Chimera CUSTOM XG is another game we checked out at ENDIX, and it’s not exactly a subtle game, and that is a big part of its appeal. It is loud, chaotic, aggressive, and clearly built by a team that loves the feeling of throwing players into absolute carnage and then giving them even more ways to break things. Between the run-based structure, on-the-fly weapon modding, animal genetics, and four-player co-op, it is the sort of game that seems determined to keep piling systems on until the whole thing either sings or explodes.
That makes it a particularly interesting one to talk about now. With the Anunnaki update adding new pyramid biomes, bosses, permanent progression, and more ways to shape a run, Chimera CUSTOM XG feels like a game that is still actively defining itself in public. We caught up with Ollie, Creative Director on the project, to talk about building chaos with intent, making buildcrafting feel meaningful, and how a small team keeps something this unhinged from flying completely off the rails.
Chimera CUSTOM XG Early Access trailer
To kick things off, could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your role on Chimera CUSTOM XG and what being Creative Director means for you on a game like this?
Sure! My name is Ollie Witt, and I’m responsible for the game design, story, characters, and concept art for Chimera CUSTOM XG. It’s my job to make sure everything from the game’s mechanics to the music drive the players’ experience in a cohesive way.
Chimera CUSTOM XG has a huge amount of attitude straight away. It knows exactly how loud it wants to be. At what point did the team lock in that tone and decide this game needed to go all in on its own brand of chaos?
The tone was always pretty over the top but needed some time to develop into the tongue-in-cheek insanity you see currently. I think it wasn’t until we dropped our elements of metroid-vania and went full rogue-lite that it really started to shine, though. The first time we played the rogue-lite prototype, we all just kind of looked at each other and went…”oh hell yeah”. Then realised we accidentally spent the last few hours “testing”.
The pitch naturally brings to mind old-school run-and-gun shooters, but there is also a lot more system depth here than a simple nostalgia throwback. How did you balance that immediate arcade punch with the buildcrafting side that keeps players experimenting over time?
I will always have a soft spot for the games I grew up playing like Megaman, Contra, and Metal Slug. I also love RPGs where you can learn a game’s rules and then totally break them. Making new builds just scratches that itch, you know? But the depth also carries over to the controls themselves too. You have melee combos, slide kicks, aerials, two weapons, can ADS, and can dodge attacks with stamina. We wanted more nuance than the classic side-scrolling shooters from back in the day while retaining the pace.
Animal genetics is such a strong hook because it sounds ridiculous on paper, but in Chimera CUSTOM XG it becomes a core part of identity and playstyle. How did that idea first come about, and when did you realise it was more than just a fun bit of flavour?
This was one of the first ideas, like what if Earth’s defenders had mutated DNA that allowed them to harness Earth’s creatures! Then the abilities developed from there, and as the game grew, it always remained a core mechanic.
One of the things that stands out in Chimera CUSTOM XG is how much freedom players seem to have to become, frankly, an absolute nightmare. Weapon mods, augments, buffs, DNA choices, there is a lot going on. How do you design all of that so it feels empowering rather than overwhelming?
Yes! We throw a lot at the player haha. I think it’s important to gradually introduce new mechanics, buffs, augments, guns and mods at an even pace. It’s also really important to us that we are constantly rewarding the player too, but you have to survive long enough to see them all! With that said, the boss fights will force you to understand the game on a deeper level and act as a skill check.
Chaos is easy. Controlled chaos is much harder. What has been the biggest challenge in making Chimera CUSTOM XG feel wild and explosive without losing the sense that player choices actually matter?
We try to make all the enemy types pretty simple and almost predictable in a way, as well as have their own weaknesses tied to mechanics. Like, you know, a Reptoid shapeshifter can teleport-claw melee, but if you can dodge his attack, it leaves them wide open. A flying Tall Grey is weak to charge kicks and AOE, and the Heavy Drones can be stunned with your heavy weapons. So it’s kind of like your character has a whole toolkit and it’s up to you to know when to use what.
The Anunnaki update feels like a pretty major step, not just in terms of content, but in how the game is structured and understood. New pyramids, new bosses, permanent progression, UI changes, it sounds like more than a routine patch. Did this update represent a shift in how you think the game should work?
Not so much a difference in how we think about how it should work, but more of completing the vision. We always wanted to make a game with a ton of memorable boss fights and plan on adding even more! The permanent progression, and the game surrounding it, was finally at a place we felt comfortable introducing it.
Permanent progression can be a tricky thing in a run-based game, because it can make failure feel better but also risks softening the tension. What made now the right time to bring that into Chimera CUSTOM XG, and what did you want it to add to the experience?
We have a lot of content, and we want everyone to be able to get far enough to experience it all. As you get deeper into Chimera CUSTOM XG and start to figure out what you like to use and what to look out for, it’s important that we offer more opportunities for that to happen.
So the more you play and collect ‘Genome Bucks’, the less friction your start will have, and more options will open up to you mid-run. For example, you can unlock a bonus buff and an augment from the get-go, or you can spend your ‘Genome Bucks’ unlocking new augments that will start dropping mid-run.
Chimera CUSTOM XG also seems to have a real sense of momentum in how players shape a run, whether that is through genetics, weapon changes, or co-op synergy. When you are building systems like that, what matters more to you: raw power, surprising combinations, or letting players express a particular style?
All 3 are important for sure, but if I had to choose one, definitely surprising combinations. The feeling of choosing a new augment or getting a god-tier weapon that changes how you play is just too good. It can totally change up your plan mid-run and keep you on your toes. The possibilities here just multiply with more players doing their own thing or working together.
Four-player co-op can turn a good action game into complete beautiful nonsense if it is done right. How has designing for multiple players changed the way you think about difficulty, readability, and just how much madness the screen can handle at once?
Well, relying on adding more enemies is just too much chaos in this situation haha. We found that the right balance of a few more enemies and tweaking enemy stats feels right. Certain types of enemies and players’ abilities start to stand out differently compared to single player, and I think that’s a good thing.
Because the studio is relatively small, I imagine there is a constant push and pull between ambition and what is realistically achievable. Has being a tighter team helped Chimera CUSTOM XG stay sharp, or does it mostly mean finding smarter ways to survive your own ideas?
Scope creep is definitely a thing to watch out for. That being said, sometimes the best ideas are the wackiest. I think having a tight-knit and passionate team has helped us stay on track and quickly figure out which of these ideas are within our reach or worth pursuing
Volok talks openly about being zero crunch and fully remote, which is refreshing to hear in an industry that still too often treats burnout like a badge of honour. Has that studio culture shaped the way Chimera CUSTOM XG has been made in any noticeable way?
We believe that the number one priority for Chimera CUSTOM XG is that it is fun. I think that in order for the most amount of that to get transferred to the player, then the team making the game needs to be having fun. And it just so happens that we work really well remotely.
Early Access can be brilliant for a game like this, but it also means people are seeing it while it is still changing under your feet. What have players taught you so far that genuinely surprised you, either about the game itself or how people want to play it?
It’s been surprising how players approach the game so differently. There is such a wide variety of play styles and ways players go about problem-solving. Player feedback has also created some really cool moments! For example, enemy grenades were too hard to deal with, so not only did we make them more visible, but we added the ability to kick them back at the enemy. This shifted a defensive moment that interrupted gameplay into an opportunity to attack.
Chimera CUSTOM XG clearly loves being ridiculous, but there is also a conspiracy thread, shifting timelines, and a deeper mystery running through it all. How important is that layer of intrigue in giving the chaos something larger to push against?
I think it’s really important. You have to have something meaningful driving the game forward underneath the chaos. The story sets the tone and the relationship it has with the combat creates the absurd attitude. They feed off of each other.
Finally, when players jump into Chimera CUSTOM XG now, especially after the Anunnaki update, what do you most hope they come away thinking? Is it about the spectacle, the builds, the co-op, the weirdness of the world, or something else entirely?
I hope players have a ton of fun, make some crazy builds, and come away thinking there is a lot more depth here than meets the eye. We plan on adding a lot more soon!
A big thank you to Ollie for taking the time to speak with us about Chimera CUSTOM XG. This is clearly a game that takes pride in being big, brash, and a little bit unhinged, but the more you dig into it, the more you can see the systems and intent underneath all that noise. It is not just trying to overwhelm players. It is trying to give them more and more ways to create their own flavour of devastation.
That is what makes it interesting. Chimera CUSTOM XG has the energy to grab attention quickly, but updates like Anunnaki suggest there is also a real effort to deepen the experience and keep refining what the game can be. We will definitely be curious to see how much further Volok Games can push it from here.
You can get Chimera CUSTOM XG now, in Early Access on Steam. Want to see which other development teams we’ve been chatting to about their latest games? Head over to our interviews section.
