Heaven Dust: Interview with Jack Zhou

As I mentioned in my review of Heaven Dust; I was lucky enough to be able to speak to the lead game designer Jack Zhou himself. Reaching out to him via email, he was both friendly to speak to and very informative.

   Jack Zhou worked independently on Heaven Dust in his personal time, with only one other co-worker Garden Guo. Focusing on the primary concept of Heaven Dust (that of a love letter to the Resident Evil franchise), Jack Zhou was open to talk about the development behind Heaven Dust, some tips for players, and any upcoming projects.

Heaven Dust Review: A Charming Love letter

Heaven Dust

Heaven Dust Menu Image

Heaven Dust is an indie title developed and produced by a tiny team of only two people. Self-described as a `Love Letter` to the classic survival horror titles of the '90s, Heaven Dust aims to re-capture the puzzle and atmospheric style of the original Resident Evil titles.

   This top-down isometric puzzle game demonstrates exactly how much video-games can inspire differentiation on classic genres. Heaven Dust works hard to give players an experience that feels both familiar and new at the same time. Released on the Nintendo Store for the Switch on the 27th of February, Heaven Dust is one of the cheaper variations of the nostalgia hype currently found in the Survival Horror genre.

   How does it play? Heaven Dust has simple controls; the left stick to move, R to aim, and B to open the oh so nostalgic status menu. The simplicity of the design complements the art style and provides the player with a smooth experience. Playing both docked and handheld, Heaven Dust plays without any framerate issues - and surprisingly low amount of bugs and glitches for a two-man team. The primary aim of Heaven Dust is for players to explore the Mansion/Laboratory setting in search of files, clues, and key items - trying to both put an end to the Zombie outbreak and escape alive.