Alright, so here’s the thing. I wandered into this chat with the folks at Belief Engine. They’re these two really interesting dudes, Mike Monroe and Scott McKie, and they’re hanging around in Japan right now. They’re cooking up some wild stuff like this game called DEAD LETTER DEPT., which is kind of spooky and mind-bending. Anyway, they’re from the Pacific Northwest but have this big Japan vibe going on right now. No idea why, but it just is.
So, TVGB asked them about their setup. Turns out, Belief Engine’s been kicking for 12 years. Seriously, who sticks around anything that long? Mike was all like, “Yeah, 12 years. We just started and figured, why not? It’s been my full-time gig since 2020.” Moved from Colorado to Washington. DigiPen was the reason, apparently. Sounds intense for a school.
Scott, on the other hand, dragged himself through eight years of school. First fine arts, then computer science — because why not aim for broke? He landed in Washington too, with all these fancy degrees and a need for cash. I suppose games are cheaper to make?
They’ve been in games forever, apparently trying all sorts of prototypes. Startups, right? Takes a ton of trial and error. Yet, here we are.
Belief Engine — while being this incredible name — isn’t just one game but a bunch of side projects. Mike’s baby is DEAD LETTER DEPT. Scott’s had a hand in it but says it’s largely Mike’s vision. They do dabble in prototypes together. Different terms, really unique projects. That’s their jam.
Now, the game’s, not about weird scientific concepts or anything. More about home, belonging, and lost mail somehow. Mike speaks of folks moving around and trying to cope with new homes, which I’ve never thought about much, but it’s cool. Especially when escaping something. Then the other day, some friends moved like three times in a year — totally nuts.
Scott recalled this eerie work experience in Boston during college, of all places. He had to take a train to nowhere, across creepy tracks to a warehouse. It sounds like something out of a thriller novel: filling addresses silently, then leaving at dawn. The game draws from that vibe — silent work, late nights, and letting your mind roam. I’d honestly fall asleep.
Mike’s shot at a game idea was more about a flow state — like hitting that brain sweep zone where you’re relaxed yet focused, kind of like cleaning dishes while daydreaming. Somewhere between Tetris and zoning out, you know? This is where the typing horror game idea arose from Scott’s tales. What a wildcard!
They’ve handled all sorts of development quirks, from accidental code scares to immersion trails within games. Scott’s current project involves Japanese language games. Dead set on doing it in parts, he’s deep-diving into research, and old-school JRPGs artistic styles inspire him. I mean, the Japanese market from the ’80s and ’90s had its peculiar charm.
Scott’s skeletons from his college gig and strange prototypes seem to intertwine in DEPT. They’re nabbing cluster ideas here and there. Little accidents lending to making, oddly enough, a cohesive game. Honestly, I’d tear my hair out over rogue code doing its own thing. But sometimes, it’s that offbeat chaos that sparks genius moments.
And the conversations tangent onward to favorite aspects of game development. Scott admits to getting lost in convoluted systems — a loaded blessing and curse. Sort of stumbling into deep end waters challenging but exhilarating.
And hey, they’re even on a Japan adventure to boot. Mike’s hunting those eerie tunnels, taking recordings that end up as touchpoints in Silent Hill dreams. Curious to look at Japan not just as tourists but explore its surprising everyday tweaks. Scott snaps random house pics, captivated by their vivid uniqueness.
Throwing in random fun: they swipe cookies as project manager payments. Pondering, connecting dots without wanting rigid hierarchies to slow down innovation.
These guys are doing their own thing, embracing chaos, and hell, creating unconventional atmospheres. Give their stuff a whirl on Steam or snag the soundtrack when it finally drops. Consider it a ticket to a brain-bending, world-swirling indie game rollercoaster.
Side note: Planning treks to wrap in cultural infusions from deep in Japan’s rural, historical crevices. In places where city slickers rarely stand, uncharted conversations loom with a rustic edge. Fingers crossed, they carry the charge through these endeavors.
路径は未知, as they say!
