Backpack Hero was released as a demo on Itch.io on January 31. On May 7, the game was over 1000% funded on Kickstarter. It’s a roguelike with an interesting twist: every item you acquire has to be stashed in your cramped backpack, and battles are fought by clicking on those items to use them in turn-based combat. The Escapist had the opportunity to interview Jasper Cole, one of the lead developers of the small indie team, to discuss how the idea for Backpack Hero came about and the Kickstarter success of the game.
Elise Avery, The Escapist: What was your career in games like before? Backpack Hero?
Jasper Kool: I’ve been making games as a hobbyist all my life. I started making them all the way back in high school. I regularly participated in game jams and made many small games, free games and mobile games. I have not worked for a major game studio or developer.
What inspired the idea for Backpack Hero? Did you think it would be a winning idea when you came up with it?
Jasper Kool: I was originally interested in roguelikes building decks. I was experimenting with card games that were about placing cards. Each turn you would draw cards, and the position where you played those cards was significant. This went through many different prototypes and iterations. At one point, it was even a tower defense card game! But eventually the idea turned into inventory management. I’ve always been a big fan of Deus Ex, and I loved inventory management in that game. It was certainly a great source of inspiration.
I never expected Backpack Hero to get the answer it did. But I did know that the prototyping went very well. When I started putting things together I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited about it. Then one of my good friends played the game and immediately made an article and sent it to all his friends. So I knew the game had a different reception than my previous games. Yet even now I am still surprised by how popular the game is! I feel really happy!
What do you think contributed to your team’s Kickstarter success?
Jasper Kool: The demo on Itch.io was the biggest factor. People were connected to the game and wanted to support it even before Kickstarter launched. My recommendation to other indie developers would be to create a demo or prototype of your game. If people like it, they will want to support you. We also got support from some major streamers, including Retromation, The Spiffing Brit, Sifd, NorthernLion, and SplatterCatGaming (among others). They made a huge difference.
Were you surprised by how well the Kickstarter went?
Jasper Kool: Absolutely shocked! We were really concerned that we wouldn’t reach the $20,000 goal. So when we reached it in just over a day, the whole team was amazed. We still feel very lucky with this support.
How did you make inventory management (something many players complain about) fun? Were there any challenges?
Jasper Kool: The game didn’t start from the “How do I make inventory management fun?” perspective. So to some extent the hard work was already done by the time we moved the game to inventory management. I’ve played a lot of games where inventory management is a big part of the gameplay. Factorio and Valheim comes to mind. In both games, I spend a lot of time checking my inventory, dragging things around, and pushing items in and out of boxes. But it’s always just annoying micromanagement. I hardly ever make consistent decisions about what to take. It’s always just: grab what you can and get the rest later.
Backpack Hero works because item placement is important, so you spend time thinking about how you want things organized. And if something is left behind, it’s lost, so you know you’re making big decisions. Roguelikes are great because you know your decisions matter, and that can turn mundane tasks into exciting strategy games!
What’s it like to be an indie developer after Kickstarter? Has funding your game affected your daily routine?
Jasper Kool: Surely! I spend a lot of my time playing the game! The game is currently in early access and we hope to finish the full game in April 2023. For now, I usually work on the game seven days a week. After the release we will have to slow down a bit. We now also have to do a lot of management. I spend time every day reading bug reports, sending keys, and doing other administrative tasks that weren’t part of the job before.
What are you most proud of about your team’s play?
Jasper Kool: That is a very difficult question to answer! I am proud of the whole. I am constantly impressed by the music of Binary Counter and the art of Gangs Robin. I also like that we are working on something new. There has never been another game about inventory management, and it makes me very happy to know that we are bringing some new ideas and hopefully giving people a fun and unique experience.
I would also like to mention our social media links:
Backpack Hero is now available in Steam Early Access and we thank Jasper Cole for taking the time with this interview.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
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