What is Invisible Games?

Invisible Games is a game developer, but not a traditional one. Day-to-day it’s just me, working in my spare time and wearing many hats. But I couldn’t do this alone, and some super-talented collaborators create much of the content. Together, we make audio games — like video games, but without the visuals! Our goal is to create unconventional and exciting experiences that are captivating for sighted players, yet 100% accessible to the blind.

What are we making?

Our first game is Captain Dynamite and the Fallen Hero. It’s essentially a radio drama about heroes and villains, with rhythm gameplay during the action scenes. The story focuses on the title character, a jaded sidekick-turned-hero who reluctantly filled the shoes of his righteous mentor who died in battle. When our hero and his new sidekick are called into action, the player will control their moves and (hopefully) lead them to victory by playing “repeat the pattern”-style rhythm gameplay.

The game was designed to be a very cinematic experience, with a movie-style script, great voice acting, and a fantastic music score. The only thing missing is the visuals, which players will fill in using their imaginations, just like they would when reading a great book. Listen to a work-in-progress version in the above video!

Captain Dynamite and the Fallen Hero is in development for Xbox Live Indie Games and PC, and it will be released in 2012 2013. An iOS version is planned too and will be started once the XBLIG and PC versions are complete.

Who am I?

Andrew P. Bilyk

Writer, Director, Audio Editor, Game Designer, Programmer, & Producer

I’m a 31-year-old gamer and game developer. I have been playing video games most of my life, going back to the mid-1980s with the NES and Sega Master System. Games are my passion, and I’m especially fond of rhythm games and unusual/experimental games. Gitaroo Man and Braid are among my favorites.

I wanted to be a game developer since I was a kid, and for 7+ years I made games professionally at Black Lantern Studios, working mostly on licensed kids’ games. While I was still working there, I wanted to make my own games as well, and that’s why I started Invisible Games. I’m a multi-talented guy and fill many roles — everything listed atop my photo, above. It’s a great pleasure to work on so many different aspects of game development, particularly on my own project!

Why should you care?

On this blog — and on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube too — I’ll give lots of info about the game, like…

• Status updates
• Previews of new content
• Interviews with me and the other developers
• Behind the scenes of each aspect of development
• Reasons behind key design and story decisions
• Sales info (once the game is released!)
• And more!

I’ve got a hunch that the game and the story behind its development will be interesting to a lot of people. If you think you might one of them, stick around and follow our progress! I bet you’ll be glad you did. Thanks!