Alright, let’s jump in. So, I had this chat with Mike and Scott from Belief Engine about their creepy typing game, DEAD LETTER DEPT. — and wow, these guys have stories. They’re based somewhere in the Pacific Northwest now, like a rainy dream, but their brains are all Japan these days.
So, yeah, Belief Engine’s been rattling around for 12 years. Not kidding. Mike switched gears to indie games full-on in 2020. He talked about moving from Colorado in ’04 for this DigiPen school deal. Honestly, Washington’s not Colorado. Scott’s story? It’s kind of wild. Think, eight years of schooling?! Fine Arts in Boston then off for Computer Science in Washington. But, surprise, money’s tight — the college dream took a hit there.
They chatted about hammering out game prototypes like nobody’s business. It’s a rollercoaster — building and breaking ideas to see what sticks. No one said game design was a straight line, trust me.
Now, they dropped this James Alcock stuff — brains being belief engines. Not really in the game though. The game’s more about finding a “home” while dodging the anxiety storm of moving. It clicked with me ‘cause I’ve seen pals swirling in that chaos.
Scott’s late-night data entry gig sounded straight out of a horror flick. Picture this: eerie warehouse, Boston nights, inputting addresses. He weirdly liked it! Brain on autopilot — thoughts swirling free. And Mike’s here like, “Let’s flip that into a game.”
Developing flow states like Tetris but for horror — that’s where it gets bonkers. Mike was all into capturing that creepy immersion — nailed through first-person stuff. Didn’t need avatars stealing the show. Just pure, eerie vibes.
Scott’s diving into language-learning games now. Imagining Japanese learning RPGs interacting with monsters? Okay, I’m listening. Inspiration from obscure, backward JRPGs from dusty old 80s-90s Japanese markets — zing! They want it feeling straight imported from the land of the rising sun.
Their take on the game world is raw, almost too chaotic to tidy up, but it works. It’s all about sound and intricate systems — no half-baked shortcuts. Scott’s spinning cookies into project managing, living on the edge of creativity (figuratively and literally, considering the Japan tours).
And so like, these guys are exploring Japan. It’s more than games — it’s about creepy tunnels under oil-slicked water with rusted walls dripping metaphorical blood. And this Silent Hill effect? They’re absorbing all that eerie mystique, eyes wide open. Mike’s pulling magic with the microphone, capturing the strange syllibles of Japan’s architectural quirks and wild cultural exchanges.
Well, that’s pretty much the gist. Mike and Scott are spinning tales in Belief Engine land. If DEAD LETTER DEPT. isn’t on your Steam list, maybe these insights will nudge you there. Here if you want or even if you don’t — their soundtrack’s dropping soon. Watch this space, people.
Alright, I’m out.