Recently, I discovered a very interesting-looking game in the SPUM User Cafe. Its name is "Isekai Adventurer Guild". The title itself was instantly appealing, and after hearing that a demo had been released on Steam, I went to the store page and was immediately impressed by the quality of the screenshots.

Isekai Adventurer Guild Steam Page https://store.steampowered.com/app/3614160

Key screenshots from Isekai Adventurer Guild, source: Steam page

'Wow. I can't believe a game this good was made with SPUM!!'

You can currently try the demo of Isekai Adventurer Guild on Steam, and once you actually play it, it becomes obvious that this is a seriously high-quality game. As the creator of an asset pack, seeing SPUM used in such a great project is genuinely exciting. So I worked up the courage to contact the developer of the game, which I will abbreviate as IAG from this point on.

#01. "Suyeom," the solo developer behind Beard Bear who truly loves beards

I had the chance to interview the creator of IAG, Suyeom, through Discord and an online conversation. He was a developer with a very strong identity, and yes, he really does love beards.

The part that surprised me most while talking with him was that he is a solo developer. Of course, development tools have improved a lot over the years and the environment is far more solo-developer-friendly than before, but after seeing the overall quality and amount of content in IAG, I naturally assumed it had been made by a team.

The fact that IAG, with its incredible visual quality and fully built-out stages, was made by one person still amazes me.

Even now, as I write this, it still feels astonishing. A project like IAG must have come with a lot of challenges, and it was easy to feel that this developer had many stories to tell.

"I originally studied web development, but while working at a small company I got involved with game-related work and began learning Unity game development. Once I built up some experience, I wanted to make a game of my own, so I left my job and started solo development. I've been preparing and developing it for nearly a year and am now getting ready for release."

I also remember starting solo development after around three years of game-development experience. To think we have now entered an era where talented developers can create games like this on their own really is remarkable.

#02. I wanted to make a game where lots of cute characters bustle around on an adventure

When I first found IAG in the community, the first word that came to mind was "retro." While playing it, I honestly assumed the developer might be around my age, somewhere in his forties.

That was because the SRPG-style elements, the user interface that introduces the characters, and many other parts of the game reminded me of the retro-style games I loved in the 1990s.

"Hahaha, I'm not in my forties. I'm actually much younger than that. I just really like this kind of game, and I wanted to make something full of bustling characters, so I think that feeling naturally came through."

The kind of game Suyeom wanted to make was one where many different adventurers appear and players can enjoy a wide variety of scenes and play styles. He also said SPUM played a big role in making that possible.

If you look back at posts Suyeom shared in the SPUM user community, you can see examples where he modified pixels directly on the SPUM base and built his own distinct designs. Personally, I remember thinking it was one of the best examples of SPUM usage I had ever seen. He was someone I had been keeping an eye on for quite a while, and as expected, he delivered.

Honestly, he may use SPUM even better than I do as its creator. I can't help being a little jealous.

He mentioned that the current number of characters is still below his original plan, but that he has already prepared enough for launch and plans to keep adding more characters through continuous updates going forward.

Given the nature of the game, meeting all kinds of adventurers inside the guild looks like it will be one of the real pleasures of playing it, and I think players will keep discovering more interesting adventurers over time.

#03. Assets + AI + SPUM helped overcome the limitations and productivity gap of solo development

To make IAG, Suyeom created the in-game characters by editing pixel parts directly inside SPUM, used AI for character illustrations, and relied on additional purchased resources from places like the Unity Asset Store for the rest.

That part was especially striking to me. Using assets and AI to build games is quickly becoming an essential choice for solo developers and small teams because it can deliver tremendous productivity.

At the same time, it is not a magic key that solves everything. When creators combine many different external resources, the overall artistic tone and manner can easily collapse. But before Suyeom explained his process, I honestly assumed he had made every visual asset himself because the design consistency in IAG looked that complete.

"I used AI and assets, but whenever something mattered, I still made and corrected it myself so I could build a visual identity that felt like my own."

I think this kind of capability and effort will become even more important for small teams in the future. Individuals and small studios that keep building up this kind of know-how will go on to create even better games and other forms of content.

AI and assets can absolutely offer huge productivity gains, but they can also weaken a creator's identity and individuality. Still, as IAG demonstrates, if you know how to use them properly, they can become an enormous help both for productivity and for building a game that still feels truly your own.

#04. You can meet Isekai Adventurer Guild at BIC

IAG was officially selected for BIC 2025, so it will also be possible to experience it offline at BIC in Busan's BEXCO from August 15 to August 17, 2025.

BIC introduction link: https://bicfest.org/exhibition/view/1554 (BIC login required)

If you read this and end up playing IAG at BIC, please let me know whether Suyeom really shows off an impressive beard in person. I interviewed him only online, so I have not had the chance to meet him face to face yet.

I also wanted to go to Busan, meet him in person, enjoy the game, and talk with him, but unfortunately I could not make time for BIC this round. I will have to aim for the next opportunity.

#05. BeardBear, who began this development journey together with SPUM

"I think I have been using SPUM almost from the very beginning while making Isekai Adventurer Guild. It has helped me tremendously."

During the interview, through chat, a pre-survey, and our conversation, he said many kind things about SPUM, and as someone who makes and provides assets, it made me genuinely proud.

After the interview, I looked through BeardBear's development timeline and the old posts he had left in the SPUM user community. You could clearly see traces showing that he had been using SPUM and posting about it from the very early stages of development.

After I first released SPUM as a personal hobby project and later decided to pursue it seriously as my work, one of the things I worked hardest on was building an official manual and providing supporting resources such as map assets and GUI assets so that solo developers and small teams could make proper use of SPUM. Looking back now, it feels like BeardBear started using SPUM right around that point and ended up showing exactly the kind of strong use case I had hoped to see.

I believe the services our team makes and provides shine brightest when developers use them and when the games those developers create do well. So whenever games like IAG appear in the world, it gives me more energy and strengthens my determination to make and release even better products and technologies for developers.

I will close this article by wishing great success to Isekai Adventurer Guild, the excellent game created by Suyeom, and even greater growth and success to the BeardBear team.

Written by: Soonsoon

PS. SoonsoonFactory is currently running the SPUM Boosting program to help promote teams creating great content with SPUM. If you have released, or are planning to release, a game made with SPUM, please contact us at soonsoon@soonsoons.com and we will do our best to help.