Today, I have the pleasure of presenting an interview with CEO of SSUN GAMES, Seon-ho Kim. SSUN GAMES is currently developing Light Odyssey, a challenging soul-like where you play as a creature named Bandi who must take down boss after boss to restore light in the realm. This is one such game represented by Gravity, who was present at PAX East 2026. Don’t forget to read all the way till the end where a trailer is provided and also be sure to wish list it on Steam. Lastly, there is also a demo available.

Q: How long have you been developing this title?

Kim: About four years! Development began in 2022, and we’ve now entered the final stretch. It’s been a long journey, but we’ve steadily worked together as a team to try and make Light Odyssey the best it could possibly be.

Q: It sounds like a lot of love and passion went into those four years! What are some inspirations behind the game?

Kim: In the early days, we envisioned Light Odyssey as a survival game and drew inspiration from themes such as light, darkness, and hope. Though, at some point, we made the decision to pivot to the souls-like boss rush genre as we found it aligned best with the themes that we wanted to convey.

During that pivot, we thought back to games that had left a deep impression on us and turned to Shadow of the Colossus, Dark Souls, and Below. From these, we made it our top priority to create a similar epic experience that these games have gifted us of overcoming something that feels overwhelmingly intimidating.

Ultimately, that’s what led us to create our tiny protagonist Bandi and have it fight giant colossi in order to return light to the universe. We hope you’ll be able to recognize all of our inspirations in this concept!

Q: Those are fantastic games, and I totally see the inspiration, especially from Shadow of the Colossus. Now, given this is a boss rush style game, how many bosses will you face in one run?

Kim: In each run, there are 11 core bosses that you’ll face. Each of these consists of three phases that represent our team’s approach to boss design.

At first, we followed the traditional formula where boss fights start and end within the same room, and where boss phases merely increase the difficulty. However, we felt this approach lacked a distinct identity and wanted to create a more memorable and cinematic experience. Something that would let us emphasize the desperation and high stakes present in the story.

Because of this, we designed Light Odyssey around the idea that the bosses change the rules mid-fight. Meaning that each fight ranges from a normal boss battle, a tense chase sequence, and to a final showdown. Through this design, we hope to create intense and exciting battles that players will enjoy and remember.

Q; I think that will keep things very interesting. What is the anticipated play time for one run?

Kim: It really depends on the player’s skill level but also on the type of player they are. Beyond boss fights, there is an exploration element to Light Odyssey, inspired by Tunic, that players can choose to spend a lot of time in. If you only care about the boss fights, it might take 5-10 hours. Otherwise, if you’re more of an explorer or completionist, it will likely take much longer.

Q: Are there ability and/or item upgrades to help Bandi?

Kim: Yes! We’ve scattered a bunch of cryptic puzzles and hidden clues across the world that let the player unlock new weapons and abilities. These will give players a new way to play the game by changing the combat style or adding an extra layer to the combat. Additionally, by collecting items or obtaining rewards, players can upgrade Bandi’s stats.

We haven’t thought about a system yet to upgrade the weapons and abilities but might sit down for this after launch. For now, we hope players will enjoy a sense of progression through the current systems.

Q: Lastly, would you mind describing the artistic decision to make visuals black and white/gray-scale?

Kim: It honestly came very naturally to us based on the themes that inspired us. In particular, we were very inspired by the notion that “light shines brightest only when surrounded by deep darkness”. The artistic decision to then make the visuals black and white felt like a no-brainer.

We even found it helped us portray the game’s cosmic themes so we were fully locked in! Though, nowadays, we’re taking this artistic approach a step further by using subtle thematic colors as accents to add a visual richness and give each environment some personality.

Thank you so much Seon-ho Kim for speaking with me today about Light Odyssey and thank you to the Gravity team for coordinating the interview. Currently, it has a 2026 release date. If this game piques your interest, check out the demo and wish list it on Steam.

Featured Image Source: SSUN Games