Kinky: I’m truly happy that I found this game and donated, because this is a game I’m okay with following. So many Japanese Visual Novels have Japanese voices, but the English side of the Visual Novel game is slacking. The easy way to my heart is adding English voices to your game, at least for the H Scenes. And the man who’s drove his way into my heart is Belgerum! How are you doing today, Belgerum?
Belgerum: I'm doing great, thanks! I've been busy with the recent game release, but I'm always happy to talk about my work.
Kinky: When did you get into creating games? Did you go to school for it?
Belgerum: I started making games as a hobby back in high school. I've always loved video games, especially ones with interesting stories to tell. I never dreamed that someday, I'd be making my own, but I enjoyed playing them, and spent plenty of time with them.
I didn't got to school for making games. I actually never completed College, nor did I spend a lot of time learning about making games as much as I experienced them, analyzed them, and came to my own conclusions about how I wanted them to be.
Kinky: How long have you been working on games?
Belgerum: I first started experimenting with game-making in high school, but I wasn't very serious about it until later. I quickly settled on the visual novel genre with the Ren'Py engine, since it had the storytelling ability I wanted and the capability for simple, focused gameplay to enhance the core experience.
For years, I worked on many small projects, never finishing anything, but always learning from the experience of creating. I looked back at my earlier attempts, and always tried to push myself to new heights. I also offered my services to other projects, making music for games that wanted their own original sound, and trying to contribute what I could.
I joined Seventh Heart Studios soon after, and began working on the game Eternal Hour as part of their larger team. The effort I put into a variety of roles for this project is part of what inspired me to start making my own games. Eternal Hour is still in development, and I'm still working with Seventh Heart Studios now, though I love taking on other projects and making interesting games.
Kinky: Why a porn game?
Belgerum: I felt that tingling desire in my loins, that need for fulfillment that only sex could satisfy.
Nah, nothing that dramatic. Demon King Domination was a project I started working on for the game jam NaNoRenO, a month-long challenge to make a complete Visual Novel game with the limited time you had. Part of my goal for the project was to expand my horizons, and delve into territory I hadn't tried before. I thought that making an erotic game would be fun, give me experience with something I wouldn't normally do, and let me explore the genre to see if I liked it. I'd played adult games before, but making one is an entirely different story.
I'm definitely glad I tried it, and I'm happy to see that other people enjoyed the fruit of my labor.
Kinky: Your Patreon states that you can fill many roles, like writer, sound designer, voice actor, programmer, and musician. Did you learn all that because you were making a game, or did you already have all these skills?
Belgerum: Mainly the latter, but both statements apply to different jobs. I learned everything I know about writing from high school and college classes, where my teachers would mark my papers red with corrections. I went to college for music, even if I never got a degree. On the other hand, I definitely learned programming solely for the purpose of making games. My motivations for learning skills are all different, and come from many parts of my life. Together, they make up who I am.
Kinky: Is it hard to do so much while directing everyone else?
Belgerum: It can be a challenge, I will admit. When making a game as a group effort, it can be hard to hold everyone together to the same vision, and make their combined efforts into a cohesive whole. It takes a lot of communication skill, and it means that you have to make sacrifices sometimes, but I believe the end result is always worth the effort.
Leading a group is a job that I gladly take on for the good of the game, the team, and all of our players. It means that I have less time to spend on individual parts of the game's whole, but I also get to see the game coming together to form a cohesive whole, and be assured that its quality shows from every angle.
Kinky: How long does it take to make one music track? What’s your musical process?
Belgerum: It depends on the track. Faster, more complex music with a lot of instruments can take a long time to make, while slower and simpler tunes can take less than a day.
That being said, it takes a long time to work up the skill and patience that music creation requires, as well as gathering the hardware, software, instruments, and materials that go into making the music sound good.
Kinky: What was the process and the reason for making Demon King Domination?
Belgerum: As I said earlier, Demon King Domination was made for the month-long game jam NaNoRenO. The game was intended to be a short, straightforward experience in a genre that I wasn't very experienced with. I wanted to make the game as a learning experience, while also crafting something that people would find enjoyable to play. Along the way, I found a few partners who helped make the game as good as it could be, and we made something we can be proud of.
Kinky: How long did it take you to finish Demon King Domination?
Belgerum: I started planning out the game about a week before March, and the beginning of the Game Jam, and the game's first release was published on March 28th. The game took just a bit less than a month to make, and I'm quite happy with the result we produced for that time frame.
Kinky: How was the process of finding a female voice actress for your character?
Belgerum: Surprisingly, it was actually the reverse. Trina, the voice actress for Dianne, came looking for me through a recruitment thread on a forum, when I was looking for people to help with the game. She had been looking for a NaNoRenO game team to join, but hadn't found any other projects that were hoping to include voice acting. It's understandable, given that the game jam has a time budget, that not many developers wanted to add extra features like voices, but I was glad to have Trina join. It was fun working with her, recording my own voice for Malos, and making the game come to life that much more through the power of voiced dialogue.
And what a great Dianne she plays. I hope to hear more of her in the future.
Kinky: The game you’re working on now is Demon King Arena. What are your goals for that one?
Belgerum: My goals for Demon King Arena are fairly straightforward. After seeing the popularity of Demon King Domination, and how many people were willing to support the game despite how short it is, I want to make a game that takes the premise of the first game and expands it into a longer, more satisfying experience. I want to improve on every aspect, from the GUI and interface to the storyline and characters.
I also want to gather more support from fans, so that I can show my appreciation for my teammates with financial support. Demon King Domination definitely wouldn't be as popular as it is without the help of Kronifer, the artist, and Trina, the voice actress, and I want to show them the value that their hard work has.
Demon King Arena's release may be somewhat far in the future, and it may not be a free game like Demon King Domination after it's finished, but I want to make a larger, better experience for those who liked our first game.
Kinky: I truly love when H-games have English voice acting. That’s why I fell instantly in love with Demon King Domination. Will Demon King Arena have English voice acting?
Belgerum: I'm definitely hoping to have it. It will be hard to find a large cast to fill every role in the game, and a large amount of work needs to be done before any recording can begin, but I think the voice acting is one of the biggest unique features our game has, and I don't want to compromise on quality for our sequel.
Kinky: How long do you plan to make Demon King Arena?
Belgerum: I'm hoping to make Demon King Arena at least 6-7 times as long as Demon King Domination. Right now, we're planning for 5 bosses similar to Dianne, each with multiple phases and mid-battle story segments, and a longer, more involved storyline to wrap them all together.
Kinky: Do you have any idea when we might see something of a beta for Demon King Arena?
Belgerum: I'm hoping to have an early beta before the end of April. It probably won't be close to final, and it won't have all of the fancy elements that Demon King Domination had quite, but I want to make sure our fans know that we're serious about its development.
Kinky: Will you do something different with the battle system?
Belgerum: Right now, we're planning to use a very similar battle system that's based on the same core principles. We'll probably push it further in order to keep it interesting in a longer format, and make each battle a bit more unique, but we want to keep the battle system fun, and ensure that it fits well with the storyline, and the struggle between two opposing characters.
Kinky: Do you have a kink that you favor?
You can probably tell from the contents of Demon King Domination, but I do have a number of kinks that I like. Mind control, corruption, humiliation, bondage, and others that aren't quite so dark as well.
If I had to pick one kink that is my favorite, it would probably be fertilization/impregnation. You just gotta love that moment when the ladies realize that they're going to have your baby, and as months pass afterward, they feel the child growing inside them.
Kinky: Who’s your favorite girl in Demon King Arena so far?
Belgerum: I'm not sure if I should say, since the characters are all still in the process of being designed and conceptualized. I'd also like to keep some some previews exclusive to my supporters on Patreon. Still, rest assured that we are working to create a wide cast of characters each with their own quirks and appeal. I'm excited about every character we're working on, and I sincerely hope that our players will like them all, too.
Well, I already see who maybe my favorite character. I love me some dark elves, and the MC (girl on the right) has that face that just screams "I will not let you dominate me!" which makes the corruption all the more sweet. You can check out more character concepts by donating to his patreon.
