As some of you might remember, not so long ago we wrote about the Warszawa-based (Poland) indie games studio Movie Games Lunarium (the makers of “Lust for Darkness“) and their upcoming erotic first-person psychological horror game “Lust from Beyond”? (don’t miss out on “Lust from Beyond: Scarlet”! which is the free prologue for “Lust from Beyond”).

I mean, sure. I don’t know about you, but at least I’m very impressed by what I’ve seen so far from the “Lust from Beyond” project. That’s also why I simply couldn’t stop myself from reach out to Movie Games Lunarium for an interview.

Well, guess what? Movie Games Lunarium accepted our interview request! So, long story short. I got a chance to sit down with Michał Ciastoń (head of studio, producer, and game designer of Movie Games Lunarium) and we ended up talking about everything from “Lust from Beyond“, “Lust from Beyond: Scarlet“, lewd game development, horror, to Ciastoń’s thoughts on censorship and Movie Games Lunarium’s plans for the future.

So with that said, please enjoy our “Lust from Beyond” interview with Michał Ciastoń =)

lust from beyond michał ciaston

Say hello to Mr. Michał Ciastoń, studio head, producer, and game designer of Movie Games Lunarium.

Robin TGG
Straight out of the gates, thank you so much for taking your time to do this interview with us =) And with that said, please go right ahead and introduce yourself to our readers.

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
My pleasure. 😉 I’m Michał Ciastoń, head of studio, producer, and game designer of Movie Games Lunarium. My role, however, is not only managing and invention – I take an active part in the production, creating levels, writing texts, etc.

lust from beyond movie games lunarium

A very nice group photo of the Movie Games Lunarium development team.

Robin TGG
Could you perhaps tell us a bit about how the Movie Games Lunarium studio came to be? (when, where, why, and how)

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
Movie Games Lunarium as it is today was established in 2017. Then the core of the current team was united and we decided to join forces with the publisher Movie Games, who provided the necessary financial support. At the same time, we were given full artistic freedom, which is probably apparent in our productions.

lust from beyond a very sexy woman

“Lust from Beyond” might just be the most ambitious and impressive erotic first-person psychological horror game project that I’ve ever seen and heard of.

Robin TGG
At what point in time did you decide that you wanted to make erotic horror games and why? And is this something that you’ve always wanted to do?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
Erotic horror was not a goal in itself, but the creation of a horror – was. I’ve always been a fan of the genre, both when it comes to games and other branches of pop culture.

When creating my own production, I didn’t want to serve the players the same rehashed thing they’ve already seen many times before. The combination of horror and eroticism turned out to be an interesting approach.

lust from beyond a very big and angry sea monster

“Lust from Beyond” mixes psychological horror with elements of survival horror, and that part alone got me very interested in the game since I like horror games such as “Silent Hill” and “The Thing”.

Robin TGG
And that also brings me to the following follow-up question on the same subject. Well, since you just happen to be developing an upcoming erotic horror game called ”Lust from Beyond”, perhaps you could tell us a bit more about what it is that makes the game tick?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
Lust from Beyond is a psychological horror with elements of survival. The game takes place in a diverse setting: from a Victorian mansion, through the city of Bleakmoor, to another dimension – the Land of Ecstasy.

We play the role of an antiquarian Victor Holloway, who is haunted by visions of the aforementioned land. To solve his problem, he goes to Bleakmoor, where his paths intersect with two feuding sects – the Cult of Ecstasy and Scarlet Lodge.

However, you can learn the most about the game…By playing free introductions that show its various aspects. “Lust from Beyond: Prologue” (available now) and “Lust from Beyond: Scarlet” (available on October 15) are stand-alone stories that, apart from providing horror-erotic experiences, are also an ideal way to get to know our universe.

Each of these introductions takes about an hour to complete. Both have unique plots, so the player will not experience spoilers for the full version of the game, and his experience will even be enriched.

lust from beyond its time for some monster lovin

The story behind how “Lust from Beyond” went from an idea to actual full-blown game production is (in my opinion) just as interesting as the game itself.

Robin TGG
How did you even come up with the game idea for ”Lust from Beyond” in the first place? I mean, there isn’t all that many video games on the market that mixes horror with erotic content (”Agony” is one of the very few games that fall into that category).

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
As I mentioned before, I was looking for something new in the horror genre. And I found it…Leading an RPG session as a game master. I created a being that committed macabre deeds, crossing any barriers of taste, often touching the sexual sphere.

Then I sensed “it” – something that on one-hand created a cringy vibe during the session, but on the other hand, it greatly supported the feeling of anxiety.

Long after that, I explored this theme. When I watched the movie “Eyes Wide Shut”, I felt exactly the tones I wanted. However, it was supposed to be just one of the inspirations, so I added everything I love – the art of Lovecraft, Giger, and Beksiński. This is how our universe was created.

lust from beyond a handful of nude babes

Yes, you guessed it. ”Lust from Beyond” is a 18+ adults-only title. So, yes, there will be a whole lot of violence, sex, and nudity in the full version of the game. So if that’s not your cup of tea, then this is not the game for you. Especially not since the game is going to be 100% uncensored on release.

Robin TGG
Just out of pure curiosity, how erotic, violent, and scary will the full version of ”Lust from Beyond” be exactly? And will the game be uncensored on release?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
The game is labeled Adult Only and will be released on Steam uncensored. Eroticism, brutality, and fear are inherent elements of this world and there will be quite a lot of them.

However, we try not to overdo it, taking care of appropriate pacing. Such elements work well only if there is an appropriate dose of calm moments between them. You can check what it looks like in practice by playing our introductory games.

lust from beyond giger and hp lovecraft

You can really tell that “Lust from Beyond” has been heavily inspired by H.R. Giger’s art, H.P. Lovecraft’s books, and video games such as “Bioshock”, “Silent Hill” and “Dark Seed”.

Robin TGG
From what I understand, ”Lust from Beyond” has been inspired by everything from Giger’s creations to H.P. Lovecraft? Well, are there any other sources of inspiration that you could mention? Me, I get quite a lot of ”Dark Seed”, ”Silent Hill”, ”Bioshock” and ”Aliens” vibes from the game).

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
I think this is accurate. A lot of people catch the reference to Slaanesh from the Warhammer universe, which is also correct. Another important inspiration was the works of Zdzisław Beksiński, a Polish painter who I consider to be a visionary.

lust from-beyond a lot of naked people

”Lust from Beyond” became a huge success story on Kickstarter since Movie Games Lunarium managed to get the game fully funded in just 10-hours time from the moment that the LFB Kickstarter campaign was launched (3,017 backers pledged over 90,000 CA$ in total).

Robin TGG
I just learned that ”Lust from Beyond” managed to get fully funded via Kickstarter in just 10-hours from its Kickstarter launch. Well, did you ever in your wildest dreams expect that ”Lust from Beyond” would become such a big Kickstarter success? And what thoughts went through your heads once you realized that your game has already been fully-funded in such a short period of time?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
This result is absolutely above expectations. Especially because trust in game developers is declining when it comes to crowdfunding campaigns. The number of empty promises scared the players, and probably rightly so.

It is worth mentioning, however, that the amount collected on Kickstarter allowed us to simply finish the game and supplement it with additional content. The full budget is much larger than the one collected.

The campaign was a great experience, but it also made us aware of a lot of responsibility. We focus on not disappointing players’ expectations. I think we are on the right track.

lust from beyond scarlet

“Lust from Beyond: Scarlet” is a free and spoiler-free prologue for LFB that’s now available for PC via Steam (the prologue works as an introduction to the LFB universe, in other words, the main idea behind the prologue is to give the players a taste of what’s to come and what LFB is all about).

Robin TGG
Not so long ago you released a free prologue for ”Lust from Beyond”, so, what has the response and feedback been from the players so far?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
Magnificent! The published prologue significantly influenced the popularity of the main title. The players were satisfied and we addressed some of the collected comments in the full game.

I think such a move is a great test of community perception of the game, and the sooner it is made, the more the full game can benefit.

lust from beyond a very dead female

If you like horror, lewd content, action, and adventure, then “Lust from Beyond” might just be the game for you.

Robin TGG
Could you perhaps give us some reasons why players should be excited about the upcoming release of ”Lust from Beyond”? And do you have a brief idea of how many hours the full release of the game will offer?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
I think that if someone gets the previously mentioned themes and inspirations, this is a good reason to play. I believe immodestly that apart from it, Lust from Beyond will be simply a good adventure, offering a full range of emotions, often extreme. And I guess that’s what it’s all about.

Unfortunately, I can’t give you the full playtime, because it’s a matter that is still worked on. However, I think the players will be pleased.

lust from beyond a very ugly monster

Well, “Lust from Beyond” is a horror game after all, so of course, there will be different kinds of monsters, demons, and whatnot in the game. Such as that ugly bastard (not you!) in this picture for example.

Robin TGG
What could you tell us about the gameplay itself? Because based on what I’ve seen from the game so far (and it’s Prologue) ”Lust from Beyond” seems to be a mix of both adventure, puzzle, action, horror, and sexual elements.

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
It’s a very good take on what the gameplay is going to be, and honestly, I couldn’t put it any better. 🙂

lust from beyond love is in the air

Sex and erotic content is very much an essential and important part of the “Lust from Beyond” universe. So, yes, there will be quite a lot of sexy time moments in the final version of LFB.

Robin TGG
Speaking of sex, how much of an impact/role will the game’s sexual content play as a whole? For example, will there be alternative endings based on your sexual actions in the game?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
Sex is an essential part of this production and part of the world represented. So this means that you can expect many scenes of this kind to occur in different contexts.

The important thing is that their presence is not only intended to satisfy the player’s fantasy. You see, this is a kind of psychological play in which we show likable images, but gradually we introduce new elements that can go far beyond the area of comfort.

As for the sex scenes in the context of alternative endings, unfortunately, I can’t say anything at the moment. I don’t want to promise something that may not appear in the game. Better to be nicely surprised than to be disappointed.

lust from beyond a very creepy crowd

You sure get a lot of “Eyes wide shut” vibes from “Lust from Beyond” (for more than one reason).

Robin TGG
What are your own expectations, hopes, and goals for ”Lust from Beyond”? What do you hope to achieve with the game? And are you happy with what you’ve been able to do with the game so far?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
After finishing the game, I would like the player to feel that he simply played a good production. We do everything to make it a worthwhile in every aspect. From the plot, the visuals and sound, to gameplay.

A lot of players have already noticed it, which can be seen in our great community on Discord, where, for example, there are constant discussions about the game’s lore.

We’re happy with what we’ve done so far and polished the game to give our fans the best experience we can.

lust from beyond a game of life and death

Sadly enough, “Lust from Beyond” was NOT released on PC on September 24th, 2020 as planned, instead LFB is said to be released sometime in the near future (in other words, in 2021 some time).

Robin TGG
Is it really correct that ”Lust from beyond” is coming to PC on September 24th this year? If so, do you think that there’s a slim chance that we could also get to see a console release sometime in the future?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
I think we already know that this deadline has not been met. 🙂 Lust from Beyond is an ambitious production and we need a little more time for it. As for the consoles – we definitely want to do it, but at the moment we are focusing fully on the PC version.

lust from beyond female boobs

Just like me, Movie Games Lunarium is not a big fan of censorship and cancel culture. This is also one of the reasons behind why “Lust from Beyond” will be 100% uncensored on release (yay!).

Robin TGG
What are your thoughts on censorship and cancel culture in the games industry? And what do you think that we could do about it? (gamers, publishers, and game developers)

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
I am not a fan of these types of restrictions, which is probably not surprising. In my opinion, openness to all kinds of experiences and curiosity about the world is a sign of maturity.

Censoring the production is an attack on artistic freedom and a way to support an image of reality where brutal murder is okay, but a woman’s nipple is not.

This is due to the business decisions of specific platforms. Our money is a deciding factor, so if we want to change it, we have to use it to vote for creators going against the tide. Express our aversion to any signs of censorship.

I don’t want it to sound like I’m using this argument as an incentive to buy our production, but that’s just how it is. Games are expensive to produce, so money is an element that shouldn’t be taken lightly if you don’t want to end up broke.

The players decide and ultimately choose what becomes part of the gaming landscape.

lust from beyond some creepy dude

Movie Games Lunarium got a lot of planes, hopes, and expectations for the future. However, their main focus right now is to make “Lust from Beyond” as perfect and fun to play as possible (I wish them the best of luck with everything!).

Robin TGG
Now, as for my very last question to you. What are your plans, hopes, and expectations for the rest of the year? And is there anything else that you would like to say to our readers?

Michał (Movie Games Lunarium)
Me and my team want to bring Lust from Beyond as close as possible to perfection and, well, breathe deeply, enjoying each of the days ahead. I don’t plan my time months ahead, I value flexibility. In covid times, all plans can be thwarted, so the ability to adjust seems to be extremely valuable now.

Other than that, I’m glad that this situation does not seem to have a negative impact on the gaming industry. This flexibility is something that I would like to wish you and your readers. It may be useful.

tgg author avatar robin ek
Robin “V-Act” Ek
Editor in chief
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround

More by Robin Ek:

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Nutaku booty calls 728px 90px banner
Nutaku celebrate hentai
´
0 Comments ON " Lust from Beyond interview with Movie Games Lunari... "

TGG categories

Advertising spot

Help us stay alive

Patreon logo

Paypal

Patreon logo

Join our server on Discord

Discord

Advertising spot

nutaku booty calls 160 x 600 px banner
 
Simply dot com 160 x 600 px banner

Advertisement

 

 

nutaku booty calls 160 x 600 px banner

Recent posts

The rhythm VR shooter "Metal: Hellsinger VR" is coming to PCVR and PSVR2 in 2024

The rhythm VR shooter "Metal: Hellsinger VR" is coming to PCVR and PSVR2 in 2024

Press release: Oslo, Norway – March 27, 2024. Funcom are today very happy and  thrilled to announce [...]
The brutally intense action-roguelike “OTXO” is now available for consoles

The brutally intense action-roguelike “OTXO” is now available for consoles

Press release: London, UK / Massachusetts, USA - 28 March, 2024. The London-based (the UK) indie gam[...]
The action-packed 2D adventure “Pepper Grinder" is now available for PC and the Nintendo Switch

The action-packed 2D adventure “Pepper Grinder" is now available for PC and the Nintendo Switch

Press release: March 28th, 2024. The Austin-based (Texas, the US) indie games publisher Devolver Dig[...]
The thrilling underwater adventure "STASIS: BONE TOTEM" is now available for consoles

The thrilling underwater adventure "STASIS: BONE TOTEM" is now available for consoles

Press release: MARCH 28TH, CRACOW, POLAND Dive into the thrilling underwater adventure with Charlie,[...]
The roguelike resource management game “Undead Inc.” is coming to PC on May 2nd, 2024

The roguelike resource management game “Undead Inc.” is coming to PC on May 2nd, 2024

Press release: Thursday, 28th March 2024. Rightsized Games and Team17 Digital have today announced r[...]
"Corpse Party II: Darkness Distortion" is coming to PC and consoles this Autumn (2024)

"Corpse Party II: Darkness Distortion" is coming to PC and consoles this Autumn (2024)

Press release: LONDON, UK — 28th March 2024. Marvelous Europe today joined acclaimed Japanese develo[...]

Our sponsors

Kinguin
Booty calls via Nutaku
TGG v2.4 © 2014 - 2023 *The Gaming Ground* all rights reserved
twitch icon youtube icon google plus icon twitter icon facebook icon rss icon
alexa
Privacy policy
TGG ethics policies