The first original IP from Lav Games, Somber Echoes is out!

Vuk Banović,
Founder, Art Director, Lav Games
21.01.2025.
There's no better way to mark the start of the year than when one of our members releases a new game. And not just any, but their FIRST original IP! From January 21, you can play Somber Echoes, a title by Belgrade-based Lav Games.

Lav Games is a development and art outsourcing studio consisting of 18 artists. They’ve helped create many titles, including Bethesda’s latest game dedicated to Indiana Jones. More significant for today’s occasion, however, is that in recent years they have embarked on the creation of their first original IP, in co-production with Norwegian studio Rock Pocket Games. You can buy the metroidvania Somber Echoes, as of today on Steam.

Somber Echoes is an emotional story inspired by Greek tragedies and mythology. Its world represents a unique blend of Greco-Roman antiquity and science fiction, within which incredible battles take place, designed keeping in mind the freedom of the players to express themselves through a variety of acrobatics.

We used this opportunity to talk with Vuk Banović, the founder and Art Director of Lav Games, in more detail.

SGA: The time has come to continue our conversation because congratulations are in order! What is the atmosphere like in the studio because of the launch?

Vuk: A euphoria, definitely! We are a little tired, but it’s all the sweet part of the job. When you finally see that everything is where it should be, the feeling is priceless!

SGA: You participated in Steam Next Fest in October, as did a huge number of other studios. How much did it mean to you, what were the results and how difficult is it today to get your demo discovered in the competition of over 2,500 other games?

Vuk: Steam Next Fest was a great opportunity to test how the audience reacted to the demo. It’s challenging, of course, to stand out in such a crowd, but honestly, the players pleasantly surprised us with their support and feedback. We were the third most played adventure game and we received priceless feedback (positive and negative), as well as huge visibility that resulted in a large number of wishlists.

SGA: Last time we started talking about your cooperation with the Rock Pocket Games studio from Norway, but it would not be out of place to talk about it in more detail. How did you divide the roles when it comes to working on the game? Were there occasional challenges?

Vuk: It was (still is and will be) a great adventure and collaboration! The roles were divided so that everyone does what they do best – we focused on the art and game world, while they handled the technical side and design. Of course, there were challenges, but the key to success was open communication and the willingness to always compromise for the good of the game.

"We were the third most played adventure game at Steam Next Fest and we received priceless feedback (positive and negative), as well as huge visibility that resulted in a large number of wishlists," says Vuk Banović.

SGA: We at SGA often joke that everyone here is working on their own RPG inspired by Slavic mythology. Why did you decide to revive the world of Greco-Roman mythology?

Vuk: Haha, great! Greco-Roman mythology has incredible symbolism and stories that resonate (echo, hehe) universally, even in modern times. We wanted to focus on myths that are in the collective consciousness but refresh them with our own stamp.

SGA: Since Love Games was primarily in charge of art, last time you said that the real pleasure was bringing the world of Greco-Roman mythology to life through environmental storytelling. Can you give us an example, point to an Easter egg waiting for us in the game?

Vuk: One of my favorites is a sculpture inspired by one of the gods (I can’t say which one, hehe) in an abandoned station, which looks ordinary at first glance but contains key clues to progress through the game. There are a few other interesting bits around it for players with a keen eye. 🙂 The game is generally full of secret areas, and almost every one of them brings/gives a reward to the player.

SGA: How did you manage to reconcile the world of the past that evokes the mythological context and the futuristic world in which the game is set?

Vuk: We were inspired by how mythology has been reinterpreted for years. Futuristic elements are there to show that even though technology advances, human fascination with stories and symbols remains eternal, and my role as Art Director was to make that assembly realistic through environmental storytelling.

SGA: You call this game “the love letter of metrodvanias”. What drew you to this genre and were you able to refresh it with certain mechanics?

Vuk: Metroidvanias are great because they give players a sense of exploration and gradual discovery of new possibilities. We introduced elements that play with gravity with very specific movement and excellent combat, seasoned with an impressive narrative, which we consider refreshing in the genre.

SGA: Last time we spoke, we announced that the game would come out last fall but here we are deep into January. What were the complications, what did you learn from them and do you have any advice for other game developers regarding this?

Vuk: During Steam Next Fest, we received feedback that we felt we had to implement to make the game even better. We were lucky enough to be able to afford the extra dev time and decided to push the release. Advice? Set firm boundaries and be realistic, but also open to improvisation when needed.

SGA: Now that you’ve dotted the “i” of the game development, would you go back to outsourcing?

Vuk: Lav Games will not give up on outsourcing: it not only contributes to the stability of the company, but through co-dev projects, it allows us to work on a variety of titles, which further improves the efficiency of our team. One of the projects we are proud of is Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, which was a fantastic experience. Of course, there are other projects that, unfortunately, we are not allowed to talk about yet.

As for the original IPs, we’re definitely moving in that direction! Somber Echoes is just the beginning – at least we hope so. We’ll see what the future brings! ❤️

SGA: Thank you, Vuk, for your time! We can’t wait to step into Adrestia’s shoes!

Vuk: Ditto, I can’t wait! Thank you very much, it was a great pleasure! 🙂