BitSummit, the global indie game festival, has kicked off to great success in Kyoto, Japan. Among the many titles on display, one Korean indie game has proudly secured a spot at the booth of Toei Games—the new game publishing arm of animation powerhouse Toei: 'KILLA,' a mystery story adventure game currently in development by the four-person indie team GumGyulDan.

Gumgyuldan was formed by members who met in university clubs. Surprisingly, this is the first game development project for all four members. Despite the challenges of balancing studies and part-time jobs—sometimes even having to sacrifice their grades—their unwavering passion for game development and their synergy have allowed them to create a unique title in 'KILLA'.

Their efforts have been validated by an impressive list of accolades, including the Grand Prize at GIGDC and the Winner Award at the BANDAI NAMCO-hosted 'GYAAR Studio Awards', which eventually led to their collaboration with Toei Games. We met with the team at BitSummit to discuss their development process and future goals, as they aim to present a fresh take on the mystery adventure genre by focusing on 'character narrative' rather than complex tricks.

Q. For those encountering 'KILLA' for the first time, could you provide a general introduction to the game.

Choi Da-yeon = 'KILLA' is a mystery story adventure game that follows the protagonist, 'Valhalla', on a journey to find and take revenge on the person who killed her mentor, following the mentor's dying wish: "Kill 'La'." We chose the title 'KILLA' based on that phrase, which also carries the double meaning of 'killer'.

Q. Having seen 'KILLA' in person, the production quality looks quite high. Do you have any prior experience in game development?

Choi Da-yeon = This is the first project for all four of us. Jae-won and I met in 'Bridge', a Korean game development club, and we met Se-eun through the 'Ewha Womans University Game Jam'. As we developed the game, we felt we were lacking in planning and business. Da-eun is my older sister, and since she is skilled in business, I proposed that she join us, and she did.

Q. I'm curious about who led the story composition and what the intent behind the planning was.

Choi Da-yeon = At first, we only thought about the 'plot twists' typical of mystery games. However, since all our team members are 'otaku' at heart, we began to place immense importance on character narrative and charm. While brainstorming a 'mystery structure that highlights each character's traits', the current structure—which reveals secrets through twists while showcasing unique character personalities—was born. I drafted the big picture, but the specific character charms were developed through discussions with the entire team.

Q. The narrative structure, where you find clues in dreams and experience multiple endings, is unique. What kind of experience did you want to provide to players?

Choi Da-yeon = We value 'what happened to the characters' just as much as uncovering the truth. While traditional mystery games reveal the truth through physical evidence or forensic investigation, we focused on the stories between characters before the incident or their pasts. We concentrated on the "why this result happened" aspect and actively utilized elements like the mental space within dreams.

Q. The characters, story, and world design are very appealing. I'm curious if there are any mystery works you usually like or draw inspiration from.

Choi Da-yeon = Since it's a steampunk genre, I would say the 'Professor Layton' series was our biggest reference. The tone and manner were so well-established that it had a huge influence on our art. We were also heavily influenced by the Japanese game 'Your Turn to Die'.

Yoon Se-eun = For the overall atmosphere of the game, we wanted to evoke a feeling similar to 'Professor Layton'.

Choi Da-eun = In terms of the mystery elements, we were heavily influenced by the 'Danganronpa', 'Ace Attorney', and 'Professor Layton' series.

Q. You all must have started game development before graduating from university. It couldn't have been easy to balance that with your studies.

Jang Jae-won = I am the only one still in university, while the rest of the team has graduated. In my case, trying to balance part-time work, development, and school classes meant I had to make choices and prioritize. I loved game development so much that I focused on it, which meant I paid less attention to my studies, and it took me a long seven years to graduate (laughs).

Q. Among your various awards, which stage was most meaningful to Gumgyuldan?

Choi Da-eun = Winning the Winner Award at the 'GYAAR Studio Awards' hosted by BANDAI NAMCO was the biggest turning point. Beyond the funding, the development support programs, such as mentoring, were incredibly helpful. Thanks to that, we also got the opportunity to exhibit at major events like Gamescom.

Q. You have been actively participating in various game shows like Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, and G-STAR. What was the main reason for being so active in these events?

Choi Da-eun = Our main goal was to communicate with users and refine the game based on their feedback. Furthermore, we prioritized letting users know about the game to build up our Steam wishlist. We are striving to polish the game into a better version based on that valuable feedback.

Q. Is there any feedback from users that stands out in your memory?

Choi Da-yeon = We received feedback from users after uploading a demo to Steam. In a section where the protagonist must open a box to progress, one user left a comment saying, "I will absolutely not open the box and I will not find any clues." That was so funny and memorable. So, we changed our direction and added an option to progress without opening it.

Q. It's impressive that you were selected as one of Toei Games' first publishing titles. How did the collaboration come about?

Choi Da-eun = We were introduced through someone we met at an exhibition, and Toei Games reached out to us first. At first, we couldn't believe it. Our main target audience is heavily influenced by the Japanese market, and since Toei is a company with significant influence in Japan and famous for its animation, we thought it would create great synergy.

Yoon Se-eun = We currently have video meetings every two weeks. When Da-eun proposes business ideas, we exchange feedback with Toei to decide on things like booth setup or whether to participate in events.

Q. What are your plans for the final playtime and language support?

Jang Jae-won = It depends on how you enjoy the story and solve the puzzles, but I think it will be around 10 hours or more. Those who read the text carefully might take longer.

Choi Da-eun = We will support Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified/Traditional). As for voice acting, we are still internally debating it because it can be polarizing, given the nature of the visual novel genre. For platforms, we are prioritizing a Steam release first.

Q. When is the scheduled release date?

Choi Da-eun = We are aiming for a release within this year. However, there is a possibility that the schedule might be slightly delayed because we want to present the game with even higher quality.

Q. Lastly, please share your thoughts on the release schedule and any words for the users.

Gumgyuldan = We have put a lot of effort into the direction and story over the past 3 to four years of development. If you enjoy attractive art and deep stories, we highly recommend you give it a try. We ask for your continued interest and support.