So, please tell us a bit about your game

Primal Light is a challenging action-platformer that takes place in a strange pre-historic alien world. You play as a blue cycloptic caveman dude named Krog, who’s trying to save his tribe from a curse by an ancient god. We take some cues from Metroidvania style games with light exploration, collectible charms and traversal abilities you gain as you progress, but otherwise your main objective is getting from one level to the next. Each of the 10 stages ends in an epic boss battle.

And who are you? Tell us about your studio

Fat Gem was formed by myself and my long time friend, Shane Sicienski. Primal Light is our first ever game and it took us 3 years to make. We were both total noobs when it came to anything game dev related. Shane was teaching himself how to code and I was figuring out how to translate my art skills into pixel art and animating for the first time. Trying to juggle all the pieces of a game with only two people was at times a struggle, but we gained an immense amount of experience and ended up landing on our feet.

What inspired you to create a game such as yours?

Primal Light started as a game inspired by modern games we were playing/anticipating at the time. We both loved Dark Souls and wanted to make a game like that, but in a 2D space. Games like Death’s Gambit, Blasphemous, Dead Cells, and Hollow Knight were some games that inspired us early on with their beautiful art, melee combat, and tough bosses, but we eventually realized an interconnected open world was a little too ambitious for our first game. It was also at this time that we gained a new appreciation for the level based 8-bit and 16-bit games of our past. You can see many classic nods and homages within Primal Light’s mechanics, art, and music to classics like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Shadow of the Beast, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us! Please tell everyone when and where the game will be available

The game is out now on Steam!