This series features interviews with the developers of intriguing new indie games. In this installment, we bring you a mini-interview with the developers of “Infinitevania,” a Brazilian Metroidvania game developed by JHT Games and released for PC on July 25.
This Brazilian Metroidvania was heavily influenced by *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night*. It focuses on combat, exploration, puzzles, upgrades, and an epic story, as you adventure through various distinct worlds and take on powerful bosses. Japanese language support is included.
*Infinitevania* is available for 1,700 yen.
――First, please introduce yourself. What’s your favorite game?
Henrique: Hello! I’m Henrique Teodoro, co-founder of JHT Games and director of *Infinitevania*. On this project, I primarily served as a game designer and programmer, while also handling most of the social media management and communication.
It’s very difficult to choose just one favorite game, but *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night* is undoubtedly one of the most important titles for me. This game had a huge impact on me and directly inspired my love for exploration, progression mechanics, and the “Metroidvania” genre itself.
――Could you tell us about the game’s key features? Also, how did you come up with the idea for it?
Henrique: *Infinitevania* was born out of our deep love for the “Metroidvania” genre. However, from the very beginning of development, we also wanted to create a game with its own unique personality. The atmosphere of the game best embodies this.While *Infinitevania* features serious storylines, we’re not afraid to treat the genre’s “clichés” with humor, incorporate parodies and homages, or even throw in surprises that subvert the player’s expectations.
This project originally started as a relatively small-scale endeavor, but as the development team grew, so did the game itself. Over the course of approximately five years of development, we continuously added new areas, characters, bosses, abilities, character voice acting, and numerous other elements, eventually evolving the game into the form in which it is currently released.
――Were there any works that influenced the development of this game?
Henrique: Yes, there are. While we drew our primary inspiration from *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night*, *Infinitevania* was also heavily influenced by titles such as *Hollow Knight*, the *Ori* series, and *Blasphemous*.
At the same time, since all of our team members have been playing games since childhood and have enjoyed anime, movies, and pop culture in general, there are various little Easter eggs hidden all over the world of *Infinitevania*. Some are obvious at a glance, while others were intentionally placed for observant players to discover.
――Please share one of the most memorable moments from the development of this game.
Henrique: The most memorable moment was when we finally released the game after about five years of development. The release took place during a live stream on “Flow Games,” one of Brazil’s largest gaming media outlets.It was a truly special experience for us to witness in real time as *Infinitevania* officially launched on Steam and the first players purchased it, played it, and shared their feedback.
It was also deeply moving to realize that a project that started as a relatively small indie endeavor had grown to the point where it had formed its own community.After immersing ourselves in development for so many years, seeing players voluntarily take on time attack challenges, create mods and randomizers, and help build excitement around *Infinitevania* through livestreams and discussions among fans was an indescribably moving experience for us.
――What kind of user feedback have you received since the release? Please share any particularly memorable comments.
Henrique: Overall, we’ve received very positive feedback. We’ve gotten a lot of praise for the game’s exploration elements, the characters, the Brazilian Portuguese voice acting, the humor, and—above all—the fact that the game has firmly established its own unique identity.
That said, we’ve also received some critical feedback, and we make a point of listening sincerely to those voices as well. Some players have pointed out issues with game balance, bugs, or features related to usability that could be improved. This feedback is extremely important to us because we can directly apply it to improving the game’s quality and future updates.
However, what impressed us most—more than any specific comment—was seeing how genuinely captivated people are by the world we’ve created.Seeing players continue to create videos and livestream content, attempt speedruns, develop mods, and engage in lively discussions about the characters and the game’s world even after completing the game makes us realize that we’ve been able to deliver “something special”—an experience that goes beyond the playtime required to simply complete the main story.
――Taking user feedback into account, could you tell us about your plans for future updates?
Henrique: Since the game’s release, we’ve been actively working on bug fixes, improving the user experience, and adjusting game balance while reviewing community feedback on a daily basis.
At the same time, we’re developing ideas for larger-scale content. One such project is *Infinitevania: Overlords*, which focuses on new trials and boss battles. Furthermore, we’re considering adding new features like “New Game+” in the future.
Our top priority is to further refine the game without compromising the core appeal that made *Infinitevania* so beloved by our players.
――Could you tell us about the Japanese language support for this game? What was implemented, what were the challenges, and what has the reaction been like from Japan?
Henrique: *Infinitevania* already supports Japanese. As a small indie development team with very limited resources, we didn’t have the budget to hire a professional localization team. Therefore, as a solution to allow Japanese players to enjoy the game right from launch, the current Japanese localization was carried out using AI.
The biggest challenge was “context.” *Infinitevania* is packed with humor and homages to other games and pop culture, and many of the characters have very distinctive ways of speaking. Even if a literal translation is correct, there are cases where the true meaning of a joke or a character’s personality isn’t fully conveyed.
For these reasons, we view the current Japanese version not as a “final product,” but merely as a “starting point.” Since we haven’t yet gathered enough feedback from Japanese players to comprehensively evaluate the current translation quality, we’d very much like to hear the Japanese community’s opinions on the text quality and areas for improvement.
Additionally, while a Japanese localization of *Infinitevania* already exists, we would be delighted to receive proposals from Japanese fans for volunteer translations or revised translations.In fact, if a version translated and revised by native Japanese players who are thoroughly familiar with and enjoy *Infinitevania* were to become available, we would definitely consider replacing the current AI-assisted version with it.
The game’s community has already produced various volunteer-driven projects related to the game, such as mods and randomizers, and it means a great deal to us that players are engaging with the game in their own unique ways. If any Japanese fans are interested in volunteering to help with the localization, please feel free to contact us.We’d be happy to assist, including by providing text data, and we plan to officially adopt the completed translations while clearly crediting all contributors by name.
――Is it okay to distribute or monetize this game?
Henrique: Absolutely! We fully permit and welcome players to create a wide variety of content related to *Infinitevania*, including monetized content on platforms like YouTube and Twitch—such as videos, livestreams, reviews, walkthroughs, and speedruns.
In fact, we’d love for you to do so. From before the release up to now, content creators have played a huge role in helping many people discover *Infinitevania*. Plus, seeing so many people enjoying the game brings us great joy.
――Finally, please share a message for our Japanese readers.
Henrique: Hello to all our players in Japan! The entire JHT Games team is truly delighted to be able to bring *Infinitevania* to you all on the other side of the globe.Many of the games that inspired us to become game developers originated in Japan, and *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night* in particular was one of the biggest sources of inspiration for developing *Infinitevania*.
This game was developed by a small indie team in Brazil over the course of about five years. We’ve packed it full of our personality, sense of humor, and all the elements we love. We hope you’ll enjoy exploring every area, uncovering hidden secrets, taking on challenging bosses, and meeting our charming characters.And if you notice anything that you think could be improved, please don’t hesitate to let us know. For a small indie studio like ours, having this kind of direct connection with our players is extremely important.
Thank you so much for your interest in *Infinitevania* and for giving us the opportunity to introduce our game to the Japanese gaming community.
We look forward to seeing you in the world of *Infinitevania*!
――Thank you very much.
◆ About “Spotlight on Indie Mini-Q&A”
This series features email interviews with indie developers shortly after their games are released. To ensure regular publication, we’ve standardized the questions, with the goal of sharing the perspectives of as many developers as possible. Please also enjoy our other interview articles, which now number over 1,000.
