VGTimes interview with the developer of IriyGate: Path of Sin. Aerial combat in the style of Bayonetta and time rewind inspired by Prince of Persia

As part of Comic Con IgroMir 2025, we spoke with Evgeny Zobov — head of Weavers Team studio and the main visionary and developer of the game IriyGate: Path of Sin. In a conversation with VGTimes' editor-in-chief Rodion Ilin, the project’s creator talked about the game's key features, aerial boss battles, in-game jokes hidden within the mechanics, and the challenges of securing funding. Read more in this article.

VGTimes: Hi! Could you tell us about your game presented at the expo?

Evgeny Zobov: Hi, I'm an indie developer, currently without any funding. I'm working on IriyGate: Path of Sin, a third-person slasher in the style of DmC and Bayonetta. We're making a single-player game entirely on our own funds. For IgroMir, we brought a pre-alpha build where you can fight a boss. Right now, we're testing the core mechanics—like flying and sword combat. Our game lets you fight in a vertically oriented system: the player can take off at any moment and battle in the air. But that's not the only feature we have planned.

VGTimes: What other features can we expect?

Evgeny Zobov: We have time manipulation! First, it will work like in Prince of Persia, meaning the player can rewind time. Second, as for unique features, there's a time-splitting mechanic. Imagine: you're moving through a location, doing whatever you want, encountering enemies and thinking about how to deal with them. You press a button—the world freezes. Nothing happens. As soon as you take a step, a timer starts—at first nothing changes, time passes, but when the timer hits zero, time returns to the moment you pressed "stop." You take another step, and a copy of you appears, repeating all the actions you performed before. So, you are essentially programming yourself for combos.

And that's not all. The time mechanic also allows you to save bosses—and that's not a slip of the tongue. For example, the bison (the boss from the game's art) can not only be defeated in battle but also saved.

VGTimes: How does the target system work? From playtesting, it seems it's not quite perfect yet—will you be tweaking it?

Evgeny Zobov: Yes, at this stage we're refining the combat, especially aerial fights, to make them as dynamic and engaging as possible. Right now, when an enemy moves, you don't always have time to "lock on" to them. It's important for us to deliver good impact, so we'll fix that. We're doing everything with our limited resources, but we're trying to make everything as high-quality as possible. We won't make tons of content, but what we do make will be solid.

VGTimes: Another thing: right now, the controls seem a bit laggy. After an attack, if you press in different directions, the character only moves in one direction. Until you dash, nothing changes. Is that a bug or a feature?

Evgeny Zobov: Yes, that's right—the dash interrupts animations. In principle, players will often use this—animation canceling. But the specific situation you described with the attack will definitely be fixed, because we want to achieve smoothness: so you can dive into melee from the air and immediately start landing different hits. Likewise, the other way around—so the hero can instantly soar upward at the press of a button. And we want all this to work in tandem, so you can fight ground and aerial enemies at the same time.

VGTimes: Maybe you’ll add combo attacks too?

Evgeny Zobov: Yes, we’ll definitely add various combos, especially in the air. For example: dash in, strike, fly further, grab a rocket launcher, shoot, fly on… Our goal is to make everything high-quality and comprehensive. The story may only last about 7 hours, and the locations are corridor-like, but everything will be well-crafted and dynamic!

VGTimes: How long has development been going on, and how much more time do you need to realize everything you’ve planned?

Evgeny Zobov: Development’s been going on for about six years, but serious work on the project started two years ago. If we get funding, it’ll take another 1.5–2 years. I started alone, then began looking for people willing to join. We’re gradually expanding, improving our demo so at least it’s fun for people to play.

VGTimes: What about the story? What’s the core of the game’s plot?

Evgeny Zobov: Yes, the story is interactive. The boss-saving mechanic affects the overall lore. I can’t promise scenes like the bear from Baldur's Gate, but you’ll be able to save—not kill—absolutely every boss in the game. This will change story events and the ending.

And this is done through saving. What’s a save usually? You just save—and that’s it. But for us, it’s literally a mechanic, part of the gameplay itself.

I’d also like to note that our aerial system will be expanded and improved, to somewhat resemble Armored Core. We’re planning at least eight bosses. Even though our locations are corridor-like and small, there’ll definitely be enough space to fly.

VGTimes: The technological foundation is Unreal Engine 5?

Evgeny Zobov: Yes, that’s right.

VGTimes: How do you manage to fund development as an indie developer?

Evgeny Zobov: I’ve tried different ways. I approached VK, Rostelecom, tried IRI… But everywhere has its own challenges. With IRI it’s possible, but they have a lot of strict requirements. And you still need to have a number of elements fully finished to even apply. Many big publishers immediately demand wishlists. Even indie publishers want 10,000 wishlists before they’ll even talk to you. If you don’t have that on Steam, they won’t even consider you. Even if the game is promising, the answer is always “oh no, sorry.” I’m also looking at “physicists,” “business angels”… As they say, maybe one out of a hundred attempts will work out. It’s very hard to get money at the early stages, especially if you don’t have a big name in the industry or a major project.

VGTimes: What platforms are you planning to release on?

Evgeny Zobov: We want to launch on different platforms. By the way, that’s also another way to promote and attract funding. We’ll be on consoles and on Steam.

For me, this project is very personal. I want to make as many people happy as possible. I really like that people who come to test our early alpha leave happy. Even though our pre-alpha is buggy and has problems, people still find it interesting and engaging.

As an experiment, we added a joke to the build. Our AI is hostile to the player: it’s both a friend and an enemy. At a certain point, it says: “Press the G key to fly.” But that’s a lie. If you press that key, you explode (laughs!). And all the players, hearing that phrase, actually follow the advice and blow themselves up. For us, that’s a marker that players care about what’s happening—they’re immersed in the process.

VGTimes: Thank you so much! It’s clear you’re passionate about your game and full of positive energy. Best of luck with the development and promotion!

Evgeny Zobov: Thank you very much!

IriyGate: Path of Sin looks promising, and the developer’s passion inspires optimism. While the project may not become a worldwide hit, it’s definitely capable of winning a loyal audience. There are already interesting mechanics and ideas in place—the only thing left is to bring the project to release. VGTimes wishes the Weavers Team the best of luck on their challenging journey!

Interview conducted by Rodion Ilin.

VGTimes have attended dozens of exhibitions and festivals, where our journalists have collected numerous exclusive materials. Last year, we visited the Land of the Rising Sun for TGS 2024, where we were amazed by the scale of the Tokyo event. This year, we experienced one of Asia's leading gaming exhibitions, ChinaJoy in Shanghai, with our own eyes. We also made it to the Thai version of gamescom 2025 in Bangkok.