Indie Dev Interview: NebulaVoid Interactive Talks FALLENSTAR
I recently caught up with Ben from NebulaVoid Interactive, the developer behind FALLENSTAR, a class-based sci-fi roguelike metroidvania where every death fuels your progress. From coding challenges to unexpected inspiration in a flooded Thai city, Ben’s journey into game development is as interesting as the universe he’s creating.
If you’re curious to jump in early, there’s good news — a closed beta is starting soon, planned for the end of this week. Keep an eye on the Fallenstar official Discord for details on how to take part and help shape the next stage of FALLENSTAR.
Quickfire Round
First console you ever owned?
SNES. First game ever played was Super Mario World when I was five or six.
Favorite boss fight of all time?
Ridley from Super Metroid.
Go-to snack during crunch?
Chocolate and coffee.
Pizza topping that must exist in the post-apocalypse?
Pepperoni. Keeping it simple. (Based! – Rob)
One game you wish you could play again for the first time?
Half-Life, back when it came out in 1998. Super Metroid is a close second.
The Game Pitch
Give us the one-liner pitch for FALLENSTAR.
A class-based sci-fi roguelike metroidvania where every death fuels your progress, and the corporation that sent you might not have your best interests at heart.
Where did the core idea come from?
I’ve had the idea for the FALLENSTAR universe for a while. This game is technically a prequel to the original story I had in mind. The first sketches for the player and enemies go back to around 2015 or 2016, but I wasn’t seriously exploring game development at the time.
I’ve been a career software engineer for years and dabbled in game dev for about two decades. Around two years ago, I decided to take it seriously and make the switch. My goal is to use FALLENSTAR as the launch point for telling more stories in this universe.
Which mechanic or feature gave you the biggest headache?
Surprisingly, fog of war. Out of all the systems like level generation, random objectives, progression, and upgrades, fog of war should have been the easy one, but it just wouldn’t behave the way I wanted. I’ve settled for rooms revealing when you enter for now, but maybe I’ll revisit it later.
Behind the Scenes
Biggest “aha!” moment during development?
I’m heavily inspired by the Rogue Legacy games, so I wanted to build something similar with unique classes. The breakthrough came when I realized the classes could represent different people on the ship such as security, engineers, and scientists. Suddenly the lore started to fit together naturally.
That idea actually came to me while my girlfriend and I were in Chiang Mai, Thailand during some of the worst flooding the city had ever seen. We ended up being rescued by the Thai military. While all that was happening, I started thinking about how the military has different job roles, and that concept tied directly into my class system.
Which part of the game are you most proud of?
The combat. Every playtester has said it’s their favorite part of the game. That feedback means a lot because making the combat feel good was always the top priority. I’m also proud of how much I’ve embraced player feedback. I take every comment seriously and use it to make improvements.
Funniest bug or dev story you can share?
There was a bug where if the player fell into spikes, they’d respawn above them and fall right back in. It turned into an infinite fall loop until they died. My patch note for that update literally said, “Fixed infinite fall glitch (even though it was hilarious).”
Community Corner
What should players know before diving in?
There’s a lot of content planned including new classes, biomes, enemies, and upgrades. If all goes to plan, FALLENSTAR will have strong replayability and future content updates. I’m intentionally making it challenging, and players who enjoy that will feel right at home.
How can the community best support you?
Wishlisting the game is the big one. Joining the Discord is also important because I take feedback seriously and want players involved in shaping FALLENSTAR.
If players walk away with one feeling after playing, what should it be?
“Just one more run… wait, it’s 2am.”
Looking Ahead
Any plans for updates, DLC, or sequels?
The plan is to launch in early access and roll out regular content updates, all guided by player feedback. Early access works well for this kind of game. I also have ideas for new areas to explore and maybe even sequels down the line.
Dream collab or publisher you’d love to work with?
I’d love to collaborate with Subset Games. FTL and Into the Breach are huge inspirations. Creating something in the Alien universe would be amazing too. As far as publishers go, Devolver would definitely be a dream partner.
What’s next for you and NebulaVoid Interactive after FALLENSTAR?
FALLENSTAR the energy drink! (Sounds refreshing! – Rob) Jokes aside, I don’t plan on being done with this universe anytime soon. I’ll keep building within it for as long as there are stories to tell.
Follow and Support NebulaVoid Interactive
You can find all socials and game details on our FALLENSTAR feature page.
Huge thanks to Ben and NebulaVoid Interactive for taking the time to chat with me.
If you’re into challenging sci-fi roguelikes with deep lore and fast-paced combat, keep FALLENSTAR on your radar. Wishlist it, join the community, and get ready to jump in.
Check out the RGS FALLENSTAR game page
Follow Ben here…
💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/c52NGQhaDq
🌐 Website: https://nebulavoid.com/
🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/nebulavoidben
🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nebulavoid.com