Nub News gets UP CLOSE with virtual games creator Aaron Gwynaire from Felixstowe on his inspiration behind the online virtual fantasy puzzle game Neyyah.

The devil is in the details for this artisan but while progress on the game has been tantalising slow but steady Aaron is confident by the end of this incredibly complex project, even the rust will be right type of stain on Sanctuary Island.

Under the umbrella of his Deft Reality Entertainment arm, Aaron takes meticulous care in Neyyah, the game he started designing in 2018 and believes development will continue for a further two years before he reaches an end point and a much anticipated final product is launched worldwide.

The 25-year-old juggles developing Neyyah with working as a carer, and when possible, performing as a musician. He keeps his every growing army of followers updated on social media, teasing them with snippets of various updates and changes. He also uses a platform called Steam to allow people to add Neyyah to their wish list.

"I also use Patreon (a place where people pay for certain content) where I share exclusive snippets of game play and as people move up the tiers, so more will be on offer," said Aaron. I have thought about bringing out a demo for those tiers, but at the same time but I don't want to spoil the magic of the game experience.

"It may be better for the user to go from beginning to the end for themselves."

Patreon helps to fund the development with supporters donating a small amount each month, similar to a kickstarter or crowdfunding model who are investing in Neyyah's future.

Multi-talented Aaron is doing everything himself, the graphics, artwork and the soundtrack. He started while he was living and touring as musician in Australia, by using free software called Blender and uses photoshop with paid subscription.

He bought a powerful computer recently but that is the only expense used in making this game even better and is looking to invest in more hardware, using Patreon contributions and his work full time in a Suffolk care home.

Aaron's interest in gaming flourished when he was a pupil at Orwell High School, when he played games like Tomb Raider and Mist. No surprise then that his style is influenced by those early challenges and his interest in art and 3D modelling.

After coming back from touring Australia for seven years from the age of 20, to the town where he was born and bred, living in Trimley and Felixstowe, Aaron stepped up another level in terms of Neyyah by utilising his talents, including story-telling.

"I have been into art, painting and drawing, clay modelling, since I was knee high, and used to watch the old animation which I got into in a young age," said Aaron.

"I liked how you could make those images and and that inspired me and pushed me during my teens. I was also big into my music, which led me to go to Australia to perform when I was 20 and stayed there for seven years."

After enjoying a musical experience in Western Australia where he performed as part of a group, before going solo, and teaching music, his love of gaming, and in particular the desire to fulfil his dream of creating and developing his own game, Aaron started to put more time and desire into Neyyah.

The name Neyyah comes from the symbol created by the two Ys, which is also used in the story and the puzzles from the game. It was just going to be an introductory game but the results Blender produced encouraged him to push forward, and along with Animator, which produces the texture, led to him expanding Neyyah.

Although not yet fully developed, Neyyah has attracted a lot of attention in the games world, with a number of publishers getting in touch with Aaron, and many games of all ages already showing an interest in the point an click puzzle game. And while it would be good to follow in the footsteps of independent games designers, such as the creators of Fortnite and make a fortune, Aaron's main ambition is to share his passion for the game, which he enjoys making and while he wouldn't say no to making some money from it, he is determined not to make the same mistake he made when chasing pop stardom.

Aaron added: "It looks as if it will do very well. A lot of people want to play the game and I have had lot of people, including publishers contact me about it.

"First and foremost though is the passion in the game. With my music I got caught up with making it big, but I was doing pub gigs and busking in Australia and never really got to where I wanted to be, and realised I wanted to be famous with my music rather than just enjoying the music and that was a really unhealthy thing.

"It became something I put on the back burner, went into my art and then the game evolved. For me, even if no-one knew about the game, I would still do it because, there is something special about seeing it come alive.

"At the end I would still have this awesome game, this awesome achievement, because I'm designing it myself."

While Aaron's Neyyah could become Felixstowe's answer to Fortnite in terms of success, they are deliberately very different game and has no violence.

"Its a first person puzzle game that need time and attention. You sit back and explore the world and work out what you need to do to to move on," said Aaron. "It may not appeal to those that enjoy fighting games or enjoy puzzles.

"The other cool game about Neyyah is there are no levels, which is why it would appeal to all age groups. It is non linear, so you can work out the puzzles on one island, then move to another and it is all connected.

"I believe it is more fulfilling than a fighting game."

Another advantage for the users is the gamers do not need a powerful computer to play it. Normal PCs, consolesI pads and smart phones, with both IOS and Android.

The latter part of the games development is the soundtrack and he admits to being influenced by the likes of David Bowie, Echo and the Bunnymen and 1980s era.

One of Aaron's EPs Heart, Dance and Furlough, produced in 2017 when he was in Western Australia, can be found on You Tube.

For Aaron the work goes on but he hopes the game in its entirety will be out in 2022. In the meanwhile, the best place to follow the game is either Patreon, which is subscription based, and can include face to face calls. Or Facebook and Twitter which is free. You can wish list the game on Steam, links here:

[L[https://www.facebook.com/DefyRealityEntertainment[L+]Neyyah with Deft Reality Entertainment, Facebook page.[.L]

Neyyah on Steam

Neyyah on Patreon

Neyyah on Twitter

• For more Neyyah images scroll right on the top picture.