As a first-time indie developer, getting your game into a finished, playable state—not to mention published—is no small task. For many beginner developers, just getting a project out there at all is the ultimate end goal. But what happens when you have greater aspirations for your game?
November 2025 saw the release of loopbreaker, a massive expansion for the 2022 bullet hell roguelike ASTRONAUTILUS. This update added abilities, bosses, and areas alongside an all-new overarching storyline. I spoke on Discord with neozoid, solo developer of ASTRONAUTILUS, about the journey that brought them here, their artistic process, and what comes next.
Like many developers, what initially drew neozoid to game making was the new accessibility of development tools: anything from video tutorials to game engines like Unity and GameMaker. Another factor was the burgeoning enthusiasm for narrative-driven games in their online and university circles. Especially exemplary of this enthusiasm was the community around the 2015 narrative RPG Undertale, a testament to the creative potential of small development teams.
When neozoid created ASTRONAUTILUS, they were working from the wisdom that is often imparted to new developers: start small, keep things simple and gameplay-focused, and learn from previous failures. They were already well-practiced with coding, music composition, and pixel art, which sped up development and also kept things fresh, as they were able to bounce between different kinds of tasks. Being the sole creative voice of the project also allowed for a more cohesive artistic vision. All of these factors propelled them through the hurdle of actually finishing and releasing the game after two years of part-time development.
But neozoid’s small scope and self-imposed development timeline also meant that some aspirations went unfulfilled. They still found narrative-driven games compelling and craved the chance to discover their own unique voice within the medium. ASTRONAUTILUS was released, but this didn’t mean the creative process had to be over. After taking a break from development to combat burnout and immerse themself in other inspirational media, neozoid chose to rework the previously-neglected story of the game into something that they hoped would “elicit a more personal, emotional response from fans.”
The result was loopbreaker, an update whose narrative expands heavily on the world, a vibrant alien ocean, and the characters’ places within it. As you thread through swarms of unique marine enemies, swapping between weapons and upgrades and increasing your power with precisely-applied aggressive tactics, you’ll meet characterful NPCs who gesture to larger systems and relations in the world of Carcina. The slowly unfolding narrative also reaches the silent, enigmatic protagonist: Where did you come from? asks the loopbreaker release trailer. Why are you here?
Responses to loopbreaker have thus far been very positive. One review praises the “unique, heartfelt story” and says that the update has made it “the kind of game I’d hoped it had been from the beginning.” Another explains that the game now “does a much better job at telling its story without changing what was fun about playing it.”
In November, neozoid celebrated the release of loopbreaker with their music community—fellow users of the software PXTone, who have released remix albums for the OSTs of both the ASTRONAUTILUS base game and its update. Later this year, they plan to conclude development on ASTRONAUTILUS after a small post-game difficulty update. They believe that more content updates would “detract from the completeness” of the self-contained story and lead to creative stagnation. The next step will be to continue to study other works and artistic mediums. “The creative process is respiratory in this way,” writes neozoid: “you have to breathe fresh ideas in if you want to breathe fresh ideas out.”
While many aspiring games developers dream of creating huge, involved story games, few will be able to realize these visions with their first completed project. Hopefully, neozoid’s story can serve as an example of the diversity of possible creative journeys. Having proven to themself they could finish a game at all, they were able to build upon this foundation to craft the sort of narrative that made them interested in making games in the first place.
ASTRONAUTILUS
Developer/Publisher: neozoid.games
Platform: Windows
Release Date: March 30 2022
Genres: Action roguelike, bullet hell
Pictures: Screenshots taken by the author from ASTRONAUTILUS.
