About Axial Escape

Axial Escape is a game developer who believes games should be equal parts profound and entertaining.

Axial Escape is also just me, Taylor (for now, at least)! With the help of some truly amazing contractors, I’m slowly but surely making my vision come to life. This is the first project I’ve ever developed and I decided I wanted to swing for the fences. To me it is clear as day that I never took any formal game design courses or really listened to any reasonable advice on what to do for a debut project. I don’t imagine any industry professional advising a greenhorn developer to spend half a decade making a game with an invalidated core concept, huge script, needlessly detailed NPC stories, and old-school turn-based combat. But, here we are! I don’t regret any of it. I love pushing myself to go for the gold and simply making something that I myself decided to make. If anything, I relish the opportunity to go against the grain a little bit. I’m a firm believer that on this planet, you should try your hardest to make an impact, or you shouldn’t try at all. I have the upmost respect and admiration for artists and creators who push to make their craft as enjoyable and meaningful as possible, both for themselves and for the lucky consumers who get to experience their work. Games and art (also loved ones, rock climbing, and food) are the reasons I roll myself out of bed in the morning.

I also want games to be fun because…who cares? Life is silly and absurd so we need levity and humor to navigate it. It’s that sweet, sweet balance of profundity and pure entertainment that I love in my favorite games, movies, anime, etc. If everything is grim, serious, and gritty all the time then nothing is, and all the authenticity is lost. A story-focused experience needs lightheartedness and maturity in equal measure; they exist to complement each other. You just can’t underestimate the power of well placed dick joke after all. Plus, games have the unique opportunity to make experiences that the world has never seen before. Video games haven’t even existed for a century yet, so let’s see what’s possible with these newfangled things. There’s so much exploration and learning we can still do in the realm of interactive entertainment. I’m optimistic about the future of games because of the indie developers and handful of big passionate studios that keep pushing the medium forward and making objectively cool experiences. I personally love RPGs, both western and eastern, for their balance of epic narratives, character building game mechanics, luscious art, and music. Good God the music. You composers and musicians don’t have to go that hard ya know? Not that I’m complaining of course.

A game should be fun, otherwise nobody will play it. A game should also be meaningful, otherwise nobody will remember it. At least, that’s what I believe.