ZA/UM Studio

ZA/UM significantly impacted the indie game development scene with narrative-rich RPGs such as 'Disco Elysium,' demonstrating that games can be both deeply philosophical and highly engaging. Forget your typical fantasy tropes; these developers dive headfirst into societal anxieties, existential crises, and the messy realities of human connection. Their approach to narrative game design is less about saving the world and more about understanding why it's already broken. ZA/UM’s team faced a unique challenge: how do you make failure fun? Their innovative skill check system, where even disastrous rolls contribute to the story, is a testament to their commitment to player agency and emergent storytelling. Character design goes beyond mere aesthetics; it focuses on creating flawed, believable characters with distinct motivations and biases, all expressed through extensive dialogue options. The developers constantly iterate on gameplay mechanics, embracing unconventional choices that push the boundaries of the genre. ZA/UM's quirky spirit permeates their development process; for example, internal playtests often involve improv acting sessions where developers role-play different character interactions to ensure dialogue feels authentic and surprising. Another example is their dedication to research, diving deep into obscure historical and philosophical texts to inform the game's world-building and thematic exploration, adding layers of depth that reward curious players. In short, they're masters of indie RPG innovation, crafting worlds that are as thought-provoking as they are strangely beautiful.