15 Aug 2026Developer post

Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 Are Out Now!!

IT HAS BEGUN... Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 are now available! After years and years of development, it's time to show Night Spasm out into the world. We're living the indie dream now, boys and girls! "So what does that mean for me?" It means, lucky player, for only $19.99, y

IT HAS BEGUN...

Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 are now available!

After years and years of development, it's time to show Night Spasm out into the world. We're living the indie dream now, boys and girls!

"So what does that mean for me?"

It means, lucky player, for only $19.99, you can now play the first two chapters of the Night Spasm saga!

That's right! PLAY it! Like one of those video game things you've probably heard about!

In case this is your first time hearing about the game, Night Spasm is your go-to experience for memorable adventures, moments of self-reflection, and hilarious jokes that will ALWAYS be funny no matter how many times you hear them! Always!!

Chapters 1 & 2 (which, by the way, you CAN wishlist and play right now) are only the beginning of a much grander story. You can expect a fully polished and ready-to-play adventure ahead of you, however. That part is kind of important.

If you're feeling uncertain about buying this weird (and fun) little indie game for yourself, we've got you covered! Within the next few days, Chapter 1 will be available as a free demo! That's right! Not just a "part" or "slice" of Chapter 1... the whole freaking package!

(We were supposed to release the demo alongside the full version, but we're having some technical/publishing difficulties. Steam support is helping us speed up the process. They really are the best!)

Speaking of demos, the limited-time Battle Demo is no longer available. However, I feel as if not enough people got to experience the teeny-tiny secret you could ~~encounter~~ find at the end of the game. Maybe there'll be another way to ~~visit him~~ see it again in the far future? Or the near future, even? What counts as a far future, anyway? Aren't all futures far away?

Oh, and if you'd like a taste of Night Spasm's funky vibe (or you're just a fan of music), Chapter 1 & 2's full soundtrack is available for download on Steam! Additionally, Chapter 1's soundtrack is available on our YouTube channel, Chapter 2's soundtrack arriving within the next few days!

⚠ WARNING: The music team COOKED these last few years. Their songs WILL get stuck in your head! ⚠

"So you consider yourself a game developer, huh? What's next on the list?"

Many things, dear player, for we still have much work to do! And yes, that includes YOU!

While we let people enjoy the game and give their internet-y opinions about it, we'll be keeping a close eye out for bug reports, player suggestions, and what media/press has to say about the game. Ensuring the playable parts of the game are... well, playable... is our main focus for now. I have the feeling we'll be doing a lot of patching and paraphrasing these next few days, so if you find something really really stupid during your playthrough (whether it's supposed to be there or not), tell us about it on our Discord server.

(Don't worry, the moderators don't bite. They're quite malnourished, in fact.)

Regarding the next BIG part of the game... We'll explain more about that later. I hear it has something to do with Chapter 2's post-game content, but what do I know? I'm just the Director.

"Hmmm, interesting. Anyway, I'm going to go play the game now."

W-wait! There's still so much more to talk about!

...

Darn it! They already left! Who am I supposed to talk to now??

Oh well. I'll just make another post later. I'm sure the reader will follow all of our social media pages for more upcoming news, community events, and behind-the-scenes developer stories. Why wouldn't they? They do like gaming, after all.

Once again, thank you all so much for following this project and encouraging me to follow my dreams. Not all game developers make it this far, and there's so much more to do, so I hope you'll continue to support this game and all of the wonderful people who helped make it possible. It's not going to be easy, and it's not always going to be fun, but if it means giving players memories they'll never forget, what more can a mortal man ask for?

SEE YOU ON THE ISLAND, PLAYER. YOUR 2ND LIFE IS WAITING FOR YOU...

Find our socials on the Night Spasm Website!

Original post

17 Jul 2026Developer post

Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 Release August 15th, 2026!

AFTER 7 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT, 6 YEARS AFTER ITS FIRST PUBLIC DEBUT, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING... Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 release August 15th, 2026! Cue the party poppers! 🎂 ... Shoot. They brought carrot cake instead. Oh well... "Night Spasm"? What does that even mean? Why,

AFTER 7 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT, 6 YEARS AFTER ITS FIRST PUBLIC DEBUT, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING...

Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 release August 15th, 2026!

Cue the party poppers!

🎂

...

Shoot. They brought carrot cake instead. Oh well...

"Night Spasm"? What does that even mean?

Why, I'm glad you asked! It's only the BEST, MEMORABLE, MOST THRILLING indie RPG you'll ever play! 100% satisfactory guaranteed!

...Or, maybe it's just another game in the end... But no matter! Games are FUN, right? Everybody LOVES fun! And what better way to spend your time than experiencing a whole new world right before your eyes?! Incredible, right!? Take THAT, crossword puzzles!

For only $19.99, you, too, can experience a once-in-a-lifetime game featuring:

Twists and turns around every corner...
Action-packed adventure with every step you take...
Craftable salads.

"$19.99? For a 30-hour game with more content to come? I don't know..."

Never fret, dearest players! It's a passion project, not a product! All proceeds go to supporting future chapters and the 70+ creators who helped bring the game to life!

Besides, you'll love this game! It's absolutely FULL of whimsical moments and strange mysteries! In fact, it's so mysterious that even WE don't fully understand it!

Sometimes, characters we didn't implement randomly appear. Sometimes, a song we never made plays in the background, disappearing the moment we look for its source. Sometimes, the game whispers warnings and promises to us in our dreams, pairs of red eyes and pale white arms reaching out to us in the dark... Just normal, every day results from a silly little game.

I only hope you don't experience such things after playing the game. It can affect one's sleep schedule, you see...

<--- (Very sleepy)

Buy the game once, get all future chapters for free!

Like episodes of a TV show, the game is split into chapters, each entry offering new quests to solve, characters to meet, and challenges to conquer! In a way, you can even play the game backwards, should you explore Chapter 1's content AFTER Chapter 2's.

Under a single purchase, whether you buy it next month or 10 years from now, you get all of the game's current and future chapters for absolutely free! Additionally, whether you own the game or not, you can listen to and download each chapter's soundtrack for no cost at all, available on the game's store page (or our YouTube channel)!

If you're unsure whether the game is right for you, you're in luck! Chapter 1 will be free to play alongside Chapter 2's release! No microtransactions, no required internet connection, and no catch! Just the full first chapter, openly available for all to play!

(You don't even need a strong computer to play it... Or worse, a paid subscription... EUCK!)

If you're the eager type, there's also a limited-time Battle Demo available on the store page! Yes, limited time! Right now!!

It's not much, but I hear there's something strange at the end... An odd, not-at-all lore-relevant surprise for the truly invested. At least, that's what our error console keeps telling us, even though we KNOW there's nothing there. Must be a glitch...

"Wow! For only $19.99?? Sign me up! Where else can I tell people about this COOL, FUN, and DASHINGLY HANDSOME game?"

Oh, you're too kind! But your best bet would be our Discord Server, where you can chat with other fans, get notified of special events, and share theories about the game that kind of make sense but also don't, the game not being out yet and all...

And hey, if you're a content creator, we share people's livestreams and YouTube videos to each other all the time! Er, we would, if there were any... But maybe you and your camera can help?

"Is that all you have to say? Weird jokes about your loving and passionate game?"

No. Far from it, actually. These last few years of writing, coding, and playing the game have led to some of the best moments of my life. I've made many friends, told many stories, and learned many things as I brought this game to life. To think it all started with a (literal) dream...

In all seriousness, I hope you give Night Spasm a chance. Even if you just play the demo, watch your favorite creator play it, or heck, even pirate the game, nothing makes me happier than to see people have fun. Never in my life did anyone think all of that gaming was going to do me any good, yet here I am, allowing others a chance to make more memories than I can count.

I'm proud to call myself a game developer... And one day, I hope you can, too. Start by writing a book, perhaps. It's baby steps that lead to adult steps!

Thank you for reading this post.

See you August 15th!

(Or, maybe sooner!)

Find our socials on the Night Spasm Website!

Original post

07 Jan 2026Developer post

January 2026 Development Update

Good Evening Everyone Who Survived 2025: 2020 Part 5 is over, but I'm sure the fireworks in the sky told you that already. Like the cover art of this post? I stole it from Google Images. 0: Contrary to popular belief, I'm not dead. On the floor twitching, but still alive. Whilst

Good Evening Everyone Who Survived 2025:

2020 Part 5 is over, but I'm sure the fireworks in the sky told you that already. Like the cover art of this post? I stole it from Google Images. 0:

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not dead. On the floor twitching, but still alive.

Whilst stewing in midnight shower thoughts and emotions, I've been working hard to FINALLY get the true release of Night Spasm (Chapter 2) out the door. I can safely and happily say that Chapter 2 will be available for purchase within the first-half of 2026. I don't want to share the exact release date quite yet (just in case I jump the gun too soon), but I'll soon be sharing the current one I have in mind in an upcoming animated release trailer, the animated sections of it brought to you by Samuel F, who helped bring the trailer to life.

Some snapshots of the trailer development process (and proof of commission since Samuel seemed to have dropped off the face of the planet):

Nothing makes better reference images than cheap sketches scribbled in Microsoft Paint ♥

Hmm... "Sketch". Sounds like a good name for a boss fight that may or may not appear in later chapters...

Oh, and speaking of chapters, for those of you who don't know already, Night Spasm will be released in chapters, some of which will include multiple parts, each new chapter/part a FREE continuation of the last one. Buy the game once, get the rest of the game with it, as all games should be (looking at you, modern AAA studios...).

For chapters split into multiple parts, know that a "part" is just aftermath content. You won't be buying anything lacking an ending once the paid version of the game comes out. Just thought I'd clarify that since it's been a popular beta-tester wonder lately.

Speaking of pre-content...

The Demo Will Be Changing Soon

Currently, a very unpolished version of Chapter 1 can be downloaded from the Steam page, which was intended to provide a close preview of the final version of Chapter 1, set to release alongside Chapter 2. But of course, as usual, I just couldn't help myself and ended up adding all sorts of new features and characters to meet that will tie in with future chapters (and fix some gameplay/progression problems many beta testers brought up). Because of this, the current version of Chapter 1 will soon be temporarily replaced with the refined version of the game's intro scene and tutorial. Then, once Chapter 2 releases, all of Chapter 1 and its new content will be available as the game's demo.

And don't worry about losing progress in the demo version. Demo save files will carry over if you decide to buy the full game later. Yay!

Some Random Life Updates

Let's see, what else have I been up to? Time flew so fast since my last post in... August??

Oh! Good news! I graduated from college last Fall! I earned two degrees, one in Project Management and one in Administrative Management, both of which I managed to get because the requirements of the first one led down the path of the other one. So I thought, "Why not?"

Funny story: My original career plan was to shoot for a degree in Computer Science, something that was more encouraged by others who didn't really know my interests very well, but I went for it anyway. Unfortunately, as anyone who has seen my code knows, I was not very good at it, although very few passed the class anyway, so maybe my C+ grade in that class (double pun intended) was due to the old lady people kept telling was a bad teacher. I guess I should've known the moment she had us write full blocks of JavaScript code on notebook paper.

Yes, you read that right.

Jokes and mild human spite aside, I'm glad I went down the college path I did. I may not've done a single college thing you'd normally see in the movies, but it was a fun experience getting to learn about IT AND business at the same time, two topics with teaching content more valuable than the degrees themselves, at least in my eyes. Most were surprised I wasn't doing Computer Science, and every time I tell people my dream is to be a game developer, they always go "Oh, so you're into programming and 3D Modeling and such?", and I'm like "What? Ew, no. I'm into writing and music". Then they just kind of don't say anything after that.

It's like the older generation thinks shooters with HD graphics are the only games out there. Elders these days, I tell ya!

Also, shout out to my mom for encouraging me to start college... and finish it. Couldn't have done it without her.

In addition to getting a full-time property management job two months ago and moving into my first apartment last year, I've been working on all sorts of things in my spare time... things that probably aren't as significant as the two big things I just mentioned. But I am a nerd, however, so instead, I shall only speak of fun things, like a board game I've been working on that I one day hope I can kickstart into a real game. My dad and I have both been working on our own tabletop games for the past few months, so we've sort of been indirectly motivating each other to keep our projects going.

His looks way better than mine, by the way. Mine is like a slightly less comprehensible, medieval version of Command & Conquer x Clash of Clans, featuring too many dice, wooden blocks from a Jenga set, and those little white triangular "pizza table" things as game pieces.

Oh shoot... I could've spent all of that nerd time working on Chapter 2. Oh well...

And hey, my birthday is coming up in two days, as is my brother's, who was born on the 7th, just a day before me, many years after me though (I can't believe he's turning 437 already). I'll be turning 22 on the 8th, which I only mention because 22 has always had an unusual significance in our family. It's like a motif for something, but I still don't know what.

Hopefully that number isn't foreshadowing my death or something...

Commissions Available

I guess this is a good time to mention that I still have Fiverr commissions open. Due to a recent experience I had, I've since gained a new perspective on art and music in general, so I've been itching to make something. If you'd like to help scratch that itch, hit me up on Fiverr.

On the flip side, if you're someone with talent and big ideas, come join the team! Wouldn't want me to bust out my horrible pixel art skills, would you?

If you have any questions, comments, or even just a cursed Instagram reel you want me to see for some reason, message me on X.com (@master_moes) or hit me up on the Night Spasm Discord Server.

Anyway, tata for now! Can't wait to share Chapter 2 with you!

The game is on its way. I promise.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely-ly,

MasterMoes

Original post

29 Aug 2025Developer post

My Time at S.L.I.C.E in Seattle, WA (and how it inspired me)

Seattle: "The Hollywood of Game Development" On August 27th, 2025, I had the honor of attending Seattle's 15th annual S.L.I.C.E. event ("Seattle Loves Indie Creators Expo), an all-day indie game event where humble indie devs get to share their games, connect with other devs, and

Seattle: "The Hollywood of Game Development"

On August 27th, 2025, I had the honor of attending Seattle's 15th annual S.L.I.C.E. event ("Seattle Loves Indie Creators Expo), an all-day indie game event where humble indie devs get to share their games, connect with other devs, and hear the dos and don'ts from the industry masters themselves.

Feeling like I lived through 20 lifetimes of game development in only a day, I learned what it means to be a true indie developer. Spoiler alert: There is no "one way", but there sure are a lot to choose from...

"So how was it?"

Mostly attending the panels about community building, budgeting, and marketing (every dev's kryponite), I got the chance to hear from and talk to a lot of industry professionals, including:

Eric Borane (creator of Stardew Valley)
Hanna Fogelberg (PEAK and Content Warning)
Gavin Eisenbeisz (Choo-Choo Charles)
Jon Hansen (CEO of Skill Tree)
Renee Gittens (creator of Potions: A Curious Tale)
Dan Dixon (creator of Universe Sandbox)
And many others I sadly didn't have enough time to talk to.

A few of them even took direct interest in Night Spasm. It was like hearing validation from a council of game-enthusiastic Greek gods.

Out of all of the panels, Eric Barone's interview intrigued me the most. It's hard to explain, but apparently, though our mentalities are completely different when it comes to work strategies, time management, world-building, community values, and so on, we had a lot in common. We both seemed to share a similar origin: Two stressed, self-depricating, and easily-distracted guys making a game basically all by ourselves, never giving up and striving to improve each and every day. In Eric's case, though, he THINKS he's not good enough to deserve his success. Hearing him say that, I realized underconfidence was my biggest killer...

Emphasis on "was".

In the end, each panel was both relatably hilarious and full of wise words I'll never forget. In fact, there was so much to take in, I ended up creating the longest list of notes I've ever made. Below is a GIANT list of some of the best pieces of advice and quotes I could collect:

If you hate what you've made, you're probably doing something right. If you like what you're doing, you're still on the way to success, only faster.
"Games are just machines that can't replicate intuition" (Eric Barone). Intuition comes from the player and must originate from them. It's impossible for intuition to come from the game, but it can initiate it. "If your game feels like a machine, it might as well not be a game."
"Yeah, formality kills. I come up with the idea first and don't bother changing the idea because, if I could come up with an idea out of nothing, so might the player. It's like a magic spell requiring a luck roll. Go for d20 before the idea or your motivation dies."
Crunching and burnout do more damage than they do progress.
Personal reputation is stronger than portraying yourself as a company or team that doesn't exist, especially when trying to come off as "big" or corporate. People care about you more than your reputation as a company.
Don't hold back on posting on social media. If it works, it's because people liked it. If it doesn't, no one's going to see it anyway.
SHOW. YOUR. GAME. Let people see it, no matter what it is. Just do it!!
Even if you just have an idea, develop it. It's something to build off of immediately, no matter how small!
Start where you're comfortable first, then branch out. Figure out where your community and target audience want to linger. Use media based on your game (wordy platforms for Night Spasm's case, for example).
Teasers without context are mysterious and captivating, making people imagine the potential, even if the teaser is just a shitpost.
Immediate danger sells. Start trailers strong and lead them to understanding what's going to happen next.
A dedicated media manager/moderator is stronger than managing media yourself. Helps you stay as the good cop, too.
Use platforms as ad space by offering as much free and polished content on that platform.
Tell the "why" behind bad news. Trust your audience with the truth. We're all people with things to show and say, after all.
1 like is more than no likes. You miss every chance at engagement you don't go for.
"If everyone is making mistakes, you're on the right team. No one makes games the same way at all". (Jeff Pobst)
Nobody likes a "talented asshole", no matter how skilled they are.
"Good people drain the GREAT people's potential and ruin the chance to acquire greatness from the good people". (Dan Dixon)
People who've been developing a game for over 3 years are still developing their work culture, and that's ok. "Keep asking if it's working or not". (Samantha Kalman)
"Don't finger-point. Just solve the problem." (Mitch Gitelman)
Some people don't want to know everything happening in development. Some people don't like rollercoasters, others do. It's a matter of balancing transparency.
Clear and honest equals kind. Negativity isn't bad. There's a difference between kind and nice. Being nice just means suppressing something that will linger. Correct people because you want them to be good. It helps EVERYONE.
"Improvement is a 50/50 half of the time". (Mitch Gitelman)
If you want to make meaningful change in the industry, it's about the people in the industry, not who started it or who's "controlling" it (there isn't anyone controlling it).
Listen to the people who want to do the work, not the knowledgeable ones you have to convince.
As a leader, be the team's therapist.
There's a genie in every member. They'll grant your wishes, so long as you don't turn them into a "golden goose".
Everyone is equal, no matter the roles. Some just don't know that yet.
If you're encouraged to make money from a game because you need the money to survive day-to-day life, chances are, you have a happy team working for you.
Money lets you make more choices, including bad ones.
Repost often. It introduces latecomers to important info, and you can build off of familiar content as an easy kickstart and community reminder.
Over-promising or being underwhelming hurts the devs more than the community.
Stay engaged. If there are people begging to listen to you, give them what they want. It maintains loyalty.
Willingness to show content gains appreciation from the community.

I could go on and on about the things I learned, but this seems like enough as is. Maybe I'll jump on the bandwagon and talk about this more in a podcast (it will get 1 listener).

Oh yeah, DannyBStyle (composer of Crypt of The Necrodancer) and Prog XP hosted a concert during the after-party event, playing many songs from Super Meat Boy, Rift of The Necrodancer, Sonic, Final Fantasy, and, to my pleasant surprise, Xenoblade. They played a few Miku songs too (they were weird but kinda cool).

Apparently, their bass guitarist got deported, and they had a whole montage about it. R.I.P. Daniel.

"See any cool indie projects?"

You better believe I did!

If indie developers are good at anything, it's coming up with original ideas, from a competitive local co-op delivery service game to an extremely detailed fish simulator. My favorite one was a tactical RPG heavily inspired by Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Guess I'm not the only one who steals 90% of their ideas from that game...

Below are some of my favorite projects I'd highly recommend checking out (not all of the top condendors had Steam pages yet, unfortunately):

"What did people think of Night Spasm?"

Expectation:

"Man, my game doesn't look nearly as cool as all these other ones. Why am I even here? Maybe I shouldn't even bother..."

Reality:

...

I gave away all 100 business cards I printed that night.

Contrary to my fears, people seemed to like the game a lot, and I'm not talking about pity. I was extremely worried people would just see the game as some crappy RPG Maker slop project, but not only did I barely receive any constructive criticism, tons of people liked that it felt like a classic RPG Maker game. In fact, most players seemed less interested in the main concept of the game and were more invested in the little retro details they could identify, some players finding reference to classic things I didn't even know were references! The music was by far the majority's favorite element, and I didn't even bring that topic up once.

One funny moment I recall was a player and two strangers huddling together to try and solve one of the puzzle pillars, specifically the maze with the one-way arrows. After about 5 minutes of trying to solve it, they celebrated their accomplishment... only to earn a pile of leaves and a bundle of fish as their reward. They had a good laugh over that.

Another funny moment involved a player whose luck was so unreasonably unlucky that he actually became more invested in the game, continuously trying to redeem himself with a positive attitude. No matter what, he just couldn't seem to make the right choices at the right time, but he held on like his life depended on it. In the end, he played more than he originally planned to, eventually figuring out how to defeat one of the hardest bosses in just 4 turns.

Apparently, everyone else is better than me at my own game. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

Also, shoutout to the lady who asked to exit the demo save file to start a full-on playthrough from the beginning, still playing the game for about an hour and 45 minutes after I just came back from one of the panels. Now THAT'S some serious perseverance!

By the end of it all, there was nothing better than seeing a player's smile right in front of you. It's safe to say my spark of passion is now a roaring inferno.

"In conclusion?"

For the first time in my life, I feel I have a purpose. As passionate as I was before the event, I still had the feeling that game development was just a hopeless dream I forced myself to hold onto.

But now I know the truth.

This journey won't be easy, and perhaps, I just don't have the luck to follow all my dreams. But the parts that don't require luck? I'm coming after them with fearlessness, baby! No longer am I content with being the cog in a corporate machine! No longer am I afraid to speak up about the things I thought sounded foolish or too good to be true!

I'm an indie developer at heart, gosh darn it, and I'm not giving up, even on my last life!

As part of the new development mindset I wish to follow while developing Night Spasm, I talked to the team about how we want to portray ourselves... and it was a super easy discussion, because truthfully, there never was a "team" to begin with.

One thing I learned is how important it is to be honest with yourself and the community supporting your game. For a while, I've tried to portray myself and those working with me as some big company... but that's not who I am. Like Eric, I'm just one man working on a game, occasionally hiring freelancers to do the things I can't do myself, left alone once their work is done. No matter how big my list of credits gets, in the end, it's just me. Would I rather have a passionate team supporting me forever? Undoubtedly. Is that what I have or something I can get? As much as I'd like to say yes, that's not the case. It's me against the world. I'm small, and that's ok! We all start somewhere, right?

Maybe one day things will grow, but for now, I must make do with what I have. May luck be with me.

If you're interested in hearing more about the event or want help figuring out where you're headed in your gaming career, feel free to message me on X.com (@master_moes) or hit me up on the Night Spasm Discord Server. SLICE will also be releasing a small interview I did with one of the event coordinators, which I'll be sure to share on my X account.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely,

~~The Night Spasm Team~~

MasterMoes

Original post

16 Aug 2023Developer post

WE HAVE A WEBSITE NOW! (nightspasm.com)

Visit the all-new Night Spasm website! nightspasm.com That's right, Night Spasm has its own website! Visit the site to earn prizes , see blog posts , follow the Night Spasm newsletter , and view a MASSIVE preview of Chapter 2 ! There may even be a few secret URLs to find! (; Plea

24 Jun 2023Developer post

The Benefits of Being an Entertainer (A Night Spasm presentation).

Hello Spasmers, Gideon here. A few weeks ago I mentioned I had the honor of presenting Night Spasm at my college, Central Washington University. I presented the practical applications of being a video game creator and explained how I used psychology studies to enhance the player'

Hello Spasmers, Gideon here.

A few weeks ago I mentioned I had the honor of presenting Night Spasm at my college, Central Washington University. I presented the practical applications of being a video game creator and explained how I used psychology studies to enhance the player's storyline experience of my game. After giving my 10-minute presentation to all of the judges, I was told over 862 business, computer science, IT, and psychology majors used my presentation data and advice as sources for their own projects and as materials for assignments! Furthermore, I've been given the honor of explaining the leadership and marketing aspects of Night Spasm's development in a class this coming Fall. I'm very honored and excited to share more of my journey in game development, and I am eternally grateful for all of the online and local support I've received over the past few months!

In honor of this milestone, I'd like to share with all of you the script and slides I used to explain Night Spasm's overall concept to the judges! It explains the general guidelines/rules I use when developing Night Spasm and defines my perspectives on video games, storytelling, leadership, and the future of our world as people. I intended to upload this presentation much sooner, but I had some trouble with Night Spasm's event page regarding uploaded images (I even had to contact Steam support to resolve it all)...

You may notice that a lot of the images and lines presented below are currently a part of the Night Spasm store page. I figured the contents of the presentation were perfectly suited for new players ready to immerse themselves into the Night Spasm world. That was the purpose of these slides after all!

Without further ado, I present to you:

The Benefits of Being an Entertainer!

Today I’ve been given the honor of presenting to you the very project that changed my life, a video game project that introduced me to the wonderful worlds of business, leadership, programming, writing, psychology, music, art, and more.

This is Night Spasm, a single-player philosophical role-playing video game that prompts you to make in-game decisions based on your real-life philosophies and worldviews.

(NIGHT SPASM: “An English rendition of a Greek Mythology term “anexélenkto skotádi” (an-ex-eh-linkto sko-dav-ee) which roughly translates to “uncontrollable darkness”. Also the term the characters use to describe the villain’s actions”).

Designed for casual and non-casual players, Night Spasm is both an entertaining adventure of quests and combat but also a personal learning experience that tells a lore-rich story you can study, question, and interpret limitlessly.

The story follows the lives of three main characters, Theodore, Vander, and Evana, three air pilots who have found themselves in a mysterious world after seemingly dying from a plane crash.

Saved from death by a wise and friendly mage known as MOG, the pilots find themselves in “The Island”, a once beautiful world designed to save the lives of those meeting an unfortunate end, now locked in war by an ambitious and terrifying enemy.

Inevit, a phantom of unknown motivations, has captured a mystical entity called “The Rechance”, the source of magic power responsible for saving the lives of countless creatures, including the pilots.

As the player, you are responsible for guiding the pilots in forming a colony to take down the phantom and restore The Island to its former glory.

Or perhaps, you may even have a different plan in mind for these characters…

The gameplay is fairly simple but can become more complicated depending on the answers you seek. Exploring allows you to expand your colony via your base which you can use to interact with recruits, craft items, cook food, receive daily rewards, and more.

The game features turn-based yet hectic battles which often present chances to greatly alter the storyline. Strategy and resourcefulness are the keys to defeating your enemies, whoever they may be, as you teach your colony members new skills, give them equipment, and bring them through all kinds of strange locations and societies.

There are many opportunities to befriend, kill, or even betray a colorful cast of characters through the battle system, each outcome significantly altering your playthrough one way or another.

The game is open-world too, meaning most of the story alterations, big or small, are optional and can be done in the order of your desire, opening even more outcome possibilities.

Music plays an important role in Night Spasm. Individually composed by me and many contributing artists, the soundtrack uses leitmotifs and recurring melodies to establish connections between certain in-game stories.

Some connections are harder to identify than others, but by analyzing the soundtrack, you can find more discoveries than meets the eye.

Night Spasm is an extremely choice-based game that emphasizes how even the smallest of choices can make big impacts on the world. However, the unique part about Night Spasm is that you, the player, are not directly in control of anything within The Island, but instead nothing more than an influence. Just like in real life, we aren’t in control of everything that happens around us, as nice as it would be. The same rules apply to Night Spasm.

Your only way to change the course of time is to manipulate what the characters think rather than manipulate what the characters do, meaning it’s up to the characters to decide how they react to your influence.

Sometimes you’re given the option to choose what a character says but not how they say it. Sometimes you’re given the option to choose what a character talks about but not directly what they say… or even who says it sometimes.

Most characters have a special attribute that either helps or hinders your ability to make influences, meaning the more people associated with your adventure, the harder it is to control your playthrough.

Now, besides being a fun game to mess around with, Night Spasm is also a major personal experience.

Through the game’s characters, lore, world, and intractability, Night Spasm deals with deep and sensitive topics and concepts seen in our modern society and in history.

Much like real life, there are times our worldviews are challenged, and we must choose to either defend our beliefs or turn to the other side. Night Spasm prepares you for those times and accurately applies your beliefs to turn the tide of your playthrough, sometimes subtlety and other times very clearly.

It’s up to you how you let your beliefs affect the storyline, but no matter what you choose, there will always be characters supporting your beliefs or fighting against them, and that’s exactly what makes Night Spasm a game worth playing.

As I conclude this presentation, I’d like to emphasize that, by building this project from the ground up, I’ve learned countless skills that have made me a harder worker and a better person. Social skills, business, programming, music, marketing, storytelling, leadership… ever since I began this project, I’ve learned that entertainment isn’t just some distraction from reality, but a chance to learn and gain new perspectives through someone else’s hard work.

I made this game with perspective in mind, almost as a tribute to all the games, movies, and books that made me into who I am today. I created Night Spasm so others could feel the same enlightening experiences I did throughout my life, hopefully inspiring generations to not only study the magical worlds made from the minds of others but to also tell their own stories in a way other people can enjoy.

As most of you here are probably studying a technological or business field, I would greatly encourage you to pursue the entertainment industry, as it is both a lucrative job in a limitless industry and a chance to reshape the future in your own hands.

(End of presnetation)

I hope this little slide show inspired you to tell your own story in some way. As the students learned, it's important to share the good and the bad of your life so others can look to you for guidance. Whether you have a wonderful movie idea or a diary you've been writing since you were a kid, put all you've got into turning your experiences into an extraordinary work of art. It will do wonders for your life. Trust me, it's easier than it seems!

And hey, if you don't know where to start, send me a friend request through Steam. Let's talk! One day, if you work past the hardships, you could end up in your school's local paper! (;

Please consider following the Night Spasm Steam Community page and our other forms of social media. Your feedback and support are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Join the Night Spasm Discord server!
Twitter
Instagram
Night Spasm YouTube channel
My personal YouTube channel
Twitch channel

Original post

16 May 2023Developer post

NIGHT SPASM 3 YEAR PRE-RELEASE ANIVERSERY Dev Log (#3) | Some news and such...

Hello Spasmers, Gideon here. Can you believe Night Spasm was announced 3 years ago today?!?! May 15th, 2020 marked the day the Night Spasm store page was set up, about a year after the project was started in my potato of a computer. Since Night Spasm's release as a demo via Chapt

Hello Spasmers, Gideon here.

Can you believe Night Spasm was announced 3 years ago today?!?! May 15th, 2020 marked the day the Night Spasm store page was set up, about a year after the project was started in my potato of a computer. Since Night Spasm's release as a demo via Chapter 1, Chapter 1 has gone from a playable (yet underdeveloped) project demonstration to the fully-fledged starting chapter we have today. Now the base game of all future chapters, Night Spasm has become a project I'm proud to share. Heck, I was so scared of people thinking my project was weird that I didn't even tell my family about the project until 6 weeks before I announced the project to the public! Now I've had the honor of showing Night Spasm to the world and meeting hundreds of wonderful people throughout my career. ❤

It's been a while since I've posted something, so I figured now's the perfect time to give y'all an update regarding Chapter 2 and show you some cool things I've been doing either on my own or with the development team.

Night Spasm news

Chapter 2 status:

Development on Chapter 2 is slowing down a little bit, but this is actually a sign of how close we are to the final product. The development team consists of contract/commission workers and many resource contributors (artists, musicians, programmers, etc.) supporting Night Spasm out of their own interest. Most of the contract workers have finished their jobs and have been compensated accordingly, meaning all that's left for me to do is implement the resources, program what remains of the chapter, and eventually set up the Steam store for Chapter 2's grand arrival.

I absolutely can not WAIT to show you guys all the fun and challenging moments Chapter 2 has to offer! Assemble your colony folks... this is just the beginning of an adventure you'll never forget!

(PSST... if you want to hear some music featured in Chapter 2, visit my Soundcloud page!)

Website status:

Don't worry, we're getting there! We're just ensuring everything works as intended, from the Newsletter system to the rewards page (you might want to keep that one in mind).

For now, here are some snapshots of the site:

Oops, ignore that last image... I'm not too sure where I got that. What am I even looking at? Whatever.

The website will be up sooner than later. Making weird-looking websites are hard, ok?

OH AND BY THE WAY... The website will include a new blog page featuring all sorts of content such as behind-the-scenes stories, bits of advice about game development, leadership, and business, lore drops, and other random little things worth reading. The extra-relevant stuff will still be hosted through Steam, but I figured it would be easier to separate the news from the storytelling, you know? I hope you'll continue reading both my insights and my silly goober material.

Version 1.0.7.11 coming May 16th

There are a lot of new game mechanics coming to Chapter 2, as well as a lot of quality-of-life material. Upon developing some of Chapter 2's new features, I decided to apply some features to the actual game engine so both free-version and paid-version players can enjoy the optimized engine changes, which include the new quality-of-life features.

The update adds some other little content changes to Chapter 1 as well. Remember, Chapter 1 is a preview demo of the full game (Chapter 2 and above); Even though the Steam page considers the game fully released on May 15th, 2020, the TECHNICAL full release of the game is when Chapter 2 comes out. Don't worry, Chapter 1 will always be free, but after Chapter 2 is fully released, the only changes to Chapter 1 from that point will be any changes to the engine. Console editions of Night Spasm (should they ever exist), individual DLC expansions, and new language translations are the only exceptions.

Some other recent projects:

My presentation at S.O.U.R.C.E:

Recently, I've been extremely busy preparing to present two massive presentations at my college Central Washington University (CWU), one of which is for an event called SOURCE. I've been given the honor to present Night Spasm in front of a large group of students of all types of majors. There I will talk about the gameplay of the game and how developing a video game positively affected my career and personal life.

Interesting story, I used to be a Computer Science major due to my interest in game development (I had another game project and a massive fan project before I developed Night Spasm). But, as I truly got to experience leading a team and owning a business, I decided to major in Information Technology & Administrative Management (ITAM major). I realized that it is the designing and directing aspect I enjoy so much of game development, not the technical aspect. As the oldest of three younger siblings, I've always done my best to lead and help people in any way I can, and now I'm doing that through Night Spasm. I enjoy the creative arts and storytelling side of game development the most, especially music, being the music nerd that I am.

Anyway, I'm a little nervous, but it will be very fun. I will post my slides and script on the store page after the event is over.

"Cat Tank" event:

Have you ever seen that one TV show where business owners present their business idea to a bunch of investors? The show known as Shark Tank? Yeh, I'm doing that... kinda...

I'm competing in a knock-off version of Shark Tank called Cat Tank, also happening at my college. I came up with an idea for a new product that could actually become a reality someday. Who knows. All I know is you can't predict the future, but you can shape it with enough sweat, ambition, and medium-sized iced mocha coffees from Burger King (caffeine doesn't affect me anyway, but they're very tasty).

While I can't provide the script and slides for this presentation, I can drop the logo here with no context!

I really like the color orange, don't I? I don't even like oranges.

Well, that's about it. A nice brief dev log I'll forget I wrote in like 2 hours. Expect the update tomorrow and have fun messing around finding those extra secrets I added. Patch notes will arrive shortly!

Please consider following the Night Spasm Steam Community page and our other forms of social media. Your feedback and support are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Join the Night Spasm Discord server!
Twitter
Instagram
Night Spasm YouTube channel
My personal YouTube channel
Twitch channel

Original post

Updates & announcements

IT HAS BEGUN...

Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 are now available!

"So what does that mean for me?"

"So you consider yourself a game developer, huh? What's next on the list?"

"Hmmm, interesting. Anyway, I'm going to go play the game now."

SEE YOU ON THE ISLAND, PLAYER. YOUR 2ND LIFE IS WAITING FOR YOU...

AFTER 7 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT, 6 YEARS AFTER ITS FIRST PUBLIC DEBUT, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING...

Night Spasm: Chapters 1 & 2 release August 15th, 2026!

"Night Spasm"? What does that even mean?

Buy the game once, get all future chapters for free!

"Wow! For only $19.99?? Sign me up! Where else can I tell people about this COOL, FUN, and DASHINGLY HANDSOME game?"

"Is that all you have to say? Weird jokes about your loving and passionate game?"

Thank you for reading this post.

See you August 15th!

ATTENTION ALL ACTION-CRAVING GAMERS:

Good Evening Everyone Who Survived 2025:

The Demo Will Be Changing Soon

Some Random Life Updates

Commissions Available

Seattle: "The Hollywood of Game Development"

"So how was it?"

"See any cool indie projects?"

"What did people think of Night Spasm?"

"In conclusion?"

-The Night Spasm Team

-The Night Spasm Team

A NEW COMMUNITY DISCORD SERVER BETTER THAN EVER!

-The Night Spasm Team

Night Spasm version 1.0.10.0 | The Better Together Update

Recent news:

Download Chapter 1's Soundtrack for free on Steam!

Ver. 1.0.9.0 | The Navigation Update

Recent news:

Listen to the Night Spasm soundtrack on YouTube!

Visit the all-new Night Spasm website!

The Benefits of Being an Entertainer!

(End of presnetation)

Night Spasm news

Chapter 2 status:

Website status:

Version 1.0.7.11 coming May 16th

Some other recent projects:

My presentation at S.O.U.R.C.E:

"Cat Tank" event:

Head on over to our Soundcloud page to hear 24 featured music tracks coming to Chapter 2!

Night Spasm Chapter 2 Kickstarter/Sweepstakes Event

Music previews coming Wednesday, December 14th 2022!

Looking for talented musicians and artists seeking to make a debut