The idea for this game came from GameJam 2025 in Brno, where I participated as a 2D animator and co-creator of the story and game design. We finalized the game under the name No Mercy(i). It was not only my first real attempt to create a playable game with a team, but it also sparked my interest in making computer games. Although the GameJam was over, my inspiration kept going. And that is how the idea was born — to take the foundations of that game and develop them further into my own project.
The project is a 2D pixel-art survival horror game built around a tense, paranoid atmosphere. The protagonist is trapped in an isolated mountain hotel with no way out and gradually encounters various guests and staff members. Some of them, however, are not human, but merely imitations of humans. If these non-humans go unnoticed for too long, they transform into dangerous creatures that come after the protagonist. The protagonist is able to defend himself with all his might. But he is also faced with an unpleasant dilemma: whom can he trust? Some guests may be harmless humans, while others may only be pretending to be. A wrong decision could cost innocent lives—or his own.
The game is primarily inspired by the cult film The Thing (1982), which portrays this paranoia to perfection and whose atmosphere I would like to capture.
I decided to build this project in Godot, which meant learning a new game engine from scratch. I started learning Godot and basic programming through publicly available YouTube tutorials while building this prototype. During the game’s development, I took on the following roles:
Beginner-level programming (Godot 4.4.1 and GDScript)
Gameplay design and implementation (Godot 4.4.1)
Level building (Godot 4.4.1)
Character sprite design and animation (Aseprite and Krita)
Sound and audio editing (Audacity)
Testing and debugging*
*ChatGPT was used for debugging and writing the small pieces of code. The rest of the development is AI-free.
Current status: The project is still in early development stage. I'm learning Godot and basic programming while adding new features. Although the game currently lacks a full-fledged level with a clear objective, the current prototype already contains several core gameplay systems, such as:
Basic melee combat and damage system
Transitions between different levels
Basic environmental interactions (opening chests)
Simple inventory system
Save, Load and Exit functionality
Limited field-of-view
RUN
ATTACK
WALK
DEATH