Anima Flux Interview: Building A Soul-Driven Co-Op Adventure

I am Andrei Songraf, and I manage the development of Anima Flux, serving as the Game Designer and Product Owner.

While working on the setting for our game, we were inspired by the dystopian retro-futurism of the late 80s and early 90s. We created our own distinct universe where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction. They face constant threats from external dangers, such as mutants born from an ancient virus from another star system, and internal philosophical and ideological conflicts. These conflicts have led to a theocratic dictatorship, trampling on human freedom and individuality under the guise of the need for complete submission to authority for the survival of the species.

The core philosophical idea and underlying message of our game story is to explore what humanity is willing to do for the survival of the species. It also prompts players to reflect on whether such an existence is worthwhile at the cost of losing all human and moral aspects. The main characters, like many others in the game, have their own problems, traumas, and difficult life stories, which is typical of dystopias. As they face challenges together, starting from a cold acquaintance and rivalry, they must learn to understand each other and become reliable allies in the fight not only for humanity’s survival but also for the hope of a worthy future.

In our world, scientists discovered that each person’s consciousness is a quantum flow surrounding them, which they termed the “Anima Flux”. Further research into this discovery led to the creation of the Animachine—a device capable of implanting an anima flux into an “empty” but viable body. Scientists also invented implants that are inserted into the neck and can copy the body’s stream of anima, instantly sending it to the Animachine as soon as the body with the implant ceases to show signs of life.

The main characters of the game are members of the state military organization NOX and possess rebirth implants, ensuring that no one can permanently kill them. The implant not only preserves the experience, memory, and physical data of the resurrected soldiers but also recreates the unique stream of anima for each killed soldier, effectively transferring their quantum flow to a new body.

Indeed, we haven’t seen a concept of a cooperative Metroidvania with two main protagonists, where both characters are essential to the gameplay, story, and world. Balancing a cooperative Metroidvania with two main protagonists and two modes (single-player and co-op) is an extremely difficult task. Moreover, creating AI for the second player in single-player mode, which can adequately replace the average human player, has proven to be quite a test. However, it is an exciting challenge, and you can check out our progress by trying our demo on Steam

Both characters develop simultaneously but in different ways. One character is a melee fighter, while the other is a ranged combatant. They must cover each other from the ground and air, complementing each other in battle to survive and defeat challenging enemies. This is the essence of cooperative combat in our game.

Developing our game world has been a long journey filled with experiments, inspiration, and a desire to create something truly atmospheric, dark, yet beautiful. The world of Anima Flux still holds many secrets and mysteries that I can’t reveal at this moment. These secrets have the potential to become the foundation for many other intriguing stories and plots.

When working on the visual aspect, we made sure to create an atmosphere that can be felt in every part of the game. I believe anyone can see this by looking at how the game appears. As the person responsible for the holistic vision of the entire game, I took great care in communicating this vision to the team, understanding its importance. Additionally, the final result has undoubtedly been influenced by the exceptional talent and experience of our artists, whom I greatly admire.

Indeed, in our game, you can exit to the main menu at any time and resume any saved game in either co-op or single-player mode. This was part of the planned game design, in case your friend can no longer continue playing with you or has returned from vacation, and you can now continue your single-player game with them. For those who prefer playing solo, as I mentioned earlier, we’ve worked hard to create a reliable AI partner. We’re still fine-tuning this feature because there’s always room for improvement.

Considering this is our studio’s first game (but not our only one), we experimented a lot, evolving from a standard linear platformer into a co-op Metroidvania with a deep story and narrative. It’s been about three years since we solidified our vision and direction. Currently, our development team consists of 12 people.

Certainly. As I mentioned earlier, the world of Anima Flux is rich with stories, allowing for not only other Metroidvania games but also the possibility to explore different genres and technologies within this universe.

It’s evident that exploration is the foundation of nearly any Metroidvania game. Discovering the world, unlocking new locations, finding secrets in previously visited areas, and uncovering the mysteries of the world are key elements of the genre. As the years go by, expectations for the genre continue to rise. A solid combat system, level design, an engaging story, and a compelling world are now standard expectations for a great Metroidvania. As it becomes increasingly challenging to surprise players, those who continue to develop games in this genre will likely need to blend genres or introduce new mechanics and systems, as we have with our co-op Metroidvania.

All we need to do is create our work with quality and passion, implementing unique feature, and finding ways to share this with all our potential fans. This is precisely what we are dedicated to.

We have explored this topic and closely monitor new technologies. In the future, we plan to leverage all possible innovative technologies that can truly help us create great products. However, I want to assure you that in our project, almost all the art has been meticulously hand-drawn, without the use of generative AI.

A few words about us and our dreams: We truly love what we do, and each of us is a creative, talented, and vibrant individual with our own dreams and goals. These passions drive us and allow us to create amazing things. We hope you will support our young team, which, I believe, has a bright future ahead.