Big Interview with the Developer of No, I’m not a Human: How the Game Was Created, Who the "Guests" Are, and What the Main Plot Is Really About

No, I’m not a Human is, without exaggeration, one of the main indie phenomena of this autumn. This inherently niche game has broken out of the indie “for insiders” sector, becoming a subject of widespread discussion and analysis. We spoke with its game director from Trioskaz studio to ask about all the most important things: from behind-the-scenes development secrets and the plot to upcoming large-scale updates for the project. In this interview, fans will finally get answers to the most pressing questions (or at least hints at those answers) regarding the lore, and aspiring developers will get a great dose of motivation to create their own video games.

VGTimes: Hi Nikita! Tell us about your studio. How did your creative journey begin?

Nikita Veter, Game Director at Trioskaz: Greetings! We started our journey with a regular game jam (an event where a small group of developers creates a game in a limited amount of time — VGTimes). We were making a game, but didn’t finish it on time. Later, we decided to finish it for ourselves. Then we launched several projects at once, thinking we could handle the development, but in reality, that turned out to be our big mistake. The reason was that we started making large-scale games instead of starting with something small. In the end, we abandoned the big projects in favor of smaller games.

VGTimes: At the moment, your studio is working with the publisher Critical Reflex. Did they approach you first, or did you reach out to them?

Nikita: We originally planned to start looking for a publisher ourselves, but first we needed to have at least some build or working prototype in hand. So our first priority was to focus on developing the game itself. After we added it to Steam and our wishlist numbers started to grow rapidly, publishers unexpectedly began reaching out to us. There were several interesting offers, but Critical Reflex had the most suitable terms.

VGTimes: How did you even come up with the idea for No, I'm not a Human?

Nikita: The idea for the game was suggested by our artist, Olga Shkirando. She also came up with the gameplay mechanics. At that time, I had a completely different idea: to make a project about a world that is falling apart and doomed to perish. Then we just decided to combine both of our concepts into one. We sketched out a rough plan and outlined the main themes. For example, the characters’ stories had to somehow echo the theme of death and play on relevant fears. And, of course, the endings had to match.

VGTimes: You mentioned the artist Trioskaz — Olga, and we can’t help but note what an amazing job she did with the visual style of No, I'm not a Human. We think the design played a crucial role in bringing the project to a wide audience. How did this unique style originate? Were there any specific references?

Nikita: Yes, the visuals really “grab” you, that’s a fact. As for references: first of all, we wanted to create a kind of analog horror that would both repel and attract attention at the same time. Probably the main source of inspiration for the visual style was The Mandela Catalogue. I’d also add “Kraina Grzybów TV” (The Mushroom Land) as another influence.

VGTimes: What games inspired you during the development of No, I'm not a Human? Papers, Please was clearly not the least of them.

Nikita: Yes, that’s right. Papers, Please was one of our main sources of inspiration. We were especially interested in how decision-making mechanics were implemented, where the player is responsible for what happens and acts as a kind of arbiter of fate. In real life, you can’t do much, but in games, you have the opportunity to influence the lives of characters in different ways.

VGTimes: How long did it take to develop No, I'm not a Human?

Nikita: It took three months to create the prototype, which we presented in Violent Horror Stories: Anthology. And it took a year to make No, I'm not a Human. Basically, we took the already finished framework from the previous project and just filled it with content.

VGTimes: No, I'm not a Human has become another template for memes. There are already a lot of fan artworks online with different characters standing at the door against the backdrop of apartment buildings. There are also quite a few requests for modding tools. Do you plan to make such a tool?

Nikita: We’ve seen a lot of those artworks. It’s really cool. We check every day to see what kind of content is appearing. We’d love to see what fans could create if mod support appeared. We want to make modding tools for No, I'm not a Human, but for now we don’t quite understand how to organize it properly. The game could easily break at any moment if something in the code is changed.

VGTimes: True. To code such a system, you’d need additional programmers and a lot of time.

Nikita: Yeah, it’s really a “scary” thing. The thought of it makes us shudder, and for now, we’re not ready to take it on.

VGTimes: Are you satisfied with the sales of No, I'm not a Human? Did development pay off the investment?

Nikita: Honestly, we expected sales on a much smaller scale. So, of course, we’re satisfied. The attention the game has received was very unexpected for us. At the very least, we don’t have to go back to other jobs and can fully focus on creating something of our own.

VGTimes: Regarding creative burnout: were there moments when you wanted to drop everything or start a different project?

Nikita: With No, I'm not a Human, everything actually went really well. We were interested in exploring questions like: what happens after we die; what would happen if the sun exploded and humanity vanished without a trace. On one hand, those are scary questions, but on the other hand, it was interesting to think about them. Every team member wanted to contribute to the project. The creative freedom we maintained within the game’s narrative helped us create exactly what was needed.

VGTimes: Why is the interface green?

Nikita: Our artist says: it just happened that way. It’s just art direction.

VGTimes: During our playthrough, FEMA often took away healthy people, making it impossible to get certain endings. How does this system work, and why does it often leave “guests” in the protagonist’s house?

Nikita: Honestly, even we were a bit shocked by how harshly FEMA behaves. We even asked the programmer to make them a bit more lenient in the update.

VGTimes: How did you write the script and come up with the dialogues?

Nikita: First, the writers would get together and come up with the general traits of the characters and how they would reveal the main theme. Then, each author would take a set of individual characters. For example, I took the “Ballerina” with the cat and wrote the dialogue chains. After that, I’d take the finished material, proofread it, and make edits. The others would also take my texts and do the same. This way, we managed to create the characters within a unified vision, without going overboard.

VGTimes: Name five games that inspired you to get into game development.

Nikita: That’s a tough question. I just love games in general. I’ve bought a whole bunch of them. And I still play old ones on an emulator. So it’s hard to pick something specific. However, every year I replay the original Silent Hill 2. That game impresses me with how it explores deep themes, and its gameplay serves the narrative. I also have to mention Devil May Cry 3 with its movement system, which literally conveys the characters’ personalities. And two more that few people have heard of: Grotto and Growing My Grandpa! I like finding small, personal projects like that. Seeing how other indie developers present their ideas. It’s super interesting.

VGTimes: No, I'm not a Human is basically also something small and personal that unexpectedly went mainstream.

Nikita: Yes, it was a big surprise for us.

VGTimes: No, I'm not a Human has become very popular not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but also in the West. That’s undoubtedly a huge success. How do you feel when you see such feedback?

Nikita: Well, it’s actually an amazing experience. From the very beginning, we doubted that anyone would even be interested in the game. It’s a niche project by itself. Some people in reviews even call it “art-house gaming” because all the meanings are blurred and there are no clear answers. We thought: well, maybe ten people will play it, and that’s good enough. But as more and more videos started appearing on YouTube, it became clear that No, I'm not a Human was interesting not just to us. We were really surprised by this fact and are still very impressed by what’s happening.

VGTimes: Critical Reflex brought your game to the TGS exhibition. How did visitors react to No, I'm not a Human? Was the audience interested?

Nikita: We were told that there were actual lines of people waiting to check out the game. Of course, it was nice to hear that.

VGTimes: Do you listen to player feedback and their ideas for improving the game? For example, adding more randomness, interactions between guests, or additional endings with key characters saved by the protagonist.

Nikita: We do listen to players’ opinions and agree with many of their comments. We really want to add some things that people mention in their reviews. During development, we planned to add interactions between the “guests,” but that’s an extremely large feature to implement. From the outside, it might seem like, “just write a few extra lines and that’s it.” But in reality, simply adding more lines doesn’t bring anything new to the game. And creating a full-fledged system where guests interact with each other and turn events upside down is a colossal amount of work. If we started working on this, we definitely wouldn’t release anything this year.

VGTimes: Do you already have plans for DLC or a major update?

Nikita: Yes, after we fix the bugs, we’ll make a major update that will definitely include new characters. We have people from Patreon and Boosty who, as sponsors, got the opportunity to appear in the game, so we’ll be adding them. Plus, there will be some more content that I can’t talk about yet.

VGTimes: Are you planning to add a “New Game+” mode? For example, more hardcore, challenges where you have to let everyone into the house no matter what.

Nikita: We’re thinking about new modes. I can say for sure that there will be something interesting in the update. Not something huge, but it will be there. Guaranteed.

VGTimes: Are you planning to release the game on consoles? And will you add voice acting so players don’t have to read text on their TV screens?

Nikita: Oh, we have over 100,000 words. I can’t even imagine how much that would cost. Plus, I’d feel sorry for the people who would have to voice that massive amount of text.

VGTimes: You already have a pretty extensive fan base. There are messages online where players want to do the voice acting themselves. Maybe involve them?

Nikita: As for the fan base — that’s true. We often get messages from players offering to help with translations into foreign languages that we didn’t originally plan to add. And honestly, that sounds really great. We’re truly happy about it. But if we were to accept such help, we’d need quality control. We can’t verify, say, the accuracy of Czech. So we’d have to hire editors and proofreaders. Of course, we’d love to let fans participate in these processes, but it’s really hard to keep it under control.

VGTimes: Are you planning to expand the No, I'm not a Human universe? For example, a sequel or another game in the same setting?

Nikita: We’re definitely thinking about it. Making a game in the same world or a full-fledged sequel… But right now, we want to finish working on updates for No, I'm not a Human, as well as complete Lost in the Roots and the second anthology. Then we need to take at least a little break and come up with something new with fresh energy.

VGTimes: Will we get a major update with new content before the end of the year? The fans are already starving and asking for more.

Nikita: We hope we’ll manage to get everything done. We don’t have strict deadlines, but we do want to release some more content for No, I'm not a Human this year.

VGTimes: Do you plan to sell the soundtrack? The music in No, I'm not a Human is amazing.

Nikita: We’re working on it. We wanted to release the music on all possible platforms, but it turned out to be more complicated than we expected. First, we need to make arrangements with distributors and take care of a few other things. We planned to do it by the release, but we didn’t make it in time.

VGTimes: The internet is full of discussions about the lore and universe of No, I'm not a Human. You probably follow the work of content creators who suggest all sorts of theories about the main plot’s interpretation. Has any author “hit the mark” or correctly understood the ideas you put into the game?

Nikita: We love watching videos like “Analysis of No, I'm not a Human” or “You misunderstood No, I'm not a Human.” It’s really very interesting. Some people have hit the mark in certain places. For example, there’s a video on the Shurupkin channel where the author came very close to the correct interpretation of the lore. Someone else released a video where some points about the theme of death were accurate, but I can’t recall the blogger’s nickname right now.

VGTimes: And what about the theory that the main character is actually a “guest”?

Nikita: I won’t say anything specific about that theory. So my answer is: “I know nothing.”

VGTimes: Here’s another question from our readers about the game’s lore: Are the FEMA actually guests in costumes who pull ordinary people out of their homes?

Nikita: I’ll say this: from the very beginning, they were definitely from the government. This organization was really created to manage the situation. And the FEMA really do take actions that, in their view, benefit society. But what’s going on with them in the middle of the story — I won’t say.

VGTimes: There’s the “Pale Guest” in the game, who mentioned beings much stronger than himself. What is this creature, and will it appear in future updates?

Nikita: The player could see this creature in the window on one of the days. By the way, you get an achievement for that. There’s also a character who blinded himself and tells you about it in detail. Of course, we’d like to tell more about it in an update, so my team and I will think more about that idea. Also, there are a few YouTubers who have come pretty close to interpreting the meaning of this creature.

VGTimes: And you’re probably not going to say which authors managed to uncover the secret…

Nikita: No, of course not. I won’t say anything…

VGTimes: About the main character: why does he hate his father; what’s behind the window covered by the curtain; why doesn’t he leave the house?

Nikita: The main character had a difficult childhood. He’s someone who couldn’t escape unforgiving anger. He can’t come to terms with his past, and because of that, he’s doomed to remain in a “cage” surrounded by anger. And there’s nothing he can do about it. That’s why he has this kind of character and personality.

VGTimes: The monster that appears after burning the bodies — is it the same creature that’s stronger than the “Pale Guest,” or is it something else?

Nikita: No, no, it’s the same monster. Because of it, you can hear on the radio that FEMA suddenly changed their mind about burning the bodies.

VGTimes: On the radio station, an email address is mentioned: [email protected]. It’s clearly not just for the story, right?

Nikita: That email is actually working. Send your guest traits there, and you’ll definitely get a reply.

VGTimes: Who are the “guests” really?

Nikita: Let me think how to answer in a way that actually answers the question. Again, there are a few YouTubers who have come close to the right answer in terms of metaphor. I’ll just say that it’s related to death as a concept. And the guests are somehow involved in that.

VGTimes: Do all “guests” realize they’ve become “guests”? Or are there some who don’t know about their new nature?

Nikita: I’ll say this: among the “guests” who visit the main character, there are some who definitely know they are “guests.”

VGTimes: Why doesn’t FEMA return people after checking them in the quarantine zone?

Nikita: The character “Doctor,” who can visit on one of the days, gives hints to this question. The wounded man also shares truthful information. But overall, the guest invasion was a sudden event that caused complete chaos within FEMA. They don’t understand how to control it, which leads to unexpected consequences. That’s all I can say for now.

VGTimes: What’s the connection between solar activity and the sudden guest invasion? Is it just a coincidence?

Nikita: I’ll answer this way: pay attention to the “growth” in one of the scenes.

VGTimes: Is the main character “chosen”? Why do people flock to him — cultists, strange individuals, and madmen?

Nikita: Our character is a recluse. He has nothing left to hold on to in this life. He’s lost everything and nothing interests him anymore. “Death” is interested in a person who has lost the meaning of existence. And all our protagonist wants is peace—for everything to end. That’s why special individuals come to him, like the bald guy who offers to tell fortunes from a book.

VGTimes: There are lots of references and Easter eggs in the game. Is there anything players still haven’t found?

Nikita: Yes. For some reason, very few people pay attention to the ending you get from interacting with the bald guy. There are some interesting lines from the last character the player meets there. There’s more, but I think players will discover it themselves sooner or later.

VGTimes: Many characters in No, I'm not a Human were clearly inspired by famous people. How did you come up with your characters? For example, we remember the cheerful guy with a creepy appearance who calls the protagonist "Hey, Buddy."

Nikita: We were definitely inspired by some people, but we still tried to make our own characters. Yes, in some ways they resemble their prototypes, but in terms of personality, they’re completely our own. The character you mentioned was created by our writer Roman. He had a family friend who used to call him "Buddy." Roman came up with a storyline for him where the character had to kill his own dog. Of course, that never happened in real life, but Roman wanted to explore that theme.

VGTimes: No, I'm not a Human has several endings. But which one can be considered canonical?

Nikita: It’s hard to say which one, but our favorite is the “Accept the Inevitable” ending with the bald guy, the book, and digging a tunnel in the basement. We really tried to make it unusual. Of course, there were players who, when they got it, said, “What the heck is this?” It’s sad to see that kind of reaction from gamers, but on the other hand, there’s no point in being a snob. People play how they want. We’re honestly surprised that No, I'm not a Human became popular, even though it’s such a niche project.

VGTimes: Why can’t the main character resist the “Pale Guest”? He at least has a shotgun.

Nikita: The “Pale Guest” is a creature spiritually close to the main character. And they both fully understand what they mean to each other. That’s why the protagonist simply can’t bring himself to shoot.

VGTimes: Could the “Old Lady” character be the main character’s grandmother or great-grandmother? She previously appeared as a ghost in the demo, and ghosts are usually tied to their homes. The fact that she’s always a “guest” in the full version could mean she was reincarnated.

Nikita: Interesting theory. At the very least, there’s a word in your question that matches the name of the file related to the “Old Lady” character. That’s all I can say.

VGTimes: Thank you for taking the time to answer questions that mattered not only to us, but also to the fans.

Nikita: Thank you too.

The release of No, I'm not a Human took place in September this year. On Steam, the project has an 87% rating. In our review, among the game’s pros, we highlighted its unusual slow-burn apocalypse theme, dense atmosphere, non-linearity, and several scary moments. The cons, in our opinion, are poor graphics and repetitive gameplay.

What do you think about this unusual project? Share your thoughts in the comments.