NeverQuest a Cozy RPG
inspired by the greats
To Quest or Not to Quest?
This substack will document my solo-dev journey for my project NeverQuest.
NeverQuest was started to re-kindle the feelings of playing some of the great MMORPGs of the early 2000s. I wanted to craft a game that let you explore an open world, and progress and improve your character over time by grinding XP and collecting great loot. This substack will showcase all of the developments and updates to the project as we move towards a demo launch in early 2026
Where are are at…
I am about a year into development, and since then I have basically completely rebuilt the game twice as I settled into a graphic / visual style, and have narrowed the scope and focus of the game. I’d say I am about 3 months out from having a playable demo, with a “newbie” area to start leveling your character and looting gear.
My goal of a “2D RPG, inspired by the great MMORPGs of the early 2000’s where you can explore a vast open world, collect amazing loot and progress your character at your pace” is being realized, and it is extremely exciting.
The journey of a solo-dev can be hard at times - there are a lot of moments where you question why you are even making the game you are making. Will anyone play this? If they play it, will they like it? All of your inadequacies as a dev become exposed when you make a game because the scope is so HUGE. You have to program everything, prepare all the art and assets, incorporate and blend all of the animations for every model in the game and have great ideas to fuel the systems and gameplay mechanics.
It’s alot, but it’s also incredibly satisfying to watch something grow and develop. It is hard to describe but the creative process of watching ideas that just appear in your head, turn into actual solid things in your game is nothing short of remarkable. I love looking at sketches in my notebook and comparing them to the in-game menu, or item.
What is in the game…
NeverQuest has evolved into a complete, laid-back cozy RPG experience. You get to dictate the pace of the game, and yes, there really is no questing. I teamed up with a talented pixel artist, Franuka, who generated the bulk of the pixel art for the game including sprites, tilesets, & UI components. You can find him on Itch.IO here → Fran . Thank you Fran!
In the last few months I have been focused on:
☑ Main Character
She is a tenacious, little elf that can wield magic and swing a hammer equally well.
☑ Open World
I decided to use the same pixel artist for both the character & monster sprites, and the tilesets for the game. I am decidedly not an artist, and was so happy / relieved to find an artist whose style fit the game. I have been slowly building the world and carving out small areas to battle, and explore.
<IMAGE OF TILESET>
☑ Guilds & Groups
I knew I wanted to create a Raiding experience in NeverQuest. I remembered back to the days when I was raiding in Everquest with 40 guildmates, taking down literal gods in their “Planes of Power” to get the best loot the game had to offer. These were some of my best gaming memories of all time. The challenge was how to create the same type of experience, in a single player game.
I thought, hey, maybe it would be fun to just raid in the same way, but with NPCs. I started building out a system for this, that evolved into the Guild feature in NeverQuest.
You basically get to manage your own in game guild by recruiting members, giving them gear, and grouping with them to increase their level. Your guildmates are always available to team up and grind XP, or assemble a massive raid to take down a very difficult monster somewhere.
IN GAME GUILD MENU
The currently available classes to group with and recruit to your guild are :
SORCERESS
A plucky elf, with a powerful magic missile attack. She can attack at range and deal great damage with spells, or her sharp wit.
WARRIOR
A classic meat-shield, ready to tank and deal damage for your group or raid.
PRIESTESS
A tranquil elf who can tap into the energy of the world to provide healing and buffing
In play-testing this, it has become my favorite thing in the game. The NPCs are a little goofy at times, but it makes them endearing, and fun to team up with. It also opens up a lot of content in the game that would not be available without leveling up first. Exploring difficult regions of the map with a full group of your guild mates is a lovely little experience.
The raid feature is in development, but I am very close to making it happen (it is essentially a scale-up of the grouping feature).
☑ Stats and Character Progression
This might be the most important part of NeverQuest. An RPG that does not have the right pace and balance of power / progression during the game just does not feel right. I wanted NeverQuest to always have a risk / reward feeling - where no matter how powerful your character is, there will be regions that are too difficult for you, and some that are just right. Your tolerance for risk dictates your ability to get great rewards.
I also wanted a very minimal, and clear stat system. Modern RPGs are plagued by zillions of confusing stats, confusing abilities, and confusing itemization values (stat points on items). I did not, and do not want my players to have to watch a YouTube video to understand how an ability works in the game. I went back to basics, and used a system very inspired by DND.
I don’t want to spoil too much - but the game has 4 core stats in addition to HP and MANA. The 4 core stats do really straightforward stuff but allow you to craft a build to your own playstyle. Spell casting enjoyers will want to stack more wisdom - brawlers will want more dex and strength.
For character progression, your character gains xp and levels up over time ( of course). Leveling up provides a small boost in power so you can work on obtaining better items, and exploring new regions.
INVENTORY SCREEN
☑ Loot
I love loot - it motivates me to do everything in an RPG. I’ve never cared a whole lot about graphics in a game - sure beautiful graphics are nice - but if the game has a great progression system and loot system, I am so happy. So many games have come close to being what I want (diablo, destiny, slormancer), but have always had a thing or two missing. NeverQuest is a game built around loot and the experience of looting.
Here are some highlights, without too many spoilers:
All monsters can drop loot, harder ones drop better stuff. In other words, items have a level that determines the power of the item - this roughly correlates to the level of the monster
All loot has an RNG component - but a unique stat profile. It is possible to loot a “perfect” version of an item, at which point some exciting things happen and become available.
Raids drop the best loot, group content drops slightly worse loot
Loot is specific to the region / monsters you are fighting. There is no global loot table. As you explore new areas, new loot items will become available
Equipped weapons will display on your character when you wield them
☑ Subclasses
The bread and butter of a great fantasy RPG. Do you want to play as a Druid and harness your affinity for nature to heal and do damage? How about a mage that uses elemental power and summonings? In NeverQuest I wanted to create a game where you could freely switch between classes, but only “channel” one class at a time. This lets you progress classes independently, and switch between them depending on what you are doing.
If you are grouping with a great Tank, maybe you just want to run a priest or a druid and provide healing and utility. Maybe you are the tank, and you want to run a Warrior or a Paladin.
I have plans to build many classes into the game but the first three will be:
DRUID
A hybrid spell caster and melee damage dealer with a focus on nature magic providing healing, snaring and damage dealing spells.
BATTLE MAGE
A more “pure” spell caster, that can deal direct damage with elemental spells, and summon creatures to fight alongside while still fighting with melee weapons
WARRIOR
A tanky, brawler than can receive and deal great melee damage. Some basic physical spells that allow him to control aggro, and increase his stats.
Currently the only playable class is the Druid, but it is quite fun :)
☑ Spells
Spells can be such an immersive element in a fantasy RPG, and I wanted to craft a magic system that made sense for each subclass. I also wanted there to be general spells that the player can craft and modify to suit their playstyle. Currently in the game:
Class Spells
Each class has five spell “lines” that they can use. Each spell line has various spells that unlock based on your class level. An example is the Druid who has a spell line called Sporecloud - imagine a mushroom sprouting from the ground and dealing over time in an AOE:
Sporecloud is the base spell, but when you hit level 5 as a druid you can also utilize Deathcap Cloud a more powerful, advanced version of the spell, with a different visual and extra effects. This lets you stay familiar with the spells you are using, while also progressing and gaining power as you level up your Class.
Each class can equip 3 spells, letting you craft a unique build that can be freely changed at any time using your Spellbook.
Projectile Spells
Regardless of your class, there are other spells you can always cast. These are your fireballs, and magic missiles of the world…..but with a twist. Your spell book allows you to combine different spell components to modify your spell.
[BASE SPELL] + [TRAVEL MODIFIER] + [IMPACT MODIFIER] + [ENHANCER]
Do you want a fireball that splits on impact?
How about a magic missile that can follow your enemies?
Or maybe an energy ball that gains speed as it travels and de-buffs your enemy on impact.
The combinations will be endless…almost
What’s next…
Well, I have a goal of releasing a demo to friends and family in January 2026. That will mark 1-year of development exactly. I want to get feedback to decide how to continue developing the game, and then have plans to spend another year or so, making a complete version of the game.
If you are reading this, and you are interested in being a playtester, you can comment on this stack and I will reach out.
Thanks for reading!