A Poop Called The Sea Monster – A Sludge Life Interview With Terri Vellman & Doseone

God… Sludge Life  is something special. You play as Ghost, a graffiti tagger who makes their mark in a town where citizens are in the middle of a strike against a company that has  overtaken the space. While the game’s relatable dialogue on working life is something I loved (and truly made me face truths I was not prepared for), the design choices in this open world of street art connoisseurs really shine. From cats with not one- but TWO buttholes, walking in on the biggest unflushed deuce ever taken; meeting locals who are part insect; to finding a baby the size of a Hummer, the treasures in Sludge Life kept pushing me to go in the most inconvenient spots to see what other bat-shit  things the devs might’ve come up with. 

So instead of continuing to ask myself “what’s a conversation with these devs like?” as my character goes on a drug trip and thinks they have the ability to fly, I said “well… why don’t I just interview them?”Seeing Sludge Life was developed by Terri Vellmann and Doseone, later finding out Terri is reigning over São Paulo, Brazil, while Dose is living the life in Sante Fe, New Mexico, I was happy to be able to chat with these two men and see how they made something so cool despite being over 5000 miles apart.

How did you guys meet? And how did you guys come together to work on Sludge Life?

Dose: We met thanks to Devolver Digital and the all-powerful Fork Parker. Terri had sent them Heavy Bullets, and I had just started working with Devolver. Since Heavy Bullets had no sound/music at that time, they put us together and we have been SoulMates in making shit together ever since!

Terri: It was wonderful.

I love the surprises I’ve been finding in the most unexpected places! What are your favorite things you’ve designed in the game? Between the animals, npcs, and room designs; there are so many cool things to run into.

Dose: I’m a big fan of SmokingCat. Also, I remember the night Terri added the RoomMateHidingInTheWallPaper room; I lost my shit when I found it. And the WeirdEnding of course still gives me chills when I watch streamers get it!

Terri: I always love doing the fauna. Weird answer, but when we got the “new tag” SFX right, it was one of the best moments for me.

Was there anything that you ran into while making Sludge Life that was really difficult, and got it to work with your vision? What techniques did you have to try and try to fix this issue?

Dose: Sound design was escaping us for a while. Just in terms of trying to deal with all the music in BoomBoxes everywhere, but not having them all competing with one another. It was really trial and error to arrive at the eventual balance we have throughout the world.

Terri: Really, just managing the whole thing as the game grew. The editor got really bloated, too.

Is there anything in the game that reflects your personal lives? The character who was just done with their roommate making interior design choices without asking is something that brought me back when I lived with people in Boston.

Dose: YES! Janitor at Burgermon who is “leaving that SeaMonster there out of respect “ is stolen directly from my MOM’s life. It’s pretty much a 1-to-1 quote from a story she told me once. The girl doing squats in the gym is a 1-to-1 quote, “No hurt no big shirt,”  that this BIG dude said to my friend once when he was doing pull-ups in Oakland. Frankly, almost all the writing is stolen from my life or based on something that strikes me as funny in this universe.

Terri: yeah a few of the taggers are inspired by friends and taggers I’ve met, loosely.

Strikes are something we see a lot in reality from those standing up to Amazon from worker mistreatment to teachers in the US wanting a fair wage. Why was the idea of strikes important to you to add in?

Dose: Terri had that idea and it was kinda always the spine of all the NPC’s reacting in an indifferent manner. Then we sort of filled the world and “Ciggy’s death” emerged as the cause for the strike. And for me at least, poetically the strike references how “work-obsessed” our world is, how people become more job than the individual, and what’s left when you eventually discover that line inside yourself where job stops and the person starts.

Terri: On top of all the worldbuilding, we also wanted the day the game takes place in to be an event, like something is going on in the world that day specifically. The strike worked well and allowed us to be a bit more direct about things in dialogue.

The character designs are so creative and fun, from humans, people with fly heads, to pigeons with bodies of a human to type away at the news, they are a treat to observe. Did you get any inspiration to make some of the NPC’s you made?

Dose: That’s ALL TERRI! I would send some lists of “out there” ideas, and Terri would add what struck him. Part of the joy for me working on this was seeing all the new awesome art Terri would add to every new build!

Terri: A lot of them are characters I’ve drawn a lot in the past, and some of them just came about as the game’s world developed into something that felt like a place.

Alright… Who’s idea was it to throw in the giant poo behind the burger joint? 💩

Dose: That’s all T, and then my MOM’s life wrote the rest, as mentioned above.

Terri: Yeah, that one was my fault.

Do you guys have a favorite tagger from Sludge Life? Why?

Dose: KING EYES! This is another moment for me where Terri just blew me away. VANDAL EYES inspired me to the sky and back, and really set the ceiling for how “surreal” this game could be below its more obvious Graf/Capitalist overtones.

Terri: I like MOSCA best, and I think he was the first one I added. I think he just really has that Sludge Life vibe, and is the only flyhead in the game.

What are your favorite video games? Anything you’re playing right now that you’ve been enjoying?

Dose: Lately I just play Spelunky cause I’m SO hyped for Spelunky 2!!!!!

Terri: Oh man, Spelunky is definitely on the list. Thirty Flights of Loving, MINIT, Hotline Miami, Proteus… I like too many to list. Recently, Depanneur Nocturne and Gutwhale were two I really liked. I have a long list to play as well, Umurangi Generation, for example, looks amazing.

For those wanting to get into designing and developing a game, do you have any advice?

Dose: On the music side, GAME JAMS. It’s the fastest way to sharpen your blade, make friends, and learn about not only how and why music/SFX make a game “more” but also to get a glimpse of all the other dynamic layers that go into game making! After that, it’s just a ballet of letting your creativity “loose” and honing your craft all at the same time!

Terri: Be consistent and patient. It can take time both for your style to grow and for others to take notice. Put work out there regularly, even if it seems to be throwing it into the void. Try to find a community. Work on projects that bring you joy – but stick with it during the tough bits.

Sludge Life was published by Devolver Digital and is now available on EPIC for free for one year. This game was reviewed on PC using code provided by the developer.