Billy the Hero is an upcoming turn-based dark fantasy RPG filled with crazy heroines and even crazier monsters. After indie developer JOJOJOJOSoft went viral on Reddit for revealing a grotesque monster inspired by his wife, one commenter challenged him to put his own face in the game instead. He took the suggestion a step further, adding himself and the rest of his male development team as prisoners that players can punch to their heart’s content.
In his original Reddit post, JOJOJOJOSoft explained that he based the monster on photos of his wife he’d taken while she was sleeping. He adjusted the colors, layered in textures made from food and raw meat, then added details like veins and tendons before finishing it off with plenty of blood to create the final grotesque design.
While many found the post funny, JOJOJOJOSoft admits that he also received hateful comments, with some calling him misogynistic for turning his wife into a monster without her permission (despite him posting a follow-up picture of his wife stepping on him). JOJOJOJOSoft’s latest IndieDev Reddit post pointed to one specific comment which reads “”Tough guy, use a woman’s face for monster? Put your own face in if you’re so tough!”
Likely in response to the misogyny accusations, JOJOJOJOSoft added all the male members of the dev team (including himself) into the game as punchable characters (he admits that as of writing the post, none of his team know that they are in the game).
The dev team is very human and can be found chained to a wall in an underground prison. Once built, you can visit the devs and (in JOJOJOJOSoft’s words) punch them “to your heart’s content.” He encourages players to punch them for a variety of reasons, be it bad music design, horrible writing, or just because they hate the devs’ faces (there is no concrete evidence that Billy the Hero features any of these things).
Punching the dev team does not affect the main story, but it does contribute to unlocking certain achievements. The devs can die if hit enough times, with JOJOJOJOSoft commenting that the squelch sound effect is “very satisfying.” In addition to the dev team, an old king who asks the protagonist Billy to save the world can be found in the prison. JOJOJOJOSoft says that there is still plenty of room for more prisoners, and asks fans if there is anyone in particular that they would like to accompany the devs.
Billy the Hero is currently in development for Windows (Steam).
