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Koshmar: The Last Reverie was announced earlier this year, and now, after a chat with Kornelia Błażyńska and Robert Baranowski, the co-founders of the studio behind the title, we know a lot more about the upcoming title.
With Koshmar: The Last Reverie being such a big hit after its reveal, and so much relatively unknown, it was good to get to chat to the two directing minds behind the project, especially as this is arguably the studios biggest game to date, with the Boti franchise being its only releases before.
Read on for the full interview!
All Things Koshmar: The Last Reverie
For those who may not be aware, would you be so kind as to explain who you are, and what you do for Koshmar: The Last Reverie?
We’re Kornelia Błażyńska and Robert Baranowski, co-founders of Purple Ray Studio, an independent game development studio based in Poland. Kornelia is the Creative Director of Koshmar: The Last Reverie, overseeing the game’s creative vision, art direction, and overall identity.
Robert is the CEO and Studio Head, responsible for managing the studio, coordinating production, and making sure our team has everything it needs to bring that vision to life. Together with our team, we’re working to create a distinctive action-adventure experience that combines a dark, surreal world, engaging combat, and a story we’re genuinely excited to share with players.
What games, films or music have you drawn inspiration from during development, and how are you ensuring you’re staying far enough away from them that you’re standing out and being unique?
One of our biggest inspirations is definitely Alice: Madness Returns. We love its dark fairytale atmosphere, surreal environments, and slightly unsettling vibe. It’s the kind of game we feel has been missing for a while, and we wanted to bring something similar to a modern audience. But we’re not trying to make another Alice. Koshmar: The Last Reverie has its own story and identity, with faster combat, lots of skill customization, and roguelite elements that give players more freedom to experiment.
We also have our Aura System, where your choices affect how Violet sees the world and how the story unfolds. So while you might recognize some of our inspirations, we hope the game feels like its own thing.
Are there any Soulslike elements to Koshmar: The Last Reverie?
Not really. Koshmar: The Last Reverie is much more of an action-adventure game, with fast-paced combat, exploration, and a strong focus on storytelling and character progression.
Are there difficulty levels, or one standard difficulty for everyone?
Yes, Koshmar will have different difficulty levels. Players will also be able to increase the difficulty of certain challenges for better rewards and more experience, so there’s an extra challenge for those who want it.
Multiple Worlds
Playing as Violet, you’ve revealed you can travel between two worlds – is this user controlled, and real time, or will we be ‘forced’ to switch as and when the gameplay/story requires it?
For the most part, it’s up to the player. You can explore the real world and decide when to venture into nightmares, although certain story moments will require you to enter them to progress. We don’t want to spoil too much, though, as discovering how these two worlds connect is part of the experience!
The combat is fast-paced, and looks intuitive to pick up and play. How are you balancing the complexity to keep players engaged, but simple enough to pick up and not confuse?
We want players to enjoy the combat in their own way. You can customize your skills and abilities to match your preferred playstyle, whether you like keeping things simple or experimenting with more complex combinations. We also have classic difficulty settings, and there are some additional ways to make the game more challenging that players will have to discover for themselves!
Can you give us an example or two of what weapons, abilities or skills we’re going to see?
Our abilities are tied to the two sides of Violet’s Aura: Madness and Delusion, each offering different ways to approach combat and customize your playstyle. As for weapons, you can already spot some of them in our trailers, but we can’t reveal much more just yet!
Parts of the trailers highlighted how Violet can change in appearance. I presume this affects combat, but how exactly?
The more Violet taps into one side of her Aura, the closer she becomes to that power, and the stronger it gets compared to the other. This affects both her appearance and her abilities, so the way you play also shapes how Violet changes throughout the game.
You’ve announced morality systems, too, so does this mean the game has quests, decisions and more?
Yes! There will be moments where players have to make decisions, but it’s not just about dialogue choices. Every action you take also influences Violet’s Aura, so your playstyle matters just as much as the decisions you make along the way.
In the trailer we see a Violet with fangs. Is there the opportunity to turn evil/into a vampire and use those same people we’re trying to save for food?
Haha, no! Violet won’t be turning into a vampire or feeding on anyone. What you saw in the trailer was actually her ultimate form tied to Madness powers. Sorry to disappoint vampire fans!
How wide is the spectrum of the morality system? And how many different ways are there that our appearance can change? Is it like Fable back in the day, or far more in-depth and nuanced?
Fable is actually a pretty good comparison! But instead of a simple good-versus-evil system, we’re focusing more on Madness and Delusion. Your actions and the powers you use influence Violet’s Aura, which can change her appearance and how she experiences the world. We don’t want to give away all the possible transformations just yet, but there’s definitely more to it than just looking different!
No Microtransactions, World Progression and More
Along with the above, are there different outfits, costumes, glider aesthetics etc you can unlock?
Yes! There will be plenty of outfits and accessories designs to unlock. Some will be purely cosmetic, while others might have an effect on gameplay.
Will there be microtransactions?
Nope! Everything will be unlockable in-game. No microtransactions.
As you progress between the two worlds and presumably push back the plague, can you see this progression in the waking world? How does that present?
That’s something we’d rather leave for players to find out as they play. We don’t want to spoil too much about how the two worlds affect each other just yet.
In a trailer we see Violet consume a memory. Can you talk more about that?
These are fragments of Violet’s lost memories, scattered throughout the game. Finding them helps her piece together parts of her past and better understand herself. But what exactly happened to her? That’s something we’d rather keep a mystery for now.
How many endings are there currently?
The game will feature at least two different endings.
How do you find the right balance between a narrative adventure and the roguelite elements?
The story is always our main focus. We use roguelite elements to make each run feel a little different and give players more ways to experiment with their builds and develop Violet’s abilities. We want these systems to add variety without getting in the way of the narrative.
What’s the plan for Koshmar: The Last Reverie long term? Sequel? DLC? Franchise?
We might have a few dreams about that… but we can’t spill anything just yet! 😉
No Co-op, and Prideful Mechanics
Why strictly single player, and no co-op? Are there any plans for co-op?
We want to deliver a polished, story-focused experience, and we feel that single-player games offer greater immersion for this kind of adventure. Currently, we have no plans to introduce co-op.
What’s been the most challenging aspect of developing Koshmar: The Last Reverie?
Probably getting the Sanity system just right. It’s been quite a challenge to balance and make sure it works well with the rest of the gameplay. Let’s just say developing the Sanity bar has cost us quite a bit of our own sanity!
And currently, what are you most proud of, be it a mechanic, narrative choice, gameplay etc?
Probably our Aura System! We’re really happy with how it connects Violet’s appearance, abilities, and the way she experiences the world. It’s something we’ve put a lot of thought into, and we’re excited for players to see it in action. AI and its use is a contentious subject, especially in the gaming and creative industries.
Has AI been used during development in any way?
No, we haven’t used AI in the development of Koshmar: The Last Reverie. We’re keeping an eye on how AI technology evolves, but for now, we don’t plan to introduce these kinds of solutions into our production pipelines. Everything we’ve shown so far has been created by our team, and we’re keeping Koshmar a human-made experience.
Is there anything you’d like to share that you don’t usually get asked/the opportunity to share?
We’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone for the amazing response to Koshmar’s announcement! It really means the world to us and gives us so much motivation to make Koshmar: The Last Reverie the best game it can be. We can’t wait to show you more!
For your next read, don’t miss our chat with the developers of The Relic: First Guardian, or GPTRACK50’s President talking about the future of Stupid Never Dies.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
