Dark themes and challenging game play is a duo that has gone hand-in-hand very well with many games. Ranging from open world RPG-style to 2D side scroller games, this duo has proven to hold a various amount of fans from all consoles. The popularity of this style mix is bringing more developers to create games inspired by the successful games published so far.

One of the developers that is working on a challenging game with dark themes is bitHuffle with their current work-in-progress game called Sinner's Sorrow! This game will be a 2D side scroller with multiple aspects; from platforming, to puzzles and, of course, combat. You will play as a sinner fighting for your chance at redemption. It is set in a ominous world of black and white where you take up arms to fight against your inner demons with sword and shield, as well as a multitude of esoteric abilities, to strike down all whom stand in your way of gaining redemption.

Q&A with Ruud Koorevaar

Q: What inspired this game to be made?
A: "The previous game I made, Zenzizenzic, is a twin-stick shooter. After wrapping that project up I wanted to do something completely else and explore new territory. With the knowledge I had regarding coding and such the next logical step would be a 2D platformer of some kind. A good friend of mine who is pretty damn good at arting around also showed interest, so we teamed up. After a while of brainstorming we came to the idea of creating a 2D action adventure that is currently still in development, dubbed Sinner's Sorrow. It draws inspiration from titles such as Dark Souls, the Metroidvania genre, Dust An Elysian Tale, Darksiders and even Machinarium or Abe's Oddysee and hints of Silent Hill."

Q: What can players expect from your game?
A: "Expect from Sinner's Sorrow an Action Adventure set in a grim and sick 2D world through which you battle against demons and enemies of a large variety and unfold a story of how you got in that world and what it takes to get out."

Q: How long has it been in development?
A: "We are currently close to about a year, but it hasn't been full-time development all around."

Q: When do you expect it to be released?
A: "It is too soon to say at the moment, but we hope sometime 2018."

Q: Will there be a playable demo?
A: "Yes, although it will be to a closed audience. We want to get an early playable demo to test the core mechanics and concept of the game, gather feedback and further build the game around that."

Q: How is the game play?
A: "The game play is a balanced mix of melee medieval oriented combat, puzzle solving, platforming and explorative storytelling in a 2D world."

Q: Will it include puzzles? How many?
A: "It will include puzzles, but it won't be the focus. We aim to make the game play varied in such a way that you aren't constantly bombarded with enemies nor with puzzles nor with platforming sections. If there is an intense encounter with enemies it may then be changed up with some exploration or puzzle solving to offer a varied experience that doesn't get stale. For the same reason you won't have to expect back to back puzzle solving with little action or long sequences of exploration - unless of course you chose to just wander around for a undetermined amount of time to see what you can find!"