We sat down with two key members of the development team, Pablo and Javier, to talk about the challenges, inspirations, and unique ideas behind the upcoming grim survival adventure Peregrino. From cursed forests to caravan management, and even a real-life pilgrimage that shaped the game’s soul, here’s what they had to say.
Who are the pilgrims we lead in Peregrino?
The pilgrims are not just generic survivors. They each have a personal story, a reason for risking their lives to reach New Eden, and those stories affect how they react to hardship. Every decision you make can have fatal, permanent consequences, not just for the individuals, but for the caravan as a whole. This is not a game where you can simply reload and undo a choice. Your path is shaped by the weight of your actions.
What was the most challenging mechanic to design?
Finding mechanics that stay true to the game’s lore and fit one hundred percent within the world is difficult. On top of that, balancing loot is a huge challenge: we need a sense of progression, but there are countless paths and decisions that shape how you want to play, depending on your goals. It’s something we’re still working on, and honestly, we’ll keep fine-tuning it until day one of release.
How does resource management work in such a hostile environment?
We wanted scarcity to feel real, not like a number artificially ticking down. You’ll often have to choose between repairing a wagon, feeding your companions, or crafting weapons. These decisions ripple through the game, affecting morale and even loyalty. The forest is cruel, but sometimes the hardest trials come from within your own pilgrims.
What are the main inspirations behind Peregrino’s art and worldbuilding?
We didn’t want the art style to clash with the tone of the game. Our goal is to take dark fantasy to its maximum expression: rich with atmosphere, heavy with symbolism, and always in service of the world we’re building. Every element, from the landscapes to the caravan itself, should feel like it belongs to this cursed, otherworldly place.
From a programming standpoint, what was the hardest system to implement?
It’s not really about one single system. Yes, the multiple inventories being handled at the same time have been complex, but the truly difficult part is making all the systems fit together (like the many parts of a car) so that the game feels like one cohesive whole. Every feature has to work in harmony with the others for the experience to function.
How is Peregrino different from your previous projects?
Our earlier games were third-person adventures, with a more direct, up-close perspective. In Peregrino, we’ve shifted to an isometric view. You see a little less detail in any one object, but the management depth is much greater, from handling inventories, to maintaining your companions, to navigating the many paths your caravan can take through procedurally generated lands. It’s a completely different design philosophy.
You’ve mentioned finding a publisher is a challenge. How are you approaching that while keeping the community engaged?
It is still a challenge. We’re still looking for the right partner. In the meantime, we’re putting in a huge effort to communicate the game ourselves, without any budget. That means relying on dev diaries, social media posts, and direct interaction with players to keep the flame alive.
And finally… tell us about that pilgrimage you took in Galicia. How did it inspire the game?
In June, the founders of Inverge walked El Camino de Santiago, a five-day pilgrimage through northern Galicia, Spain. It wasn’t planned as research, but as we traveled, it became clear how much it resonated with the game’s themes. The exhaustion, the shared meals, the quiet moments of reflection, the unspoken bonds that form between strangers… all of that made its way into Peregrino. Of course, in our version, the roads are cursed, the nights are deadly, and faith is tested in ways far darker. But that journey gave us the emotional core we wanted players to feel.
Thank you for reading!
Add Peregrino to your wishlist and join us on this dark road toward New Eden.
