The upcoming turn-based RPG, Billy the Hero, will feature a boss creature whose unsettling visage was inspired by the developer’s wife as she slept. Indie developer JOJOJOJOsoft, operating under the studio name JOJOJOJOsoft, detailed the process on Reddit, explaining that the inspiration was part of a long-standing, affectionate habit of playfully trolling each other.
JOJOJOJOsoft, who prefers to be called JOJO, stressed that the creature's monstrous appearance does not reflect his wife's actual likeness. The game centers on Billy, a criminal embodying the seven deadly sins who awakens on Hell Island in the body of a teddy bear, aiming to transform the island into his personal domain. The game promises a unique combat system centered on math and greed, with a distinctive art style blending pixel art and cartoon aesthetics.
The multi-faced, multi-handed creature took the longest to develop, according to JOJO. The process involved several steps: first, taking reference photos of his wife while she was in a deep sleep to capture a natural, unposed look. This was followed by photo-bashing, where he cut out and arranged the faces. Grayscale conversion and texture layering were applied to adjust lighting and shadows, with raw meat textures, including what appeared to be roadkill, being used for the gruesome details. Finally, blood, veins, and fleshy connections were added to complete the horror aesthetic.
JOJO clarified that his wife is fully aware of and participates in their playful rivalry. "We are very close and tease each other constantly," he explained, noting that his wife often pranks him and posts unflattering photos of him sleeping. He views the wife-inspired monster as his way of catching up in their ongoing 'mutual trolling,' emphasizing that their relationship is built on this dynamic and affection. "Our relationship is fantastic—we’re built on mutual trolling and a lot of love," he stated.
Other creatures in Billy the Hero also stem from unconventional sources. One skeletal boss, for instance, was directly traced from a photograph of a half-eaten chicken carcass with fries. JOJO, who previously worked as a professional movie matte painter, often uses photobashing by combining random photos and then painting over them. He described this method as "practically like human AI," though he clarified that an AI mention on the game's Steam page refers only to Photoshop's scaling options, and he does not use generative AI for image creation.
JOJO identifies as a "nostalgic, old-school gamer" and aims to evoke a specific childhood feeling in Billy the Hero. He described the dialogue as natural, like friends talking, and the game's focus on Billy's rebellious, selfish, and weird teenage persona, rather than a grand quest for justice, as key to its appeal. "It’s just Billy. And I think that raw, honest dynamic is going to make it great," he concluded.