Sludge Life 2has just been released, a direct follow-up to the original first-person open-world platforming vandalism simulator by indie duo Terri Vellmann and veteran musician Doseone. Specifically created to appeal to fans of the originalSludge Life, players will once again be venturing through a strange environment where they’ll encounter quirky characters and bizarre situations as they seek out theindie game’s cleverly placed tagging spots.
In an interview with Game Rant, Terri Vellmann and Doseone spoke about their approaches to several of the game’s key features and weighed in on the various challenges involved in creatingSludge Life. Comedy, music, and the joy of exploration are at the core ofSludge Lifeand its sequel, and the team shared some insights into how they honed in on these factors to create a game where exploration is often driven by the player’s curiosity.The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Q:Sludge Lifeis densely packed with strange and humorous sights. What’s your process like when thinking of the next weird thing to put in a room? How do you decide if something doesn’t work?
Vellmann:It’s very iterative. We’ll start blocking out the spaces and moving around them, seeing what comes to mind and how it could work within the world. It’s really down to feeling - sometimes things just stay empty for some time while we’re doing something else, until down the line an idea comes up and we’ll fill it in.
Doseone:Yeah, it’s a delightfully layered process, sometimes ideas or humor exists before assets are made and sometimes the humorous aspects occur to us after a room orNPC is plopped into the world. In the end, because of this process, we get a mixture of intentional and situational funny. I think the “doesn’t work” aspect rears its head when neither of us laughs - quite a few circumstances had to be reinvented using new assets or refreshed writing.
Q: Do you have a favorite easter egg or NPC inSludge Life? How about in the sequel?
Vellmann:Oh, an easter egg for me might be the pigeon nest on the second game. That was on my list as an “extra if I have time” for so long, and I was happy to get it in right in the end.
Doseone:Creepy Teddy is the one for me inSludge Life 2! InSludge Life, it was the “baby sludge thing” that no one really found hidden in the sludge, so we brought them back inSludge Life 2to get their shine!
Oh, I also really, really love the music playing in the Clop Station.
Q: Comedy is a big drive for exploration inSludge Life. Overall, what elements do you think are important for a game to be funny?
Vellmann:The surprise - and playing with expectations on what is a thing you do in a video game or not.
Doseone:Yeah, I think some of the magic inSludge Life 2is from the NPCs talkingatyou, nottoyou. The way the urban environment works, growing up in Jersey and Philly, people kinda just eject and project information onto you and say things to you that you truly have no response to. The dialog inSludge Lifetries to walk that line at all times.
Q:Sludge Lifehas a striking visual style. What inspired you to go in that direction? Does this style present any unique challenges during development?
Vellmann:It was a mix of experimenting with how the tools I was using worked best for what I was going for - and then trying to make everything as interesting and cohesive as I could. The outlines can make a lot of the flaws in the models pop, so we either had to work around those details or accept them.
Q: A first-person platforming vandalism simulator is an interesting concept for a game. How did that idea originally take shape?
Vellmann:Wanting to get rid of combat made me look at the map I was making from a different angle, and tagging just made so much sense. The default gray box look of the level design tool I was using probably helped.
Doseone:Yeah, “looking for tag spots” fundamentally opens up thevertical aspect of exploration, and gives you a reason to see somewhere that seems inaccessible and prove it otherwise. And then the color and context of the world were born naturally around this “budget parkour” experience.
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Q:Sludge Lifeis well-regarded for not holding the player’s hand, instead letting them freely explore and figure out the mechanics themselves. Was that intentional? Do you believe that too much tutorializing and guidance detracts from the enjoyment of discovery?
Vellmann:I think there’s a balance and for us, it was an opportunity to go in a direction that could feel fresh these days. ForSludge Life, it also works for fitting with the theme of a character that feels forgotten and outcast.
Doseone:I think zooming out creatively we really want to have a game-making experience we can “lose ourselves in” and what we want for the player is that they can “find themselves” in what we create. So, in some wayshand holding needs to be minimized, for both creator and player to feel free in an open yet curated world.
Q: RegardingSludge Life 2, what improvements have you made over the original? What were you most excited about bringing into the game?
Vellmann:We really just wanted to make more of it. We had many ideas and characters to flesh out. I was excited about new systems like the bum-a-cig mechanic and the Newsbeak photo app.
Doseone:Yeah, a lot of the improvements were things we wanted inSludge Lifeoriginally but didn’t have time for, or adding the tech later in development just didn’t make sense. So there’s sprinting and double jumping, and general attention to “talking to NPCs” and that becoming a bit more dynamic and interconnected.
Q: When developing the sequel, what did you feel was most important to bring into aSludge Lifefollow-up?
Vellmann:It needed to have that same vibe, and the things that were new and different still had to feel like they were part of this world. We really wanted the game to be for those who were into the first, straight up.
Doseone:Early on in creating the sequel we discussed how much this should be “built for people who playedSludge Life” as opposed to “new players,” and it was so much fun to take a few characters and give them larger or different roles in the sequel. So it quickly became a “next episode” experience as opposed to a whole new tale.The world-buildingwas as fun and important as world expansion I suppose.
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Q: Did player feedback have a significant role in the sequel’s development? If so, how?
Vellmann:It was great to hear from players and we definitely keep track of what characters and moments they were most drawn to. Also, as I mentioned earlier, how they dealt with the endings and felt like they had completed the game. Overall, we really just did our thing regardless though.
Doseone:Definitely paid attention to what resonated most with players, that’s how Big Mud arose to be the focus of the plot because people seemed to really enjoy him. But ultimately player feedback is no more sturdy and dependable than our “good ideas,” everything starts to change and grow once we start implementing it.
Q: What was your process like putting together the soundtrack? How did you approach the sonic character of the music given the game’s unusual theme?
Doseone:It all came very naturally by keeping the world Terri was crafting visually in my head. Ultimately the music has 3 categories. Glug-related music: more pop upbeat bops that pepper the halls of Ciggy City Suites. As you descend, the music of Sad Boy takes over: slow, mood-heavy, beatless music oozing out of abandoned radios in the sludge. Lastly, Big Mud songs, which are also produced by Sad Boy and really distill the feels and mood of what it is to grow up in the worldSludge Lifedepicts.
But all 3 batches of music need to relate to one another and escape feeling redundant all at the same time.
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Q: Doseone, you’ve been rapping and producing music for a few decades now, along with producing several game soundtracks. How has working in video games differed for you compared to making your other records?
Doseone:Well, it’s really allowed me to be a part of something bigger than just the “life loop” that leads to me making new music. I’m now an important piece of a far more important and robust whole. Making music andsound design for gamesallows me to rise above my own subjective creative struggles and really “get a 100%” on my efforts with respect to them serving the game. This has become a nice reward, and after learning what writing can do in a game, I’m finally - thanks to Terri - able to add my skills and vision as a writer to the melting pot as well!
Q: Have you learned anything from working with games that have translated over to your other music-making?
Doseone:Yeah, vast amounts! Before games I did not really produce, I more or less collaged. I also didn’t mix or really have the tools to carry an “intention” from the"jam phase" to the finished music phase. Gradually though, all of that showed up in the “cooking” of my craft and the stepping up to new games that wanted new sounds that still stem from my tastes and sensibilities.
Q: What are your future plans after theSludge Life 2release? Do you have ideas for the next game or additional post-launch content?
Vellmann:We have some cool merch coming up and then forSludge Lifein the future it’s really up to how people receive this new game. For now, though, I feel like we’re going to work on different things once we start moving on.
Doseone:We are going to recharge and feed off how people receiveSludge Life 2. I’m sure whatever we do together next will be a cocktail of what we already do well and some things we’ve never tried before!
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