It was recently announced that the wholesome 3D adventure, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo has joined the Fellow Traveller family! We sat down with the developers, Galla Games’ Paulo and Pavel Lara, to get to know them and the game a little more.
First up, please introduce yourselves! Who are Galla Games and what is your journey so far?
We're a team of two brothers originally from the Dominican Republic. With Paulo Lara being the main artist, and Pavel Lara being the main programmer, we started into game development back in 2014 inspired by the games we enjoyed as kids. Our first game was an endless-runner mobile game released in 2015. By the time it was released we had already moved to the United States, and it's where we're currently located.
In 2017, with the help of a talented musician, we started development on our first full game that is Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo.
Tell us a bit about Kulebra and how development has gone to date.
I have to say that development is going great. At least it's the most fun I've had tackling a project by far!
At a very early stage the development of the core gameplay was quite the slow and heavy process. Putting the main aspects of the game took many iterations, and a few shifts in direction, but once the core idea was established, it's been a pretty smooth and interesting process.
Of course, being an adventure game, every chapter we tackle brings its own box of surprises, but having the core gameplay in vision has always helped us to keep things manageable while being fairly consistent, refreshing, and fun.
It's been interesting to look back at ideas from years ago and see them materialize. It is always an impressive experience during the process.
What was the inspiration behind the main character, Kulebra? Why are they a snake?
This is a fun one! Kulebra was first designed for a simple mobile game focused on lore elements around it. It was endless runner zig-zagging game in which you had to avoid hitting obstacles, and we thought a snake was the perfect main character. Due to some technical limitations, we couldn't have a typical snake tail moving fluidly in game, so we decided to chop the tail in pieces and that's where the tail made of separate bones came from. The whole world of Kulebra grew from that initial idea.
The mobile game took place in the same Universe of today's Kulebra, but the lore elements were shown as rewards for reaching further distances in game, like written letters, new characters, toys, etc.
Kulebra and his universe grew on us quite a lot, so we had a pretty hard time shelving them for who knows how long. With that also came the feeling that the mobile market was not fitting for what we wanted to create, so we decided to restart the world of Kulebra and make it into a game we'd really be proud of.
So when you look back at the character's history it makes much more sense!
Did you set out to create a wholesome game or was that something you stumbled across in development?
I would say that we didn't set out to create a wholesome game, but it came as a secondary effect because of the game's core nature. We think presenting a fun and interesting world with engaging characters is one of the most important aspects for a game to be impactful. With a game set in the afterlife, we thought the best way to experience it was by getting to know its people and helping them.
I guess everything else comes from the subjects the game tackles. Grief, love, happiness, and the search for selfless fulfillment. All wrapped around a colorful and inviting art style with the idea of letting the player know that they can approach these characters and their problems with a certain sense of humbleness and looseness that only comes from true kindness of the heart.
A happy accident of some sort.
Is there any particular message you want players to take away from their time with Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo?
The game presents many different situations and perspectives that you can experience and learn from, but a central theme of Kulebra is showing both the good and the bad that comes from helping others. Is it worth the effort and sacrifice? That's for you to decide, but we like to think so.
Thanks for your time! We’re looking forward to seeing more of Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo in the near future!
To stay up to date with all things Kulebra and the team at Galla Games, visit their website, follow Galla Games and us on Twitter, and join in the discussion on the Fellow Traveller Discord server.
Don’t forget to play the demo and wishlist Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2246470/Kulebra_and_the_Souls_of_Limbo/