Interview with Nick Veter about his new project: No, I’m Not a Human

In this exclusive Wordfoxes interview, we had a talk with indie developer Nick Veter to explore the creative vision behind his latest project - No, I’m Not a Human. From concept to community reception, Nick shares the motivations, challenges, and ambitions that are shaping a game that’s already generating significant buzz among players and developers alike.

Wordfoxes - How did the idea for No, I Am Not a Human come about?

Nick Veter -We just made a game for an anthology of short horror games. I talked with the artist/gameplay idea author, and she suggested this gameplay. I had long been thinking about some kind of hell on Earth, where everything happens very locally and is built around/strongly depends on the characters' personalities.

Initially, the artist and programmer wanted the characters to lack personality, opting for random generation and a lot of people. But the writer and I got a bit carried away with the characters, and it turned out well.

WF - What do you hope players will feel or think while playing the game?

NV -Fear of death affects every person to some extent, including us. I just wanted to reflect on what it would be like if things were this way after death. Or another way. Should we be afraid of death at all?

WF - What have been the biggest challenges so far?

NV -Survive!

WF - Are there plans for updates, extra modes, or even DLCs after the release?

NV -We want to release a free update with characters that can be ordered through Patreon after the game is launched. There may be some additional minor updates, but it's hard to say for now. We need to finish the main game first.

WF - Has anything changed radically from the original concept until now?

NV -The game concept hasn't changed. We are adding imagery and metaphors to complement the ideas from the initial concept.

At the very beginning of development, we wanted to create many random characters without any personality. However, this idea was replaced by more developed characters in a somewhat spontaneous way.

WF - Were there any ideas you really loved but had to stop?

NV -We wanted to add two features:

• When the player doesn't let a character in, the windows could show the consequences of that choice. Some characters would die there or, on the contrary, go into a rage.
• The characters at the player's home could interact with each other.

We were really behind on the development timeline, so we had to cut these features. It won't be possible to add them in the full version either.

WF - How has the project's reception been on social media so far?

NV -The game was received very warmly on social media. Many people joined our Discord server, and we often received kind words. This is incredibly inspiring for us! We didn't expect that anyone would even hear about the game.

WF - Did any inspiration come from outside the world of games? (such as films, contemporary art, philosophy, etc.)

NV - Of course. We made a post on Patreon about the films that inspired us. But to put it briefly:

• The Thing by John Carpenter - explores the theme of distrust very well.
• Melancholia by Lars von Trier - addresses the theme of depression and the awareness of the end of the world.
• Letters from a Dead Man - a very heavy film about the slow death of humanity.

WF - What kind of legacy would you like No, I Am Not a Human to leave in the indie scene?

NV - It's very difficult for me to answer the question. The game hasn't even been released yet. I think we will be able to say something about its legacy a few years after the release. For now, I can say that we just wanted to reflect in the game on the topic of 'What would happen if humanity suddenly disappeared? Or what happens to a person after death?

WF - What are you most proud of in the project so far?

NV - Team. Fans. People.

I am proud of the team that united around one idea. I am inspired by the people who write that the game interests them. The emotions from interacting with people drive me, it's even hard to describe in one word!