Ten Questions With… Kim & Judit (Indigo Studios)
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A short while ago we played an intriguing game by Indigo Studios called Seven Doors. The unique environments and interesting puzzles kept us entertained and the game scored a well deserved 8/10 in our review. We also reached out to Kim and Judit from Indigo Studios to answer some of our questions about Seven Doors as well as their other projects.
Can you give our readers a quick introduction of yourselves and the studio?
We are Kim and Judit, a couple, living at the top of a mountain in Girona, Spain. We have always been dedicated to the artistic world, our origin is cinema and especially musical theatre, which has allowed us to travel around the world participating in international festivals, of which we have won numerous awards. Having lived through the golden age of this world and seeing, with great regret, its decline, we decided that it was time to evolve towards a new means of artistic communication and we believe that this is the future.
The world of video games has always fascinated us, this art was already part of our studies and knowledge. When the time came, we bet, leaving everything behind, to start a new path that we know will be hard but we are passionate about it and we have something to offer.
Kim is a director, writer/dramatist, composer, 3D artist and is a great chef (his speciality is sauces)
Judit is a writer, designer, 3D artist, programmer, and currently the mother of 3 newborn kittens.
How did the idea for Seven Doors come about?
We had finished a very long and complicated game, Charon’s Staircase, an interactive story with a dense dramatic plot that was very gratifying to do, but at the same time exhausting. (We’re currently negotiating its publication) So we decided to make a game that would be as much fun for us to make as it was for the player to play – we’ve always loved the puzzle and enigma theme and it seemed like the perfect time to do it!
What are the games/media that influenced you and how?
It is difficult to list a particular game or theme. In a way, we suppose that we have been influenced by games with big plots. There are hundreds of titles; the Dracula saga of Psx, Riven, Syberia 1 and 2, Hollywood Monsters, Zelda, Final Fantasy X… (We are remembering old games… How easy would it be to tell you the modern ones!)
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the development of Seven Doors?
Understand the player’s mind. We had a lot of ideas, too many. Some of them had taken more than making the whole game, others were too simple to put into practice. But because they were our ideas, it was really hard to know how long it would take the player to solve them: 5 minutes, 20 minutes? Would he get bored?
What is your favorite aspect of the game and why?
Our favourite aspect has been to rediscover the rooms through the eyes of the players. For us, after so many hours inside the rooms, it was a regular thing. We designed the environments first, and in the final stages, we focused on the puzzles, so seeing the players’ surprise reactions as they entered each room was wonderful and extremely fun.
What is it that sets Seven Doors apart from other titles in the genre?
Every studio usually has its way of doing its work. Seven Doors very much in our style.
One of the standout features of Seven Doors is the soundtrack. Can you tell us more about what went into creating music for a game with such diverse environments?
Our experience in music theatre has been a great help to us as there is not much difference in composing for video games and stage music. Something that usually happens to us is that we create themes that when put on stage steal the protagonism of the environment and we always end up composing a lighter version. We have a portfolio of songs for orchestra that end up in a piano version.
What are the future plans for Indigo Studios?
We want to continue growing and improving day by day in our work. The game Seven Doors will be on Steam very soon and we hope in the next few months to be able to present the final version of Charon’s Staircase. We are also in the pre-production phase of what will be our biggest challenge and work so far, “Broken Strings”. We will talk about this game in the future, we hope to be able to show it to you in 2021.
What is the most unusual thing on your desk right now?
At the moment we read the question the most unusual thing was our cat Aleph, but as much as we asked her she didn’t want to be in the picture. However, we have attached the picture of our desk.
Anything else you would like to add?
We believe that video games have evolved to become the best media, in all aspects: artistic, literary, informative, and this is just the beginning.
Thank you very much for choosing us for this interview and for your work in support of this wonderful world of videogames.
Our thanks to Kim and Judit for taking the time to answer our questions! We look forward to playing Charon’s Staircase as soon as it is completed and urge everyone to check out Seven Doors in the meantime.
BopperZo April 30, 2020
Wait, so only two people made this game? How long have you been making games and where/how did you learn to make them look so good? I looked at the trailers on your website and the graphics for the Staircase game looks extremely good for such a small team? Will it be a static walking simulator type game or will people be allowed to interact with things? Sorry about all the questions. -BZ
Kim & Judit April 30, 2020
Hi, BopperZo,
Thank you very much for your comment!
Yes, we are just two people but we work long hours. xD
Several years ago we were studying Unity. About two years ago, when we decided to make the leap into this world we decided to change to Unreal. Since then we’ve only worked… 😀
There are still many things we have to learn but we do our best!
Charon’s Staircase is an adventure with a very elaborate script that you will discover as you explore the environment, being able to interact with many of the objects and immerse yourself in a dark and dramatic mystery story.
Johniversal April 30, 2020
I swear all cats hate getting their picture taken. The second I just think of pointing one at my cat she refuses to stop moving. The only time I ever get to take a non blurry photo of her is when she’s asleep. Aleph is a unique name for a cat, does it mean anything?
Kim & Judit April 30, 2020
Aleph is the most important mystical letter. It means creation… But observing it in its day to day life we think we got the wrong name.
We should have given the cat something like… Earthquake… 🙂
Eupraxia May 1, 2020
Lol I called my cat Vash after Vash the Stampede from the Trigun anime because of the devastation he could cause to a room as a kitten and now that he is older he is the most chill cat ever.
Kim & Judit May 1, 2020
Well, we have three 2-week old kittens… We’re terrified! :O
Spenser87 April 30, 2020
Cool interview and even cooler to see the developers answering questions. I’ve got nothting to ask but keep up the good work and keep flying that indie flag.
Kim & Judit May 1, 2020
Thank you very much for your comments. It is these comments that keep you going in difficult times.
We will keep the indie flag flying high and bright!
Wicedrish May 1, 2020
I like the look of the game but does it have any jumpscares as I am quit sensitive to those and just want something relaxing with puzzles.
Kim & Judit May 1, 2020
Hello Wicedrish,
The game has a couple of sinister rooms and you can even die if you get some puzzles wrong, but there are no scares. There is one room, The Hall of Tragic Fate, which requires speed and skill, if this isn’t too much trouble Seven Doors is your game!
Wicedrish May 1, 2020
Thank you for answering. One more question if you don’t mind, will the people who buy the game on itch get a steam key when its released on steam? I prefer keeping all my games in one place.
Kim & Judit May 1, 2020
Yes, of course, we will give Steam keys to everyone who has bought the game! 😀