↓↑journey

By Chris Penwell

Alpha Nomos is an upcoming action roguelike with rhythm elements and unique weapons that amplify the sound of a particular instrument. You can fight with dual-blade xylophones, for example, which is pretty awesome and each strike affects the music in the game.

Intrigued by this cool concept and the Steam Next Fest demo, I asked the CEO of RibCage Games Itamar Berner, CEO about the studio’s upcoming Alpha Nomos several questions about the intriguing game. Get ready! The answers are detailed and insightful!

DownUpJourney: Tell me about your protagonist, Cello. What is her character design inspired by? She looks like a cool puppet. Did you grow up watching puppet shows? 

Itamar Berner,: I’m so glad you like her design! To answer your question about puppet shows, I actually have to give all the credit to our Creative Director and concept artist, Nataly. She grew up watching Sesame Street alongside classic Soviet Russian stop-motion cartoons, and she has always loved that specific ‘cute-creepy’ vibe those shows capture so perfectly. That aesthetic became a massive inspiration for Cello.

But Cello actually went through a pretty wild evolution to get to where she is today. When we first conceived the game during that 48-hour game jam, she looked completely different. She was a puppet, but much more of a bizarre jester creature.

As we decided to push forward into full development, we went through so many iterations. There was even a brief period while we were refining the story where we thought about making her a regular human girl. Very quickly, though, we realised the puppet aspect was part of the game’s soul, so we turned her back into one – just a bit more human and less creature-like this time. Through all those changes, her magenta nose was the one early design element that stayed with us; it really anchored the character.

Her outfit went through a similar journey. Originally, she was dressed heavily as a circus clown or a jester. But as her character developed, we realised she is ultimately an explorer. So, we shifted her wardrobe to be more of an adventurer’s gear, while making sure to keep those fun, vibrant colours and her signature hat with the two bells.

DUJ: Explain the musical-themed power-ups to me. How do they work in this rogue-like setup?

IB: This is one of our favourite systems in the game because it perfectly captures what we are trying to do with dynamic audio.

In Alpha Nomos, our power-ups aren’t just magical spells; they are based on real-world musical effects like Reverb, Delay, and Flanger. The coolest part is that when you activate one, that actual audio effect is dynamically applied to your attacks. So, as you construct your build during a roguelite run, you aren’t just changing how you play – you are literally changing how your entire run sounds. Every build has its own unique audio signature.

Since it’s a roguelite, progression and evolution are key. You upgrade these power-ups as you progress through a run, and at certain thresholds, they evolve into entirely new, hyper-upgraded versions of themselves. To give you a sense of the scale we’re aiming for: our current demo only features three base effects – Delay, Reverb, and Flanger – but from those three alone, there are already 21 unique evolutions you can discover. The full game will expand on that significantly.

But from a design perspective, what was most important to us was avoiding boring, flat stat boosts. We didn’t want power-ups that just passively give you ‘+10% damage’ or a ‘higher crit chance.’ How effective a power-up is depends entirely on how you use it.

For instance, Reverb takes time to recharge, making it incredibly powerful if you favour hit-and-run tactics. Delay, on the other hand, requires you to actively trigger it and then follow up on that activation; if you don’t press the advantage, the effect fades, and you get very little out of it. We want players to think tactically. When you use one of these power-ups in the right way, it provides a massive combat boost – exactly like dropping the perfect musical effect into the right musical scenario.

DUJ: How many instruments are there that are weapons in Alpha Nomos?

IB: For the full release, players will have access to four distinct musical weapons. We’ve officially revealed two of them to the community so far.

First is the SaXword, which is exactly what it sounds like: a heavy-hitting saxophone sword. It is designed for players who love digging into mechanics, featuring a lot of different, intricate combo links that you can weave together.

Then we have the Xyloblades. These are xylophone dual blades that play completely differently, utilising a really aggressive, fast-paced, chainsaw-like mechanic.

There are two more weapons in the base game that we are keeping completely under wraps for now, as we want to save some big surprises for the reveal!

But one detail I always love pointing out – and something we are incredibly proud of – is the audio itself. None of the weapon sounds you hear are synthesised. Every single weapon uses high-quality recordings of actual live instruments. It all ties back to our commitment to creating an authentic, handcrafted audio experience. And honestly, looking beyond the full release, introducing even more of these musical weapons is at the very top of our list for future content.

DUJ: Does upgrading your weapon change the music in any way? 

IB: We actually like to think of every run in Alpha Nomos as a massive, chaotic jam session, and the player is one of the lead musicians.

When you upgrade your weapons outside of runs, you are essentially unlocking new combos. Think of it as learning new riffs or techniques for your instrument. By adding these new moves to your repertoire, you get the freedom to put your own unique, personal spin on the music depending on which combos you decide to chain together.

But honestly, the most profound changes to the music won’t come from a menu or an upgrade tree – they come directly from the player. As you improve your skills, learn the flow of the combat, and truly sync up with the rhythm, your gameplay naturally becomes more musical. The real magic happens when you finally learn how to ‘play’ the music flawlessly, forcing your way through hordes of enemies who are desperately trying to stop your performance.

DUJ: You tease a bit of metal at the end of one of your trailers. How many different genres are there? Tell me about the composer of the game! 

IB: Good catch! It’s actually a bit tricky for us to put an exact number on how many genres we cover, because the original soundtrack has a really wide, dynamic variety.

The musical tone of the entire game is driven by our incredible composer, Juan Garcia-Herreros – also known as the Snow Owl – and his team. Juan plays bass for Hans Zimmer when he isn’t working on games, and he is honestly one of the most amazing people we’ve had the honour to work with. He is responsible for every single piece of music and sound effect you hear.

But what makes our collaboration so special is that his role goes far beyond just providing a soundtrack. Because Alpha Nomos is so heavily reliant on musical mechanics, Juan has had a massive, direct influence on our core game design.

And that brings us right back to that metal tease! That heavy sound comes from one of those unrevealed weapons I hinted at earlier.

DUJ: Is there an interesting story in Alpha Nomos? We see a few text boxes in the trailer. 

IB:  Yes, absolutely! Those text boxes you saw in the trailer are just a small glimpse into the narrative we are building.

There is a deep, overarching lore to Alpha Nomos. The game is set against the backdrop of a massive, changing world, and players who love to dig into world-building will find plenty of hints and secrets scattered around about the broader universe and what happened to it.

However, our main narrative focus is actually much more intimate. Instead of just telling a sweeping epic about saving the universe, the heart of Alpha Nomos really zeroes in on the personal adventures of Cello and her lost friends. The story is about their journey to make sense of the strange reality around them. As you progress, you will spend time in the hub getting to know a cast of unique villagers, building connections with them, and following Cello as she learns to fully master her musical powers.

We wanted the story to mirror the gameplay: chaotic and fast-paced out in the world, but grounded by real charm, heart, and connection when you return home.

DUJ: What kind of biomes will we be exploring in Alpha Nomos? 

IB: Cello’s journey is going to take her through some wildly different environments.

Players will initially start their adventure by landing in the Corrupted Forest, which really sets the tone for the strange, twisted reality of the world. But from there, things get even more interesting. She will eventually fight her way through a massive Amusement Park biome – which is where our concept artist’s love for that ‘cute-creepy’ aesthetic truly shines – and she will even have to navigate a completely mysterious, surreal plane of existence that we simply call The Void.

Those are the three main combat biomes we are revealing for now, but they are definitely not the only ones. There are several more unrevealed biomes that will be in the final game.

On top of the combat zones, there are also specific, grounded places that break up the action. You’ll spend a lot of time in The Village and a few other secret locations hidden away as well, but players will just have to wait for the full release to stumble upon those!

DUJ: We see speakers and instruments left in this fantasy world. Has it impacted Cello’s landscape in a negative way? 

IB: Those giant speakers and instruments scattered across the landscape aren’t just there to look cool – they are deeply tied to the core mystery of the game.

The fascinating thing about the world of Alpha Nomos is that the very concept of ‘music’ is a complete mystery to the characters. Unlike us, Cello has no idea what a speaker, a guitar, or an amplifier is. To her, these are just bizarre, inexplicable monoliths left behind in the world. She doesn’t understand their original function or significance at all.

But to answer your question about whether it has impacted the landscape negatively: absolutely. While the characters don’t understand what music actually is, they do know that it commands immense, dangerous power. In many cases, it actively drives things crazy or corrupts them. The true nature of this ‘music’ and how the characters interact with it is actually one of the central plot points of the story.

From a game design perspective, though, we had a lot of fun with this. Those massive musical elements in the background serve a dual purpose. They are story-relevant ruins that build the lore, but for the player sitting behind the screen, they actually act as a visual aid. They pulse and react to the music, offering a helping hand to let you visually follow the beat during combat. So while Cello is completely mystified by them, the player gets to use them to their advantage!

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DUJ: How important is it to release a demo for your game on Steam? What do you recommend to other indie devs or those about to start developing their games? 

IB: Releasing a demo on Steam has been absolutely vital for us, and I cannot overstate its importance. It serves two massive purposes: it gives players a tangible taste of the game to get them genuinely excited, and more importantly, it is the ultimate tool for gathering real-world feedback.

We never had the ego to think we could just sit in a room and design the perfect rhythm-action hybrid completely on our own. It is a wildly complex balance to strike. Iterating on our design using external input from the community has brought us so much closer to that goal. The game has improved significantly directly because players took the time to voice their experiences, and we are incredibly grateful for their help.

As for what I would recommend to other indie devs, or anyone just starting out, my biggest piece of advice is a simple mantra: fail early, and fail often.

Making games is incredibly hard. It’s even harder to tell if an idea is actually fun on paper until it exists in some playable form. The best way to navigate that is to just start trying things, and you have to be fully prepared to accept when you are wrong. Every single time you are wrong about a mechanic or a design choice, it is an opportunity to learn and improve.

I highly recommend doing game jams when exploring new ideas – after all, that is exactly how Alpha Nomos started! Game jams naturally force you to set strict deadlines, which is a fantastic way to avoid over-scoping. Ultimately, just remember that as you learn and grow during the development process, your ideas will most probably change. Embrace that change, keep iterating, and don’t be afraid to fail along the way.

DUJ: Is there anything you think I missed? What would you like to say to our readers?

IB: To the readers out there, my biggest message is this: please, never hesitate to voice your opinions. Player feedback is our absolute lifeline. Learning to take criticism and viewing it constructively is one of the most vital skills any developer can have. Honestly, if everyone just patted us on the back and always told us they loved everything we made, Alpha Nomos would be a significantly worse game than it is today. Your honesty is what pushes us to be better.

So, with that in mind, please go try out the Alpha Nomos demo on Steam! The team has poured so much heart and hard work into it, and we are working just as hard right now on the full release. We truly hope you have a blast playing it, and we cannot wait to hear what you think!