After nearly a decade of development, indie developer Adam Robinson-Yu—best known for the award-winning A Short Hike—has decided to pause work indefinitely on his long-gestating RPG project. In a candid blog post titled “I might never finish this game, so I’m releasing the demo,” Robinson-Yu explains why he’s stepping away and what players can expect from the unfinished build.
A passion project that outgrew itself
The untitled RPG began in 2016 as a tribute to classic Paper Mario games. But over time, the project ballooned in complexity. Robinson-Yu admits he struggled with the game’s scope, lack of a clear story, and a battle system that felt more like an obstacle than a highlight.
“I started to lose the joy that I felt working on it,” he wrote. “The scope felt too big… and I didn’t really want to go back to this game.”
What’s in the demo?
Despite shelving the project, Robinson-Yu released a free demo on itch.io, offering 1–2 hours of gameplay. It features:
- A colorful, cutout-style world reminiscent of Paper Mario
- Turn-based combat with early mechanics
- Exploration-focused design with quirky characters and secrets
- A peek into the developer’s creative process—warts and all
Robinson-Yu isn’t stepping away from game development entirely. He’s now working on:
- A 3D action-adventure game
- A micro-RPG with a claymation aesthetic
- An online platforming roguelike
While the Paper RPG may never be finished, the demo stands as a heartfelt time capsule of a project that meant a lot—even if it didn’t reach the finish line.
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