Sitting down with the team behind this indie horror game, DEAD LETTER DEPT., was… well, kinda like stepping into a different world. You could really feel the quirks and chaos of their creation process. Mike Monroe and Scott McKie, they’re the dynamic duo at Belief Engine. Based in the Pacific Northwest, but now halfway across the planet, soaking up vibes in Japan. Spice of life, right?
So I’m chatting with them, and I go, “How did Belief Engine happen?” Twelve years deep, I learn. Imagine a decade plus of breaking your brain on games. Mike goes, “Yeah, we kicked this off thinking, can we really pull this off? And now it’s the day job.” Moved to Washington or something—isn’t everyone trying to get out there? From Colorado, too. A hop, skip, and a DigiPen jump later, and here we are.
Scott’s side? Art school—in Boston, no less. He’s got a BFA. Felt like computers were calling him, until he realized student loans are the real horror story. Eight years in school to not rack up more debt? Bold move, my guy.
And then they’re like, doing prototypes, juggling ideas. Every concept a dive into chaos. I swear, it’s like they’re architects of randomness, making it all work, somehow.
Asked about inspiration and boom, Scott starts talking about his midnight gig back in the college days. Trekking through Boston for a typing job that seems straight out of a spooky tale. Sounds mundane but nope, it leaves a print. Kinda like when you find a song stuck in your head from nowhere. Except this is a game concept.
Mike chimes in about “flow state”—that elusive moment when your brain’s on autopilot. Never thought about Tetris like that. A horror game messing with your zen, who’d figure?
We talk game mechanics and it’s wild. Turns out Scott’s midnight runs were fodder for more than just paycheck. There’s this intangible feel, like when you’re walking home and shadows dance weirdly. Poetic, almost. If poetry could be creepy.
And Japan… the adventures they’re planning! Creepy tunnels—why is everything haunted there?—plus rusty walls and freaky echoes. First-person perspectives in games really nail that vibe. But designing characters? Hard pass. No distractions, just straight immersion, Mike insists.
They’ve got future projects lined up and, I mean, who pays in cookies these days? Scott’s doing it—paying a friend for project management. Maybe it’s the indie way or just a sugar-coated bribe. The soundtrack is a thing, and it’s a big deal. They’re nerding out over it—Scott’s walking around with it on autoplay. Imagine, a soundtrack haunting you in real life.
And now they’re traipsing around Japan, absorbing culture, snapping pics, exploring, and figuring out taxis—oddly normal adventures. But this time with language barriers. The kicker? They might need a mountain hike to reach some museum out there. Crazy, right? But sounds like a story brewing.
If you’re curious, DEAD LETTER DEPT. is on Steam. And… the soundtrack—waiting might be worth it. Like, personal recommendation level worth it. Keep ears peeled.
