Sarah sits down with Lee Williams, one half of the duo behind Cryptmaster, the word-based dungeon crawler that mixes 80s gamebook visuals with dark humor into one of the year’s most original RPGs.
Lee talks about his journey from teacher to game writer, voicing the Cryptmaster himself, and collaborating remotely with co-developer Paul Hart across time zones. Expect behind-the-scenes stories such as the placeholder voice that became permanent, a bug that turned into a sea witch summoning feature, and a collectible card game that unexpectedly became a fan favorite.
He also offers advice for fellow indie developers, and gives a sneak peek at what is next: a wizards’ tower simulator packed with puzzles and twisted humor, along with possible updates for Cryptmaster including a New Game Plus mode.
Episode Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00
How Lee feels about the release of Cryptmaster: 1:12
The gameplay of Cryptmaster: 2:07
How Paul and Lee came up with the idea: 5:39
The voice and character of the Cryptmaster: 10:34
Why talking with the Cryptmaster feels natural: 15:17
Choosing the art style of the game: 23:12
Lee's favorite feature: 26:03
It's not a bug, it's a feature!: 29:38
How Lee got started as a game developer: 33:41
Magic moment in game development: 41:05
Best part / worst part of making your own game: 42:05
Lessons learned while being a game developer: 44:37
How Paul and Lee organize their work together: 46:17
Are there plans for a game studio?: 49:48
Game development scene in the UK: 51:38
How the Cryptmaster found its publisher: 53:27
Lee's advice for fellow game developers: 55:45
First details about Lee's and Paul's next game: 57:27
Outro: 1:00:32
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