Game Developer Podcast #52 - What Makes Ambrosia Sky So Unique?
Aug 11, 2025
Joel Burgess, a former level designer at Bethesda and Ubisoft, and Kait Tremblay, a narrative director and Life is Strange author, dive into the making of Ambrosia Sky, a unique cosmic sci-fi game. They discuss the innovative intersection of death and gameplay through themes of alien mold and fungus. Their insight into balancing artistic vision and commercial success highlights the challenges indie studios face. They also emphasize the importance of collaboration and creative confidence in crafting engaging narratives that resonate with players.
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Prototype Led The Concept
- Soft Rains discovered Ambrosia Sky by prototyping a character and a cyclical cleaning gameplay loop.
- Prototyping focused the team and transformed a mishmash of ideas into a coherent game vision.
Genre Is Layered And Informative
- Kait frames genre as two-layered: game mechanics and literary genre, and their interaction creates affordances.
- That interaction informed Ambrosia Sky's blend of first-person exploration and cosmic sci-fi systems.
Modern Sci‑Fi Over Nostalgic Pastiche
- Joel argues sci-fi in games often leans on nostalgia and older references instead of addressing contemporary anxieties.
- Ambrosia Sky aims to make sci-fi speak to modern themes while integrating gameplay, worldbuilding, and level design.
