Nocturne is a rhythm-based RPG that has been in development for over 10 years, transforming from a solo project game to one that required a team. Pracy Studios’ founder and namesake Ben Pracy spoke with 80Level and explained the development process and how the game evolved over that decade.
The project began as a solo endeavor inspired by Undertale and Pracy’s childhood fascination with Chrono Trigger, but gradually expanded into a small-team production supported by musicians and artists. Its lengthy development included three major rebuilds, hundreds of handcrafted maps, battles, and cutscenes, and extensive public playtesting. The resulting game features a 100,000-word story, 101 playable tracks, six difficulty options, and boss music performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra.
Nocturne’s gameplay is reminiscent of classic JRPGs, with the added challenge of rhythm games. It’s a mashup of genres that probably should not work but Pracy Studios pulls it off to great effect. This is partly due to the inspirations behind the game, having a solid foundation to work with gave the team the belief the game could exist as they envisioned.
Nocturne has been in development for around ten years as your first mostly solo project. Looking back, what was the original spark for the game, and how much has the vision changed between the first prototype and the version launching on Steam?
Ben Pracy: Undertale was the game that inspired me to begin creating Nocturne. The combination of RPG and Bullet Hell worked so great, and that’s the spark that allowed me to combine RPG with Rhythm Combat. The game has changed so much since I started. In the early days, I would take prototypes to local indie events, so it’s been years of iteration and player feedback that shaped exactly how the gameplay is today.
Nocturne is available now on PC via Steam!
