From Passion to Project Tower: Interview with Yummy Games on Their Steam Debut

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Project Tower marks the Steam debut of another French studio Yummy Games and it’s clear they poured their passion into creating this title. The game combines shooter, action, and bullet hell mechanics with a unique transformation ability, which allows you to morph into different creatures to progress. With intense boss fights and a linear story, it offers a dynamic and exciting experience. You can read our full review here.

The story begins with the Hiks, an alien race, invading Earth to capture humans as prisoners. To conquer the universe, the Hiks created a program called Project Tower, which forces prisoners to fight their way through various towers, allowing them to build their army from the captives. You play as one of these prisoners, and the only way to regain your freedom is to reach the top of the tower.

We had the opportunity to speak with Yummy Games, where they shared insights into the transformation mechanics, boss fights, the inspirations behind the game, their development process, and advice for other indie developers.

Project Tower is now available for PC via Steam and PlayStation 5.

Can you tell us a bit more about your studio? How many people worked on Project Tower, and what other projects can we expect from you in the future?

We started around ten years ago, making small experimental games on itch.io for fun. At one point, we tried to develop an MMORPG, which didn’t quite work out. However, that experience taught us a lot, so we decided to focus on smaller projects, developing a few mobile games along the way.

After that, we wanted to move into PC and console development, so we began learning Unreal Engine and building prototypes. Project Tower is our first complete title on Steam, developed by a team of four people, while the music was composed by Jacob Lives.

As for the future, we are already working on something new! We’re using everything we learned from Project Tower to create an even better game. We can’t reveal too much yet, but we’re excited to keep moving forward.

Project Tower is your first game on Steam (not counting previous mobile titles). Are you satisfied with its reception, given how ambitious it is?

Steam is a demanding platform, especially for indie games without a large marketing budget. Visibility largely depends on pre-release wishlists, and since Project Tower was not a highly anticipated title, breaking through to the audience was a challenge.

However, what is truly important to us is that the players who did find the game are enjoying it. Seeing people have fun with something we worked so hard on is incredibly fulfilling. So, while it hasn’t been easy, we are grateful for the support we have received.

Why did you decide to use Unreal Engine 5 for the game? Was it challenging to achieve the impressive graphics in Project Tower on PC and PlayStation? Are there any significant differences between these two platforms?

We actually started with Unity, but we encountered certain limitations when trying to achieve the visual style we wanted without sacrificing performance. Since we are a small team, we couldn’t afford months of manual optimization for everything.

Switching to Unreal Engine made a huge difference. It provided us with powerful tools right out of the box, and the free Quixel Megascans library helped by providing high-quality assets at no extra cost. This saved us a lot of time.

The game includes various mechanics, such as platforming, puzzles, and transformation. What inspired you when designing those features?

We drew inspiration from several games:

• Uncharted – for the combination of combat, puzzles, and cinematic presentation.
• Returnal – for the 3D bullet-hell combat.
• Super Mario Odyssey – for the transformation mechanic.

We wanted to create something dynamic and engaging while maintaining a fun and intuitive experience.

Defeating bosses is crucial for advancing to the next floor. Many of them have similar attack patterns, was that a conscious design choice to keep the game accessible but not overly demanding?

Yes! As a small team, we had to be realistic about what we could achieve. We focused on making each boss fun and exciting, but also ensuring the mechanics remained feasible for development. Reusing and slightly adjusting attack patterns allowed us to maintain the balance and quality of the game, rather than spreading ourselves too thin.

The game’s story, which revolves around climbing a tower as part of an alien experiment, is very intriguing. What inspired this narrative, and how did you balance the storytelling with the gameplay?

We are huge fans of science fiction, so the story naturally flowed from that passion. Our priority was always the gameplay, but we wanted to find a way to tell the story without slowing down the game’s pace too much. The cinematic scenes were a good way to give players a break while still advancing the narrative.

In fact, towards the end of development, we decided to cut some scenes and even a whole level because we felt they were disrupting the game’s rhythm too much. It was a tough decision, but we believe it ultimately improved the game.

Were there any features or mechanics you originally planned but had to cut due to time or resource constraints?

Yes, there were a few! Some of the biggest ones were:

• An open-world area on the 4th floor, featuring a prisoner camp. It didn’t quite fit with the rest of the game, and refining it would have taken too long.
• A transformation system where players could store and swap forms, but this over-complicated the level design.
• A boss fight where prisoners would assist the player, but we didn’t have enough time to execute it properly.

It’s always hard to cut ideas, but we had to stay focused on finishing the game.

What key lessons did you learn during the development of Project Tower, and how will they influence your next project?

1. Keep the project realistic and only expand it if time allows.
2. Test more often. Constantly playing and testing the game helps in catching issues early.
3. Be ready to make tough decisions. Sometimes cutting content improves the game in the long run.

We are taking all of these lessons with us into our next project!

What is your opinion on the French gaming industry?

France has a great mix of indie and AAA studios, which is very inspiring. The industry is currently going through a tough period, but we hope things will improve soon.

Do you think it’s difficult for indie developers to succeed in today’s crowded market? Do you have any experience you would like to share?

Yes, it’s very difficult. A huge number of games are released every day, and standing out in that crowd is a real challenge. One thing we realized is that our realistic visual style made it harder for us to grab attention as an indie game. Something more stylized might have helped us stand out more. That’s definitely something we’ll consider for future projects.

Finally, what advice would you give to other indie developers looking to create a unique gaming experience?

The hardest part is not starting, but finishing. Take it one step at a time. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, so break tasks down into small goals. Don’t over-analyze. Perfectionism can prevent you from ever completing a game. Sometimes, “good enough” is exactly what you need. And most importantly, enjoy the process! Game development is a tough but incredibly exciting journey.