{"id":49341,"date":"2025-06-24T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=49341"},"modified":"2025-06-23T17:47:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T08:47:55","slug":"meet-the-creepiest-publisher-in-indie-games-critical-reflex-are-midwives-brining-monsters-into-the-world-backing-projects-no-one-dares-to-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/meet-the-creepiest-publisher-in-indie-games-critical-reflex-are-midwives-brining-monsters-into-the-world-backing-projects-no-one-dares-to-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the creepiest publisher in indie games. Critical Reflex are \u201cmidwives bringing monsters into the world,\u201d backing projects no one dares to touch\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Indie game publisher <strong>Critical Reflex<\/strong> was founded in 2020, with their base of operations located in Cyprus. Last year, they electrified the indie scene with breakthrough hits like Buckshot Roulette and Mouthwashing. During the recent Steam Next Fest June 2025, they showcased No, I\u2019m not a Human, which attracted the 8th highest number of unique players out of over 2,500 titles \u2013 reaffirming their position as one of today\u2019s most promising indie publishers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How did Critical Reflex come to be? How do they choose what games to pick up and what is their purpose as a publisher? Automaton recently conducted an email interview with the company\u2019s founder and representative Rita Lebedeva to find out.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"No, I&#039;m not a Human \u2014 Steam Next Fest Demo Trailer\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AQT92TOri-I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>Please introduce yourself.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita Lebedeva (hereafter Rita):<\/strong> Hi, I\u2019m Rita Lebedeva, the founder and CEO of CRITICAL REFLEX. I\u2019m mostly fueled by caffeine, cursed video games, and an obsessive need to help weird, beautiful things be seen by the right people. I\u2019ve been playing strange games and haunting internet spaces for most of my life. Now I run a publishing label that tries to honor that spirit. If you have a game that feels like a mistake in the simulation, we should talk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015What kind of publisher is Critical Reflex? Could you tell us about how the company was founded?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong>CRITICAL REFLEX is what happens when a bunch of internet-poisoned weirdos with good taste, marketing skills, and emotional damage decide to do things their way. We\u2019re a publisher that champions experimental, atmospheric, genre-bending titles games that might scare off traditional publishers, but make us feel something in our guts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We started small, just a handful of us, working across time zones with no budget but a lot of vision. It wasn\u2019t a clean spreadsheet plan, it was more of a compulsion. We wanted to help creators who weren\u2019t being seen, and we wanted to do it our way: fast, creatively, and with respect to the art.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<strong>Critical Reflex<\/strong> is based in Cyprus. Could you tell us why you chose Cyprus as your base of operations?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong>We chose Cyprus for a few practical reasons, mostly tax, time zone, and a certain logistical flexibility. But if I\u2019m being honest, I think we could\u2019ve ended up anywhere. CRITICAL REFLEX is mostly a digital organism \u2013 we\u2019re scattered across the world, working in chaotic harmony. The label lives more in our Discord and our cultural mindset than any physical headquarters.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>Last year, you published several hit titles such as Buckshot Roulette and Mouthwashing. What sparked the success of these games? Could you walk us through how each of them gained momentum?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong>Each of those games broke through for different reasons, but both succeeded because they felt undeniably specific and impossible to ignore once you saw them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1517\" height=\"853\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1517px) 100vw, 1517px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-header.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-header.jpg 1517w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-header-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-header-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Buckshot Roulette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2835570\/Buckshot_Roulette\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buckshot Roulette<\/a> tapped into something primal. It\u2019s minimal but incredibly focused. The dread builds with every round, and the sheer tactility of the game, the way the lighting hits, the clunk of the reload, the panic in the player\u2019s face is just\u2026 deliciously watchable. The sound design and music do a lot of the heavy lifting too. It\u2019s not flashy, but it knows exactly how to crawl under your skin and stay there. Streamers picked it up almost instantly, and the format was perfect for YouTube and TikTok. It went from, \u201cWhat is this strange little horror game?\u201d to \u201cOh god, everyone\u2019s playing this,\u201d in record time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1515\" height=\"847\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1515px) 100vw, 1515px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-002.jpg 1515w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-002-380x212.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-002-768x429.jpg 768w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mouthwashing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2475490\/Mouthwashing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mouthwashing <\/a>was the opposite in tone and pacing \u2013 a quiet, grief-soaked slow burn that offers no choices, no escape, and no catharsis. It\u2019s a deeply unsettling character study wrapped in striking visuals. People came for the psychological horror but stayed for the cast. Every character feels alive and wrong in their own unique way. The way the story itself unfolds leaves players with more questions than answers. We didn\u2019t over-market it, we just let it simmer. And then it started spreading like a whispered secret. What surprised us is that its CCU didn\u2019t drop but kept climbing for two, even three months after launch. That\u2019s rare, and it proved something to us: if you treat your weird little narrative games with trust and care, they\u2019ll find their people.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>You\u2019ve published a number of short, atmospheric games like Arctic Eggs and THRESHOLD. What criteria do you use when selecting titles to publish?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita:<\/strong> We\u2019re not looking for genre or scope. We\u2019re looking for emotional signals. Does this game say something new? Does it feel cursed, tender, angry, or unforgettable in some way? We\u2019re not afraid of short games if they leave a mark.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When our team plays submissions, we don\u2019t go by majority vote. We go by who\u2019s willing to fight for it. If someone on the team says, \u201cI can\u2019t stop thinking about this,\u201d that\u2019s the spark we follow. We&#8217;re a vibe-based publisher. And the vibe is sacred.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>If you were to describe your identity as a publisher, how would you explain it?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong>We don\u2019t want to be known for one kind of game. We want to be known for backing the ones no one else dares to touch. Our identity is tied to risk, experimentation, and cultural resonance. We\u2019re trying to build a legacy of unforgettable titles, the kind people talk about years later, the kind that make other devs braver. We\u2019re shrine-maidens of strange games. Or gremlins with publishing contracts. Either way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015In your view, what sets <strong>Critical Reflex<\/strong> apart from other publishers?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong>We don\u2019t market to \u201cweird gamers.\u201d We are weird gamers. We\u2019re on the same Discord servers, modding forums, fanfic sites. We get the tone, the humor, the aesthetic. We don\u2019t just promote games, we build worlds around them. Animated trailers, cursed ARGs, in-house meme drops \u2013 we go hard. Also, we keep a lot of things in-house, which allows for smaller recoups and more flexibility. We build cross-promotions with our own audience, not just platform boosts. And most importantly, we\u2019re not scared of things that are hard to categorize. We lean in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>You&#8217;ve also taken on publishing duties for already released titles such as Lunacid. This seems like a rare move for indie publishers these days. What was your intention behind this decision?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/1745510\/Lunacid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lunacid<\/a> deserved more attention. It had a strong community, amazing vibes, and it was being lovingly updated by a solo dev \u2013 but it needed help getting over the visibility wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cr-20250621-345714-00c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cr-20250621-345714-00c.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cr-20250621-345714-00c-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cr-20250621-345714-00c-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lunacid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We didn\u2019t want to change the game, we just wanted to amplify what was already working. Sometimes you don\u2019t need to rebuild the wheel, but put a real big light on it to help potential fans notice it. If a game has a heart and momentum, we\u2019re happy to jump in mid-run and help it go an extra mile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>Japan may not be such a large market on Steam, yet you&#8217;ve actively showcased at events in Japan and even implemented full Japanese voice acting in Freaked Fleapit. What is your strategy behind this focus on localization and outreach?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong>In my opinion Japan has always been a cultural powerhouse when it comes to shaping how games feel. For me personally, that influence runs deep. I grew up glued to anime, playing untranslated PS2-era games I honestly didn\u2019t understand just to feel the vibe. I fell in love with things that didn\u2019t care if they were too weird or too heartfelt. A lot of what I do now, including the way I think about narrative structure, aesthetic cohesion, or just the guts to make something unapologetically strange comes straight from that legacy. I think a lot of my vision formed thanks to the influence of Japanese media.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when we\u2019re working on a game like <a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/1840880\/Freaked_Fleapit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Freaked Fleapit<\/a>, it\u2019s not just inspired by anime or arcade culture. It belongs to that lineage. It\u2019s loud, flashy, character-driven, borderline deranged in the best way. And if we didn\u2019t localize it with full Japanese voice acting and proper care, it would honestly feel like a betrayal of the spirit it came from.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1346\" height=\"752\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1346px) 100vw, 1346px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-003.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-003.jpg 1346w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-003-380x212.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250623-49341-003-768x429.jpg 768w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Freaked Fleapit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We don\u2019t do localization like it\u2019s a checkbox. We treat it like worldbuilding. If a game feels like it belongs on a CRT screen in a Shibuya basement arcade, we want it to actually be there, in your language, with voices that match the vision, dripping with love. Not because of sales projections, but because it\u2019s the right way to show respect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And seeing support from Japanese players? That hits us right in the heart. You notice everything: the small flourishes, the animation choices, the tonal shifts and when you respond to our work, it feels like the coolest form of validation. We see it. We talk about it. It means more than I can put into a neat sentence. This industry gave me so much when I was just a weird kid on a dial-up connection trying to decode what the hell was happening in Shin Megami Tensei. If I get to help bring something weird and beautiful back to Japan now, I\u2019ll do it every time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015You\u2019ve been involved with highly anticipated titles that gained attention at showcases, such as Militsioner and No, I\u2019m not a Human. Why do you think developers choose to work with <strong>Critical Reflex<\/strong>?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita:<\/strong> Because we don\u2019t just \u201csupport\u201d their weirdness, we understand it. We come from the same chaotic corners of the internet and the same creative ecosystems. When a dev shows us something raw, strange, or hard to pitch, we don\u2019t flinch. We lean in. We get excited. We immediately start spitballing trailer formats, meme drops, Discord activations, strange merch ideas. We\u2019re not here to say, \u201cThis is too niche,\u201d we\u2019re here to say. \u201cWhat if we leaned into the niche so hard it became a cult?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We don\u2019t try to sand off the sharp edges of a project to make it safer. That\u2019s boring. Instead, we ask: \u201cWhat would this look like if you took the brakes off?\u201d What if you made the thing that truly scares you to make, and we backed it all the way?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And most importantly, we don\u2019t just bring hype. We bring execution. Our team knows how to build full creative campaigns that feel bespoke, alive, and true to the dev\u2019s voice. It\u2019s not just a business deal, it&#8217;s a creative alliance. And I think devs sense that right away. That we\u2019re not here to manage their game like a product. We\u2019re here to help it take its final form.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why they come to us \u2013 because we\u2019re not just publishers. We\u2019re collaborators, ritual facilitators, and sometimes midwives to monsters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>You\u2019ve established CR Channel, a sub-label focused on horror games. What\u2019s the background and purpose of this initiative?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita:<\/strong> Honestly? It started as a 5AM sleep-deprived manic brainstorm. We were already publishing weird horror titles like Flawless Abbey and Drowned Lake, and when the devs of TELEFORUM asked us for help, something just clicked. You could market these games separately, build little silos, try to explain each one individually\u2026 or you could embrace the chaos and give them a collective voice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CR Channel was born from that impulse. It\u2019s not just a label, it\u2019s a haunted television broadcast you tune into by accident at midnight and can\u2019t quite turn off. It\u2019s a cursed anthology where every game feels like it might be connected to the next, even if no one will say how. It\u2019s a fanclub, a moodboard, a horror organism. A chaos portal we can use to reach players who want to be unsettled in specific, artful ways.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main label is where we handle a wide range of games across genres and tones, but CR Channel lets us go fully feral. We can experiment more with tone, format, release strategy, dropping games for free, letting them spread like urban legends, building trailers that feel like VHS tapes unearthed from a basement. It creates a direct pipeline to the players who are looking for exactly that kind of experience: games that whisper, that linger, that might infect your dreams a little.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And from a strategy standpoint, it\u2019s been incredibly effective. Cross-promotion becomes seamless. The audience gets what CR Channel is about from the first frame of a trailer. And developers love it too. It gives their games a home with other misfits, and it gives us the freedom to market them based on vibes, not just features. It lets us go feral in ways the main label can\u2019t.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015<\/strong><strong>Finally, could you introduce some of the titles you have planned for future release?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rita: <\/strong>We\u2019ve got a wild slate coming up, and each one feels like it crawled out of a different part of the collective dreamspace. Here are some launching pretty soon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/3180070\/No_Im_not_a_Human\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>No, I\u2019m Not a Human<\/strong><\/a> is a fever-drenched, apocalyptic paranoia sim where the only thing more dangerous than the Visitors\u2026 is letting the wrong one in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/3218570\/TANUKI_Pons_Summer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Tanuki: Pon\u2019s Summer<\/strong><\/a> is a chill, heartfelt BMX-postal-life-sim where you deliver packages, make friends, and save a shrine before the big festival hits all while doing crazy tricks on your BMX like Studio Ghibli meets Tony Hawk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2101420\/GIMMIKO\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>GIMMIKO<\/strong><\/a> is a hyperkinetic, dice-building roguelite where folklore demons flood the world and your only weapon is a handful of magical dice and pure chaotic energy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/1373530\/Militsioner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Militsioner<\/strong><\/a> is a surreal escape sim where a giant cop watches your every move in a sunlit police state that feels more like a dream you can\u2019t wake up from.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2601540\/Drowned_Lake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Drowned Lake<\/strong><\/a> is a fishing survival horror game soaked in Brazilian folklore, where three strangers search for a missing man and end up dragging their own secrets from the water right alongside the monsters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2731330\/TROLEU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>TROLEU<\/strong><\/a> is a chaotic first-person fare-checking brawler where you&#8217;re a bus conductor enforcing order with a ticket machine in one hand and your fists in the other. Welcome to public transport hell.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/3325610\/IDET\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>IDET<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>is a metafictional psycho-horror adventure set in a diner at the edge of time. Serve eldritch meals, charm divine weirdos, and solve a murder before you become the next special on the menu.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve got more unannounced things lurking in the shadows too, but if you like beautiful risks, weird vibes, and games that leave a mark, you\u2019ll like what\u2019s next.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2015Thank you for your time!<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Interview with the founder and CEO of Critical Reflex, publisher of indie hits like Mouthwashing and Buckshot Roulette.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indie-games","category-interviews","category-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meet the creepiest publisher in indie games. 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