Podcast operator Javier Tucker (left) and Ozan Drøsdal of Yogscast Games (right) at WASD

Featuring its preview at WASD London, game director, animator, and writer Ozan Drøsdal, shares insights into the making of The Holy Gosh Darn.

Ozan Drøsdal has devoted his heart and soul to every aspect of the final part of the Tuesday Trilogy, from crafting the story to writing the dialogue to composing the music.

The Holy Gosh Darn was published by Yogscast Games, a company that is well known for its youtube channel, with a massive following of 7 million subscribers.

“I am going to make a game by myself. I wrote the code, many of the graphics, and many of the characters.

Described as “a little bit edgy”, the game follows the journey of Cassiel, an ‘unfiltered’ heroine who delves across a world where Heaven and Hell collide. 

Armed with their time-travelling watch, players must navigate through the past, present, and future in a race against time to prevent Heaven from exploding.

“So, you have six hours in total, which is 20 minutes in the game, to find the existence of the Holy Gosh Darn and save Heaven.”

“But it’s not easy to find.”

Turning back time offers unique opportunities through “point skips”, allowing you to explore alternative dialogue choices. 

Characters in the game react to the player’s choices, and Cassiel tends never to repeat the same sentence in the same way twice, offering an immersive experience.

“Those characters will also react to your “rudeness” in different places; some would not talk to you anymore.

“Also, since you are the only one inside the clock, all the other guys are just reset when you travel the time. So, if you talk to them, she (the heroine) has lots of alternative dialogue that branch based on what she has experienced. 

“The first time will be “Hello, how are you?”  but it might be that I’m not joking with you; I need to tell you something.

“Also, if you have heard somebody say something before, you get a new-to-the-point “skip” the sentence.”

The game starts positively as the protagonist, Cassiel, maintains eternal optimism. 

However, as the time travel mechanics come into play, she repeatedly has the same conversation, and her emotions tone down and fade away.

This is thanks to Ozan writing over 60,000 lines he has produced since 2020. The game never once felt stale and provided fluidity through its interactions.

As this is part of the Tuesday Trilogy, various events intertwine with the developer’s previous assessor titled “Manual Samuel”, by which the game alters what happens in the other. 

“You can access some areas from the previous games. And since you’ve been gone there at any time, we had to come up with what happened before and after that specific event in the previous game.”

The team behind this interactive game consists of four main team members and three directly involved, including additional support from revisions and voice actors.

Ozan clarified that living in Norway has provided his team with access to government funding, which has been influential in supporting their game development.  

He expressed their gratitude for this financial support, which has allowed them to pursue their creative projects.

On the other hand, Ozan addressed the challenges he has faced due to limited resources.
“The biggest problem for us is lack of workforce, which again reflects on funding, I guess, if you had the money to hire somebody probably, but the problem is like not being able to do enough marketing in a small team.

“Everybody needs irritation, even that’s just, you know, when you have limited teams.”

Ozan’s publishing team is based in the UK, and he felt “like a rockstar.” 

He also said it’s fantastic to see games receiving attention, which motivates him to keep going.

“For games, they always take some time before showing, but we usually just mark it and finish it.”

The Holy Gosh Darn will be released sometime in summer 2024. You can download the Demo or Wishlist on Steam right now.