I caught up with Harsh Agarwal, the solo developer behind Cyber Seekers: Conquest, a slick, fast-moving roguelite shooter that throws you into a neon-soaked world of wall-running, grappling, and bot-blasting chaos. We talked about what it takes to build a game like this from the ground up, the inspiration behind its high-energy style, and what players can expect when they dive into the action.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in game development.
Harsh: I loved to play video games and dreamed about making my own since I was a child. For me it was the gameplay that stuck with me the most. I used to play third person action-adventure games and really enjoyed the mechanics, the animations and how it generally made me feel like an overpowered being. I decided to learn coding to pursue my dreams further. In college, I got to know about Unreal Engine and devoted some time from my day to learn the basics. I even started making a small game by using some of the free assets from the marketplace. I learned a lot while making that project and after that I started to devote time in making this game.
What inspired your latest game, and what was the initial vision behind it?
Harsh: I wanted to make a game focused more on traversal; the idea was to have more open-ended levels having various side objectives giving the player flexibility to decide what they want to do. I really enjoyed the traversal mechanics from the Prototype and Batman Arkham games. They gave player enough freedom, while making the movement system interesting. So, I combined the wall running mechanic with a grapple gun. For the combat, I took inspiration from Returnal where every run is unique and you get random weapons with traits. My game features similar features where you get random weapons with different abilities. Since the main character is a robot, it made sense to implement rogue lite features as the bot can get destroyed and a new bot can take its place with some of the upgrades of the previous bot.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during development?
Harsh: Designing open ended levels for a game whose main character is able to traverse virtually any terrain proved to be a real challenge. For any new feature that I implemented I had to make sure that player is not able to break the level boundaries and go outside. Apart from this, being a solo developer has its own challenges, that too with a full-time job. I need to manage everything, from the gameplay and coding aspect to the marketing which can be really difficult.
Is there a particular moment or feature in your game that you’re especially proud of?
Harsh: I spent a major portion of my development time on the wall-running mechanic and it has come out to be a fun mechanic. From the playtests, I realized that this is the mechanic that players enjoy the most. So, I am really proud of it.
How do you approach balancing creativity with the realities of budget, time, and resources?
Harsh: Sometimes you get too ambitious and want to add many new features to the game. But when you actually start working on them you realize that it is not a viable option. I think by preparing a design document, it really helps to put together your ideas and get a good grasp on the realities of budget, time, and resources.
What advice would you give to aspiring indie developers just starting out?
Harsh: I would say that you should start working on a small game and try to finish it. You learn things fast when you actually have a certain requirement during development and you try to find solutions for them. And don’t be too ambitious with your first game, give yourself a timeline and strictly adhere to it.
What’s next for you — any future projects or updates in the works?
Maddox: The plan is to complete this game and work on any player feedback. Then go on a break and start working on another project, possibly with a team now.
Where can people follow your work or support your game?
Harsh:
Twitter: https://x.com/KnightyGamer
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnightPhantomGames
Wishlist the game on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2930410/Cyber_Seekers_Conquest/
