Alongside school, the two 16-year-olds developed their 2D action game “Alter Army” and released it on Steam. Support from teachers and parents was minimal.
2 teenagers from India as game developers: The game “Alter Army” comes from the indie studio Vague Pixels. This studio consists of two 16-year-olds, Mridul Pancholi and Mridul Bansal.
Crazy action platformer: Since the first week of August, you can buy the action game on Steam. In terms of gameplay and design, they took an unconventional approach, adding meat monsters and guitarists as playable characters.
Built a game alongside school
Started at 14: The two developers have been working on “Alter Army” since 2016, when they were 14 years old.
In an interview with PCGamer, Bansal explains that it was not easy for the two boys to develop a game in their spare time while still attending school.
Napping in class: They had little time, coming home from school around 2:00 PM and then starting work on the game. They worked late into the night, sometimes until 3:00 AM the next morning, on the 2D platformer.
Some nights they only had 3-4 hours of sleep because of this. It happened that they fell asleep during class.
Little support from teachers or parents: “Our parents do not understand this game development. Therefore, they always told us it would be a waste of time. We should focus on school instead,” explains Bansal.
The teachers joked about the two, saying “If you can’t even do your homework properly, how do you expect to develop a game?”
Nonetheless, the two teenagers persevered and now have released their game on Steam. However, it is still not finished. Regular updates are planned to improve the game – Steam achievements are also on the way.
What’s inside Alter Army
Similarity and inspiration: At first glance, Alter Army resembles a typical indie game. The developers explain that they drew inspiration from Risk of Rain, Hollow Knight, and Nuclear Throne.
Lots of brawling: In the beginning, you choose one of 4 heroes and embark on your adventure. The controls are easy to understand, and then it’s time to start brawling with the monsters. With normal attacks, you build up your energy bar and then unleash the true power that lies within your character. This way, you really hit the monsters hard.
One of the characters is a meatball named “Hmm”. Then there’s a guitarist who takes his trusty 6-string into every fight. In power mode, heavy riffs play.
