Hello everyone!
We're the team behind Joey's Nightmare II, and today we'd like to share some exciting news:
Joey's Nightmare II will launch in Steam Early Access on July 14.
This also feels like the perfect opportunity to tell you the story behind Joey.
This is probably the question we get asked the most.
The truth is, we all have full-time jobs. We make games after work, on weekends, and whenever we can find a little free time.
Two years ago, we entered a small game jam with a side-scrolling platformer called Joey's Nightmare.
It was about Joey escaping his nightmares.
The game was brutally difficult. Players had to run, jump, and solve mechanics that required both hands working together. During the finals, the room was filled with the sound of keyboards being hammered like pianos.
People were sweating.
People were raging.
People kept trying "just one more run."
In the end...
We finished 4th, only one place away from the top three.
Players had two pieces of feedback:
"This game is way too hard."
And...
"The art... needs help."
They were absolutely right.
At the time, we didn't even have an artist. Every sprite was created pixel by pixel in Photoshop by a programmer who couldn't draw.
The following year, we decided to take everything in the opposite direction.
Instead of making a game that required incredible reflexes...
We wanted to make one that anyone could enjoy with a single mouse.
Our two lead creators—both algorithm engineers and huge fans of deckbuilding games—started building a roguelike card game.
(Inside the team we jokingly call them "Hidetaka Miyazaki" and "Hideo Kojima"... with slightly different names.)
Then an artist joined us—someone who had just fallen in love with Adventure Time and couldn't stop drawing, along with a talented programmer.
We kept the name Joey's Nightmare, added the II, entered another competition...
And this time, we won.
（This was our original 48-hour prototype. The UI was minimal, but the core gameplay was strong enough to win over the judges.）
（In later versions, we rebuilt the entire scene. Joey's bedroom became the game's hub: click the pillow to enter the dream world, turn on the TV to browse every card, and explore the bookshelf to learn the story behind each nightmare creature.）
Making indie games has always been a dream for many of us.
Maybe it started back in elementary school, secretly playing Solitaire and Spider Solitaire during computer class.
Back then we couldn't understand why a few cards and a handful of rules could keep us playing over and over again.
Years later, after playing countless deckbuilders, that feeling never disappeared.
We simply wanted to create the kind of game we would happily play ourselves.
That's why Joey is filled with things we genuinely love.
Today the game features three playable classes:
Ninja
Warrior
Mage
Each one reflects the interests of the people who designed them.
The Ninja was designed by our Soulslike fan.
The Mage was inspired by classic Chinese fantasy RPGs.
Even many of the monsters come from people around us.
The bald chicken wearing glasses...
The sarcastic Yin-Yang Chicken...
The bearded rock-and-roll donkey...
Many of them are based on friends, coworkers, and funny moments from everyday life.
Even some relics are inspired by things we do together—like playing badminton after work.
That's why many players have told us that despite being about nightmares, Joey's Nightmare II somehow feels warm.
Because it was built with love.
The core game is finished.
But we believe Joey still has plenty of room to grow.
During Early Access we'll continue improving balance, polish, and gameplay based on your feedback, while expanding the game with:
More cards
More classes
More mechanics
More dream worlds
The best ideas often come from players.
Real feedback always reveals things we never noticed ourselves.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, we'll be reading everything on:
Steam Discussions
Discord
QQ Community
Xiaohongshu
Whether it's a bug, a balance suggestion, a crazy combo, or simply something that made you laugh—we'd love to hear it.
To everyone who has followed Joey's journey...
Thank you.
We hope that one day Joey's Nightmare II won't just be remembered as a tiny indie project made by three friends after work.
We hope it becomes a game that players recommend to one another, return to again and again, and remember with a smile.
We'll keep making Joey's dreams a little stranger, a little warmer, and a lot more fun.
See you in the dream world on July 14. ❤️