the game industry. Plus, I can poison my enemies which seems useful.
Shirley: Ice cream or flan. I think I’m okay at making them but if I can get them down to a science I think it’d be cool. I’d win all of the potlucks.
