Little Monster is a fast-paced beat ‘em up game where you play as Stormy, a small but determined monster battling nightmare spirits to protect us while we sleep. This 2D game merges classic beat ‘em up action with roguelike elements and arena-style gameplay. Players will punch, dash, fly, and shoot through three unique realms, all while working to rescue Stormy’s friends.
We recently had the chance to speak with the game’s creator, Josh Lessard, discussing his experiences showcasing Little Monster at live events, what players can expect from the game, and his journey as an indie developer. Excitingly, Little Monster will launch a Kickstarter campaign on November 20th, and you can already wishlist it on Steam.
We also tried out the demo version of the game, check our first impressions in the video below.
Let’s start by getting to know you better. What inspired you to become a solo developer, start creating your own games, and open your own studio? How much did your childhood shape this decision?
It all started when I used to watch my dad play his Atari. I was fascinated by the game’s objectives and how you got to control what was on screen. When my brother got his NES my love for gaming grew as its enhanced graphics got me excited about the possibilities of interactive entertainment. To me, the NES solidified video games as being the dominant form for storytelling and entertainment.
It wasn’t until I got my own console, the Sega Genesis, that my family started taking weekly trips to blockbuster, exposing me to games like Earthworm Jim, Vectorman, and Mario Tennis. Games that to this day still inspire me in their simplicity and fun. It was around this time that I started to take an interest in how games were made. I remember adoring my Mortal Kombat 3 strategy guide referencing character art and behind the scenes artwork.
That love for development never left me and in my early 20’s I started to create small games using GameMaker. I took it upon myself to learn the basics of game design and how to code via YouTube. After having about 4 to 5 of these small, but complete games under my belt, I decided to develop and publish one for the public. My studio Onedrr (“Wonder”) was born out of the idea that games can transport us to wondrous worlds with memorable characters and experiences.
I want my games and people under this brand to “dare to wonder.” My first game under the banner was a puzzle game called Cross 4 for the Google Play Store. I wanted to start with something simple as a focus on self-publishing was important to me. After learning some of the ins and outs I felt confident enough to work on something a little bigger. Now I act as publisher, programmer, and artist on Little Monster, a beat ‘em up game slated to be released on Steam and planned for consoles.
Little Monster is a beat-’em-up game with a unique twist on fighting the monsters that we can find “under our beds”. What drew you to this concept?
I have a box full of sketches and game ideas that go back to my teens. After publishing my first game, Cross 4, I wanted to create something a little bigger in scope. I rummaged through my box of ideas and spotted this sketch of a little monster looking up and ready to fight this dark looming spirit with a skull on its face. I didn’t have a story behind these two characters, but the distinctiveness and simplicity of both characters had me thinking I could come up with something.
As a fan of Kingdom Hearts, the heartless on there always seemed like the physical manifestation of a nightmare to me. I took this idea and created the sketch of the spirit. Since the spirit looked more menacing than the monster I thought, “what if the monster was the nice one and the spirit causes harm, harm that monsters tried to fix?”.
Then it all just clicked and the draw that kept me passionate about this premise was the twist that monsters actually being friendly instead of scary. I love how relatable this concept is to kids, and it reminds adults of their youth and simpler times.
Can you walk us through the gameplay? How can we fight these monsters, what roguelite elements can we expect, and how challenging are the bosses?
In Little Monster, levels are arena-based, requiring players to defeat a set number of enemies within a confined space. Each level transports Stormy to a new realm, there are three in total: the monster realm, human realm, and nightmare realm. The game’s core loop includes a sequence of battles in each realm, a boss fight in the nightmare realm, and a special stage in either the human or nightmare realm. After completing the special stage, the loop restarts with new enemies, rescue missions, special items, and bosses. As players earn experience points, they can unlock new items in the shop.
The player has a 3 hit combo and can chain other attacks like a ground pound, spin attack, and dash punch while taking on spirits. On top of Stormy’s standard attacks, you can also stockpile strike items that allow the player to call upon special monsters that instantly take out spirits. You can unlock more strike items as you progress through the game and restock them via the shop at the end of each stage. There are also 6 monster friends to rescue after each boss. Once rescued, you can call upon them to clear entire areas of spirits, like a screen clear attack.
At the end of each stage, you can choose to purchase strike items and/or choose a special perk for the next stage. This is where the roguelite aspect comes in. Some of these perks may include more orbs (your health in the game) at the beginning of the next stage, your power meter filled at the beginning of the next stage, regenerative orbs throughout the next stage, and more.
There is only one boss in the game so far but there is a plan to add at least 4 more. You can’t just whale on the bosses like you can on smaller spirits. Instead, each boss employs a strategy usually involving stormy having to turn a boss’s own attacks against them.
What story does the game follow? Could you give us a brief overview of our main mission in the game?
You play as Stormy, a little monster who is fresh out of training and his mission, along with other chosen monsters, is to keep nightmare spirits from invading the human mind as they sleep. These spirits infect dreams and if enough invade they will turn the dream into a nightmare.
Fed up with the monster’s interference the master spirits send its pawns to the monster realm itself. As the monster’s are thrown off and surprised by this attack several top monsters and nightmare hunters are kidnapped. Being fresh out of training the spirits don’t see Stormy as a threat and because of this he becomes the only one left to counter this attack. Now he must prevent the spirits from infecting humans while rescuing his friends from the master spirits. His journey will take him to the nightmare realm itself, the very heart of darkness.
If you had to pick a favorite monster in the game, which one would it be? How did you come up with its design? Also, what can you tell us about Stormy?
The main character, Stormy, is my favorite due to me being able to explore his personality more. He’s the silent type so I like the challenge of showing off his feelings and thoughts with limited facial features. He’s also surrounded by other monsters who can talk so I like that dynamic. He’s the typical underdog and I think that’s always intriguing. Stormy is passionate and dedicated to becoming the best nightmare hunter. He’s loyal and has a true passion for helping humans, especially children.
The idea behind his design was to create something instantly recognizable, even from a distance, and something even children could and/or would love to draw. Plus, as a solo developer, his simplistic design makes it feasible for me when working on the games animations and artwork.
How long has the game been in development, and how much playtime will it take to achieve 100% completion?
I’ve been working on the game for about two years now. The core gameplay, its loop, and game features are completed minus feedback changes. More bosses, enemy types, and background variations still need to be completed from the ground up. I also plan to add more fluent animations and polish. The core campaign should take about 3 hours to complete with a repeated play in the dark mask mode.
This is sort of a game plus mode has the player tries to complete the game with a cursed mask on. A mask that encompasses the screen with darkness over time obstructing the player’s view. There are also 12 shmup mini games that can be unlocked in the shop at the end of each stage. 100% completion should take about 6 hours.
How strong will the enemies be, will there be more normal and elite ones? How long does it usually take to complete one level?
Standard spirits (normal ones) will be more frequent at the beginning of the game. Elite ones like the brute, the corrupt, the spirit trap, and the fragmented spirit will appear more frequently as the player progresses. These elite nemies will eventually replace lower tier enemies. It usually takes about 5 minutes to complete an area with plans to possibly extend that. The game will have a total of 30 stages.
I’m curious about the music; it’s quite relaxing. Was there a reason for choosing this tone over a more haunting soundtrack?
I wanted the music to be dark but lighthearted at the same time. Think Danny Elfman meets whimsy. With the idea of monsters being scary and misunderstood there’s still this dark element but their helpful/gentle nature calls for something more friendly as well. I’m still in the market to find a composer so most of the music will change but the current music is the direction I want to go. I would like to make the music faster and exciting though, like the boss’s theme, as I believe this matches the fast gameplay more.
How successful was Steam Next Fest for you? Could you share any insights or data?
My audience is still quite small, but I did almost double my whislists during Steam Next Fest. My marketing budget is super tiny, I’m going to school, working full time at Disney, and marketing everything myself so it’s been challenging, especially when it comes to reaching my audience. I have a few things in the works that hopefully help with this though.
How has your experience been promoting the game through various showcases? Have they made an impact?
Physical expos have made the most impact for me so long as I remember to push my newsletter and Steam page. Seeing people play my game in person is super helpful when notating changes and improvements so there’s definitely value in that. I also think creating a connection in person, talking about my game’s development and story, helps to shape dedicated fans.
I’m attending Free Play Florida again this year so I’m looking forward to that. Plus, so much of my time is spent on the computer so it’s super nice to get out and talk to people in person about my game. I think the biggest returns happened during Steam Next Fest and some of my in-person events. I also made sure to stream when I could during Steam Next Fest.
What’s it like being a game developer in the USA? Do you feel the industry is saturated with competition?
I definitely feel the industry is saturated right now and I believe it’s a big factor in me reaching my audience. I know my audience is there but due to my limited time and resources it’s going to take some time to reach them. I’m not sure if this is strictly a United States issue but it’s a double-edged sword. I love that everyone gets to put their games out there, heck, the ability to do so has helped me, but it does make things a bit crowded, even in my market.
The beat ‘em up market is gaining momentum and every time a new brawler is released I both love it, since I love the genre, and get a little discouraged as it saturates things. This is why I’m also actively looking for a publisher, so they can help me with exposure and marketing.
When can we expect the game to release, and will it be available on both PC and consoles?
The plan is to release it on Steam by the end of next year and on consoles later. It’s first and foremost a console experience, as most beat ‘em ups are, so the goal is definitely console. If I can’t find a publisher to help me with console porting, then my plan is to dive into my Nintendo developer account again.
Croatian translation coming soon!
Hrvatski 
English (UK)