Once the game section was underway, one of the first developers we reached out to were the folks at BevMax, the team behind the enigmatic horror survival game Redacted: Genome.
The game seemed to imply a truly damp and darkened experience, which caught our eyes pretty quickly with unique arm and upgrade systems and beautiful yet anxiety-inducing level design, which loosed the nightmares of our youth with a simple but effective gameplay trailer. After we did some box-breathing and settled down, we knew we’d keeping our eyes on the project.
(There’s something about those dark forests scenes that absolutely creep us out.)
If you’re looking for a new kind of survival experience, the game is actually available in Live Testing on Steam, but first, BevMax was kind enough to answer a few questions for us below like what kind of gameplay mechanics we can look forward to, what engine they used to develop the game, and what all that beautiful purple stuff is everywhere in the trailer…
FB: Bevmax is described as “two devs with a dream” – what is that dream?
BevMax: The dream is to make an impact on the gaming industry and bring a culmination of different genres to fruition. With most survival games, they lack on the narrative whether it is within the storytelling of the environment or direct telling within narrative moments and/or cinematic sequences. Ultimately leading the game to feel like a survival OR story game. Our goal is to bring both together in tandem and give the player full immersion into both the survival aspect along with the narrative story we want them to feel a part of.
FB: Did you always see yourselves as getting into development/engineering or do you have other passions as well? If so, do those passions or hobbies ever influence your projects?
Bevmax: Neither of us knew from when we were kids that we were going to one day band up and start a video game studio together. However, we have been playing video games since we were very young and have always found an interest in the narrative they can bring. Both of us grew up influenced by various universes and video games, which led us to be immersed in complex storytelling by watching/playing titles such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Elder Scrolls, etc. These influences drove us to build a development studio together and still inspire us to this day. Our passion for “nerdy” things such as video games, legos, and movies led to the birth of BevMax Games, we just didn’t know it at the time.
FB: The game has a distinctly atmospheric feel to it, but also seems rooted in survival horror. Without spoiling anything, can you tell us what kind of gameplay to expect?
BevMax: We wanted the gameplay for Redacted: Genome to be as unique as possible while also sharing a hint of familiarity. There are common elements as with most survivals such as shooting, dodging, crafting, hunger/thirst while also introducing some new factors. These new factors include special powers and abilities, puzzles to unlock collectibles, Unique enemy variants that can be identified by sound alone, and various different ways of upgrading both your arsenal and your special abilities to name a few.
(There’s more of that purple stuff!)
FB: It’s also very pretty – how would you describe Genome’s look or overall aesthetic?
BevMax: Going into this we knew the wasteland, abandoned city, dark aesthetic, and zombie trope have been played out. We wanted to create a survival horror experience that felt completely new to the player by combining horror and beauty. We wanted the enemies to look creepy of course, however, we also wanted the infection itself to look beautiful. The player will notice a common theme of purple hue and coloration to the world of Genesis, which was no accident. We chose that color and for the infection to affect everything from plants to animals because it was something we have never seen before. Ultimately, we thought it would give the most unique and memorable experience while playing our game and hopefully leave the player in awe of the beauty while also making them nervous as to what’s around the corner.
FB: Were there any particular games or series that inspired you during the making of Genome?
BevMax: The combat was inspired by various old and new titles alike. For example, the rifle was inspired by Star Wars Republic Commando while the enemies were inspired by The Last of Us and the abilities were inspired by a culmination of universes and mythology. Without going into to much detail or spoilers a well-versed player in those universes will be able to find influences in many aspects throughout the game. The world and environment were inspired by many different titles. The main design aspect was to create an environment for a horror game that also has a pretty aesthetic—’beauty amongst the chaos.
FB: What engine are you using to program / develop? Why or why not would you recommend said engine to other developers for making a similar type of game?
BevMax: We are developing Redacted: Genome using Unreal Engine 4. We started this title while be lowly college students and didn’t have the access or funds for powerful enough computers to fully utilize Unreal Engine 5 at the time. For any future developers that may be reading this, Unreal Engine is highly recommended. It may be a bit of a learning curve when first starting out but once it has been grasped it feels like your options for your title are limitless.
(It looks like your arm might include MIDI-capabilities)
FB: Would you say the development of the game has been challenging or easy?
BevMax: The development for Redacted: Genome has been very challenging at times. Trying to blend a survival horror with beauty and intuitive combat is a very difficult feat to accomplish. As a developer there are times where you will spend months designing a mechanic only to scrap it because it doesn’t fit with the flow of the game. Other times however, a new mechanic or enemy will be developed in less than 12 hours and will leave us thinking “why didn’t we add this before?”. Overall it has been a very fun and challenging experience.
FB: Overall, Genome seems pretty cool and unique – are there any particular features in the game you’re excited for people to try?
BevMax: As the combat developer one of the most exciting parts of the game for me to see is the player’s reaction to the rifle and arm abilities. We are hoping that it will leave the players both surprised and excited to find out what else lies within Genesis to enhance their combat experience. The world is a challenging one but we allow for full exploration to be within the players hands from the very first day inside of genesis allowing the player to become as powerful and ruthless as they desire to be.
(Big thank you to BevMax for taking the time to talk with us! Check out that Early Access here – thanks for playing! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here.)