Recently, I discovered a very interesting-looking game in the SPUM User Cafe. Its name is “Isekai Adventurer Guild”. The title itself was captivating, and when I saw the news that a demo version was released on Steam, I went to the store page. The game screenshots immediately caught my eye with their incredible quality.
Isekai Adventurer Guild Steam Page https://store.steampowered.com/app/3614160
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https://store.steampowered.com/app/3614160
‘Wow! To think such an amazing game was made using SPUM!!’
Currently, you can try the demo version of the Isekai Adventurer Guild game through its Steam page, and when you actually play it, you’ll find it’s a truly high-quality game. As an asset creator, it’s a real joy to see SPUM being used in such a wonderful game. So, I gathered my courage and contacted the creator of IAG (the abbreviation for Isekai Adventurer Guild game. I’ll refer to it as IAG from now on).
#01. “Suyeom,” the head of Beard Bear, a solo developer who loves beards
I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with IAG‘s creator, ‘Suyeom-nim,’ through Discord and online chat. ‘Suyeom-nim’ was a developer with a very strong identity, truly loving his beard (Suyeom means ‘beard’ in Korean).
The most surprising thing I learned while talking to him was that he is a solo developer. Of course, development tools have advanced significantly compared to the past, making it a better world for solo development. However, as I played IAG, looking at the overall quality and the amount of content, I naturally assumed it was made by a team.
The fact that IAG, with its incredible design quality and stages, was a solo project!! Wow… Even as I write this, it’s truly astonishing. Being a solo project, it seems IAG must have faced many challenges, and the developer seemed to have many stories to tell.
“I was originally studying web development, then started Unity game development while working at a small company. Once I had some experience, I wanted to create my own game, so I left my job and started as a solo developer. I’ve been preparing and developing for nearly a year and am now getting ready for launch.”
I also recall starting my journey as a solo developer after about three years of game development experience… To think that we are now in an era where talented developers are creating such amazing games on their own…
#02. I wanted to create a game where you enjoy an adventure with lots of cute, bustling characters.
Actually, when I first discovered the IAG game in the community, the first thought that came to my mind was “retro.” While playing the game, I guessed that the developer might be in his 40s, around the same age as me. This was because the SRPG elements, the UI design for character introductions, and various other aspects of IAG reminded me of the retro-style games I enjoyed in the 90s.
“Hahaha, I’m not in my 40s (he was much younger than me). I think it turned out this way because I personally like this genre of game, and I wanted to create a game with lots of bustling characters.”
The game Suyeom-nim wanted to create was one where various adventurers appear, allowing for diverse presentations and gameplay. He also mentioned that SPUM played a significant role in making this possible.
In fact, if you look at a post Suyeom-nim made in the SPUM user community in the past, he showed results of creating his own designs by modifying pixels directly on the SPUM base. I personally remember thinking it was the best use case of SPUM I had seen. He was a developer I had my eye on since then… and as expected, he delivered…
Honestly, Suyeom-nim uses SPUM better than I, its creator… I’m jealous…
He mentioned that while there are currently fewer characters than planned, he has created enough for the initial launch and plans to continuously add a variety of characters through future updates. Given the game’s nature, it seems players will have the fun of meeting various adventurers at the guild, and we can look forward to encountering even more diverse adventurers as we play.
#03. Overcoming the limits of solo development and low productivity with Assets + AI + SPUM
Suyeom-nim explained that to create IAG, he used SPUM to craft the in-game characters by directly creating pixel parts. He utilized AI for character illustrations and purchased other resources from places like the Unity Asset Store.
This was personally surprising to me. While using a combination of assets and AI has become an essential choice for solo developers or small teams due to the significant boost in productivity, it’s not a silver bullet. This is because combining different resources can often break the artistic tone and manner. But honestly, until Suyeom-nim explained it, I thought he had created all the design resources himself, as the design consistency in IAG looked so polished.
“While I used AI and assets, I naturally made and modified what was necessary to create my own design feel.”
It seems that in the future, such capabilities and efforts will be increasingly required of small development teams. Individuals or small teams that accumulate this kind of know-how will likely go on to create even more amazing games and content.
AI and assets can certainly offer tremendous productivity, but they can also compromise a creator’s identity or uniqueness. However, as IAG has shown, if you can use them ‘properly’ like Suyeom-nim, they can be of immense help in boosting productivity and creating your own unique game. I was once again convinced of this through IAG.
#04. You can find Isekai Adventurer Guild at BIC
IAG was proudly selected for this year’s BIC 2025 and can be experienced offline at the BIC event held at BEXCO in Busan from August 15th to 17th.
BIC Introduction Link: https://bicfest.org/exhibition/view/1554 (BIC login required)
If you are reading this and get to play IAG at BIC, please let me know in a review if Suyeom-nim truly boasts a magnificent beard!! (I only interviewed him online, so I haven’t seen him in person ㅠㅠ).
I really wanted to visit Busan if my schedule allowed, to meet him in person, enjoy the game, and chat… but unfortunately, my schedule doesn’t permit a trip to BIC this time ㅠㅠ. I’ll have to look for the next opportunity.
#05. BeardBear-nim, who started his development journey with SPUM
“I think I’ve been using SPUM almost from the very beginning of making Isekai Adventurer Guild. It has been a huge help.”
During the interview, through chat, a pre-survey, and our conversation, he gave such positive feedback about SPUM that, as someone who creates and supplies assets, I felt a deep sense of pride.
After the interview, I looked at BeardBear-nim’s development schedule and the posts he had left in the SPUM user community. I could see the traces he mentioned, showing he had been using SPUM and posting since the beginning of development.
In fact, after I released SPUM as a personal hobby project and decided to make it my profession, the part I put a lot of effort into was creating an official manual and providing map resources, GUI resources, etc., for SPUM users. I was trying to offer a kind of “hint” to help solo or small-scale developers use SPUM properly. Looking back, it seems Suyeom-nim started using SPUM right at that point and has shown an exemplary use case, just as I had hoped.
I believe that the services our team creates and provides shine brighter only when developers use them and their creations succeed. Therefore, when games like IAG come into the world, it gives me more strength and reinforces my determination to create and release even better products and technologies for developers.
I will conclude this article by wishing the greatest success for Isekai Adventurer Guild, the wonderful creation of Suyeom-nim who has a bright future ahead, and for the greater growth and success of the BeardBear team.
Written by: Soonsoon
PS. SoonsoonFactory is running the “SPUM Boosting” program to help promote teams that create amazing content using SPUM. If you have a game that was made or is scheduled to be released using SPUM, please contact us at soonsoon@soonsoons.com, and we will do our best to help.