Ayasa: Shadows of Silence Interview: “It’s About the Hope or the Hopeless”

Ayasa: Shadows of Silence is an upcoming platforming-puzzler from the team at Aya Games that promises a rich atmosphere, otherworldly monsters, and inspirations that range from Tim Burton to Hayao Miyazaki.

Ahead of the game’s scheduled release on November 24, 2025, I sat down for a chat with Melanie T. and Edgar Janoyan from Aya Games to discuss everything from the game’s ethereal design to the symbolism etched into every pixel.

Music, Monsters, And Mesmerizing Melancholy

I dipped into the Ayasa: Shadows of Silence demo before the interview and was impressed with the scale that it promised. Making a game is no easy feat, particularly one with such an otherworldly feel to it, and the Aya Games team offered a peek behind the curtain.

I was curious what the journey had been like working on Ayasa: Shadows of Silence, and Melanie shared that it’d been challenging, saying that the team had learned a lot during their time working on the game, figuring out how all the parts interconnected.

Edgar noted that mixing philosophical inspirations with gameplay mechanics could be tricky, saying, “It’s hard to mix them all.”

“Nowadays, there’s too much information everywhere,” he added, saying it was tough to convey “terabytes of information” to players without relying too heavily on dialogue, but that they tried to make it easier.

Something that stood out with my time in the Ayasa demo was how well-designed the soundscape felt, and the lack of dialogue was apparent, too, so I pressed further into this topic, asking how they decided on making it such a music-forward game.

“It’s not only the music…each land has its quote,” Edgar pointed out, saying that there was a particular quote tied to each land within Ayasa: Shadows of Silence, continuing, “we try to show with that quote what the land is about… It’s about the hope or the hopeless, or it’s like faith or betrayal.”

Melanie continued, “We want players to feel the emotion when they’re going through each land, like they’re in a dream, not like playing a level.”

The dreamy, otherworldly vibe is apparent when exploring Ayasa’s demo, and I wondered where the team had drawn their inspirations from, noting some familiar names like Tim Burton in the game’s official Steam description.

Edgar revealed that René Laloux – animator, screenwriter, and director – was the main inspiration for him, thanks to the philosophical nature of his worlds and the sheer effort that went into his work.

“And then, of course, Hayao Miyazaki for his tales,” he added, “…and Tim Burton, the darkness – he’s the king in that. The cartoon, the darkness, and the melancholic things, you know, he’s great.”

Melanie shared further details about the music of Ayasa: Shadows of Silence to complement this, encouraging folks to look up the composer Komitas to enjoy his work. The music is absolutely a highlight of the demo, so I’d second this suggestion.

“He describes tragedy and beauty at the same time,” she mused, “So this is a masterpiece, we think, [which is] why we want to include it in our game.”

With the release date approaching this month, I wondered what the pair were most excited to see fan reactions to and how they hoped players might feel when stepping into the world of Ayasa: Shadows of Silence for the first time.

“I want players to experience what we experienced,” Melanie shared, saying that she hoped the experience would resonate with people in the real world outside of the game, too.

With regards to how players might feel when playing the game for the first time, Edgar hoped that players would enjoy the combination of beautiful visuals and interesting mechanics. He noted that players might feel a little relaxed, then afraid that something bad might happen, but that they should always believe in themselves.

Based on my time with the Aya Games team, it’s clear that a lot of love has gone into the process of making Ayasa: Shadows of Silence, making it one to watch in this busy year of releases, particularly for fans of darker, more atmospheric titles. Ayasa: Shadows of Silence is slated for release on November 24, 2025, with a demo available on Steam.

References

1. Ayasa: Shadows of Silence (Steam)