Little Chicken Games recently provided an inside look at the development of Moonlight Peaks, the supernatural life sim that places players in the role of Dracula’s child. In a conversation with CEO Yannis Bolman, Lead 3D Artist Tobias van der Meer, and Developer Dominik Beens, the team detailed the creative process behind the game's cozy-meets-creepy aesthetic and its jump to mobile platforms.

Quick Facts

  • Development Origin: The concept emerged from an idea by Art Director Mia Boas, aiming to blend life simulation with vampire lore and supernatural elements.
  • Visual Overhaul: The game transitioned to Physically Based Rendering (PBR) and a semi-hand-painted style to achieve a more handcrafted, high-fidelity look.
  • Platform Availability: Moonlight Peaks is available on PC and has been ported to Android via Google Play Games, with full controller support on both platforms.

Refining the Supernatural Cast

The team explained that the selection of supernatural creatures—including werewolves, witches, seers, and mermaids—was designed to create a cohesive "safe haven" for magical beings. However, the development process required some difficult choices. While the team initially planned for deities to be dateable, they were eventually cut due to the complexity of their storylines and time constraints. Bolman noted that the team hopes to include these in the future, but they committed to a set cast early to ensure the depth of the game's narrative.

Players can expect a variety of "outlandish" characters, with Bolman suggesting that Death is likely to become a fan favorite due to the character's gentlemanly nature and ignorance of earthly norms.

Technical Hurdles and Mobile Porting

Developer Dominik Beens highlighted the challenges of bringing the game to different hardware. While the team had prior experience with mobile development, porting to Android required creating an on-screen joystick and adapting the UI to accommodate touch controls. "The entire process of adapting the game to be playable on Android has been fairly smooth," Beens noted, adding that most core mechanics were already adaptable.

For the Nintendo Switch version, the team had to navigate the specific requirements of the Nintendo developer environment. Despite these technical hurdles, the game maintains a consistent design philosophy across all platforms, with controller input prioritized from the very beginning of the project.

The Future of Moonlight Peaks

When asked about the potential for future expansions, the team confirmed they have plenty of ideas remaining. "In an ideal world, we'll be adding to Moonlight Peaks for a long time to come," Bolman said, while noting that the scope of future content is tied to the game's reception. For now, players are encouraged to explore the hidden details within the game, such as the "Soul Blobs" that feature unique stories and the ability to chat with animals once specific forms have been unlocked.