Mayak announced at the Winter OTK Games Expo 2024 and immediately won the fan-voted Starforge Art Star Award for best art in the showcase. Solo developer Nikita Nikiforov (working as Nikita Nplus1) spent years creating a hard sci-fi visual novel where every frame is hand-painted using digital oil painting techniques that blend impressionism with noir aesthetics. The game puts you in the role of a young astronomer at a remote mountain observatory who receives a mysterious signal from a distant star – a sequence of prime numbers that decreases every few months like a countdown ticking toward zero.
Built entirely in Godot by one person, Mayak draws inspiration from classic hard science fiction writers including Stanislaw Lem, Robert Heinlein, Greg Egan, and the Strugatsky brothers. The narrative explores first contact, love, philosophy of life, and the race to save someone you care about before the countdown ends. The game features animated explanations of real scientific concepts like interstellar travel, star life cycles, and signal transmission alongside its operatic vocals, strings, saxophone, and warm analog synth soundtrack. The Steam page currently has over 4,200 wishlists ahead of the planned 2025 release.
The Prime Number Mystery That Changes Everything
You play as a young astronomer stationed at an isolated mountain observatory surrounded by snowy landscapes. Your job is decoding signals from space – routine work until you receive something that shouldn’t exist. A transmission from a distant star contains a sequence of prime numbers, those fundamental mathematical constants that exist independent of human culture or language. Prime numbers represent one of the few universal concepts any intelligent civilization would recognize.
But this sequence does something impossible – it decreases over time. Every few months the signal changes, counting down toward some unknown endpoint. What happens when it reaches zero? Is this a message, a warning, or something else entirely? The premise echoes Carl Sagan’s Contact where prime numbers served as humanity’s first proof of alien intelligence, but Mayak adds the countdown element that transforms mathematical curiosity into existential urgency.
Nikiforov won’t reveal plot details beyond this setup, emphasizing he wants players to discover the mystery themselves. But the hard sci-fi classification means the game takes science seriously rather than using it as window dressing for fantasy storytelling. Expect explanations grounded in physics, astronomy, and information theory rather than technobabble and magic masquerading as science.
The Hand-Painted Art That Won Best Art
Mayak’s distinctive visual style comes from digital oil painting applied frame-by-frame across the entire game. Nikiforov detailed his process in September 2025, explaining how he creates painterly visuals with per-frame chromatic aberration that mimics real optical distortion. The technique blends impressionist painting traditions with film noir aesthetics, creating a look that feels simultaneously classical and modern.
The oil painting approach creates texture and microdetail impossible to achieve with standard digital art techniques. Each brushstroke remains visible in the final game, giving scenes the tactile quality of physical paintings viewed up close. This differentiates Mayak from games using hand-painted backgrounds – everything is painted, from environments to UI elements to character animations. The commitment to the technique across every asset creates visual consistency that makes the art style feel cohesive rather than gimmicky.
Winning the Starforge Art Star Award at the OTK Games Expo validated years of work for Nikiforov. In his Reddit post celebrating the achievement, he emphasized that for a solo developer, fan-voted recognition feels surreal and provides encouragement to continue pursuing his vision. The award generates visibility that indie developers desperately need when competing against thousands of Steam releases for player attention.
The Godot Engine Choice
Nikiforov built Mayak entirely in Godot, the open-source game engine that’s gained massive indie developer adoption in recent years. The choice makes sense for visual novel-style games where Unity or Unreal Engine would be overkill. Godot’s 2D capabilities excel at side-scrolling games while remaining lightweight and accessible for solo developers without enterprise budgets.
The engine’s flexibility let Nikiforov implement his distinctive art style without fighting against tools designed for different visual approaches. He could import his painted frames and apply per-frame effects like chromatic aberration without complex workarounds. This technical compatibility between artistic vision and engine capabilities matters enormously for solo developers who can’t hire technical artists to bridge gaps between concept and implementation.
Godot’s open-source nature also eliminates licensing concerns that plague Unity and Unreal projects. Nikiforov owns his game completely without royalty obligations or runtime fees, making the financial model straightforward – he keeps all revenue after Steam’s 30% cut. For passion projects developed over years with uncertain commercial prospects, this risk reduction provides crucial peace of mind.
Hard Sci-Fi Inspirations That Matter
Mayak explicitly cites inspiration from Stanislaw Lem, Robert Heinlein, Greg Egan, and the Strugatsky brothers – authors who defined hard science fiction through rigorous attention to scientific plausibility. Lem’s Solaris explored first contact with truly alien intelligence that defies human comprehension. Heinlein pioneered hard sci-fi through technically accurate space travel depictions. Greg Egan pushes theoretical physics to extremes while maintaining mathematical rigor. The Strugatsky brothers blended Soviet-era philosophical inquiry with speculative science.
These influences suggest Mayak prioritizes ideas over action. Hard sci-fi emphasizes scientific concepts, philosophical implications, and human responses to encountering genuinely alien phenomena. The genre asks uncomfortable questions – what if aliens think so differently we can’t communicate? What if first contact reveals humanity’s insignificance? What sacrifices are justified to unlock alien knowledge? These thematic explorations define hard sci-fi more than spaceships and laser guns.
The countdown element adds tension to philosophical exploration. You’re not leisurely pondering alien mysteries – you’re racing against time to decode the signal before something catastrophic happens. This structure lets Nikiforov explore hard sci-fi ideas while maintaining narrative urgency that keeps players engaged rather than lecturing them about orbital mechanics.
The Visual Novel Stigma
Nikiforov acknowledges in his Reddit post that some players argue visual novels and walking simulators don’t qualify as “real games.” This gatekeeping frustrates developers creating narrative experiences that prioritize storytelling over mechanical complexity. Visual novels represent a legitimate game genre with passionate audiences, but they face constant dismissal from players who define “real games” narrowly around action, challenge, and fail states.
Mayak combines visual novel elements with side-scrolling exploration that Nikiforov describes as essentially a walking simulator with adventure game components. You explore environments, interact with objects, and progress through narrative beats rather than solving complex puzzles or engaging in combat. The focus remains squarely on story, atmosphere, and emotional experience rather than mechanical mastery or competitive challenge.
This design philosophy suits the hard sci-fi premise perfectly. Combat would distract from philosophical exploration and scientific concepts. Challenging puzzles would interrupt narrative flow and frustrate players more interested in story than brain teasers. The walking simulator approach lets players immerse themselves in the mystery at their own pace while experiencing the hand-painted environments and operatic soundtrack that define Mayak’s atmospheric presentation.
The Music That Completes The Vision
Nikiforov describes Mayak’s soundtrack as featuring operatic vocals, strings, saxophone, and warm analog synths. This eclectic mix creates soundscapes that feel simultaneously classical and electronic, matching the visual style that blends traditional oil painting with modern digital techniques. The operatic elements add gravitas appropriate for stories about humanity encountering alien intelligence and existential mysteries.
The saxophone inclusion stands out – it’s not a typical video game instrument. Saxophones carry noir associations from detective films and jazz clubs, reinforcing the game’s noir visual influences. Combined with analog synths providing electronic textures, the soundtrack creates an unusual sonic palette that differentiates Mayak from typical ambient sci-fi soundtracks or orchestral adventure game scores.
Music matters enormously for walking simulators and visual novels where atmospheric presentation drives engagement more than gameplay mechanics. Nikiforov clearly understands that the complete sensory experience – painted visuals, operatic soundtrack, narrative voice – must work together cohesively to create the emotional impact his philosophical story requires. The music isn’t background decoration but an integral component of how the game communicates themes and mood.
The Real Science Behind It
Mayak promises animated explanations of genuine scientific concepts including interstellar travel, star life cycles, signal transmission and decoding. This educational component distinguishes hard sci-fi from space fantasy that uses scientific-sounding language without caring about accuracy. Players will actually learn how these phenomena work rather than just experiencing them as plot devices.
Interstellar travel explanations likely cover the brutal realities – the immense distances, time dilation effects, energy requirements that dwarf human civilization’s total power output. Star life cycles encompass nuclear fusion, stellar evolution from main sequence through red giant phases, and eventual death as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. Signal transmission addresses why detecting alien communications is monumentally difficult given cosmic distances and background radiation.
These scientific explanations serve narrative purposes beyond just education. Understanding the challenges makes the achievement of receiving an alien signal feel appropriately momentous. Grasping the vast timescales and distances involved emphasizes humanity’s cosmic isolation and the profound implications of first contact. The science isn’t tangential – it’s fundamental to appreciating the story’s stakes and philosophical dimensions.
The Solo Dev Reality
Nikiforov has been working on Mayak for years as a solo developer, handling programming, art, music, and design single-handedly. This represents the dream and nightmare of indie game development – complete creative control combined with crushing workload that would normally distribute across specialized team members. Every decision, from broad narrative structure to individual brushstrokes, reflects one person’s vision executed through thousands of hours of labor.
The Reddit posts show Nikiforov actively engaging with players, explaining his artistic process, and soliciting feedback. This transparency builds community investment in the project while providing valuable insights that shape development. He’s learning that no amount of solo work matches community feedback for identifying what resonates and what needs improvement before launch.
The 4,200 wishlists represent meaningful interest, especially for a philosophical hard sci-fi visual novel from an unknown developer. These aren’t AAA numbers, but they suggest an audience exists for thoughtful narrative experiences that prioritize ideas over action. Whether those wishlists convert to sales determines if Nikiforov can continue making games or if Mayak remains a one-time passion project pursued after-hours while working another job.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Mayak release?
The Steam page lists “Coming Soon” with 2025 as the planned release year. No specific date announced yet. The developer is still actively working on development while building community through social media.
What platforms will Mayak support?
Confirmed for PC via Steam. The Godot engine supports multiple platforms, so Mac and Linux versions are technically feasible, but no announcements beyond PC have been made.
Who is Nikita Nikiforov?
A solo game developer working as Nikita Nplus1, creating Mayak as his first commercial game. He built the entire project alone over multiple years, handling art, programming, music, and design.
What is the gameplay like?
Combines visual novel storytelling with side-scrolling exploration, essentially a walking simulator with adventure game elements. Focus is on narrative, atmosphere, and philosophical themes rather than combat or complex puzzles.
What inspired Mayak?
Hard science fiction authors including Stanislaw Lem, Robert Heinlein, Greg Egan, and the Strugatsky brothers. The game emphasizes scientific accuracy and philosophical exploration of first contact with alien intelligence.
How is the art created?
Every frame is hand-painted using digital oil painting techniques. The developer applies per-frame chromatic aberration and impressionist/noir aesthetics to create a distinctive painterly look across all game assets.
What awards has Mayak won?
Won the fan-voted Starforge Art Star Award for best art at the Winter OTK Games Expo 2024/2025. This represents significant recognition for a solo developer’s first commercial project.
Is there a demo available?
No demo currently announced. The Steam page allows wishlisting to get notified when the game releases or if a demo becomes available during development.
Why This Matters For Indie Gaming
Mayak represents everything indie gaming should celebrate – a solo developer pursuing an ambitious artistic vision that AAA publishers would never fund. A hard sci-fi visual novel with hand-painted oil frames and operatic soundtracks exploring philosophical first contact doesn’t fit any focus-tested market demographic. It exists because one person cared enough to spend years creating it despite uncertain commercial prospects.
The fan-voted art award validates that audiences recognize and appreciate genuine artistic ambition. Players aren’t just looking for the next battle royale or Souls-like – there’s appetite for thoughtful narrative experiences that trust their intelligence. Mayak treating players as adults capable of engaging with complex scientific concepts and philosophical questions proves that games can be more than power fantasies and spectacle.
Nikiforov’s transparency about the solo development process provides encouragement for other developers quietly pursuing dream projects after hours. The recognition he’s received shows that quality work gets noticed eventually, even without marketing budgets or publisher backing. His willingness to share his artistic process and engage with community demonstrates how modern indie developers build audiences through authenticity rather than advertising spend.
Wishlist Mayak on Steam now to support a solo developer creating genuinely original hard sci-fi. Follow Nikita Nplus1 on social media for development updates and insights into the creative process. And when it releases in 2025, give it a chance even if visual novels aren’t usually your thing – this one earned attention by doing everything differently while caring deeply about scientific accuracy, philosophical depth, and artistic integrity. The gaming industry needs more developers willing to spend years hand-painting frames about prime numbers from space, and the only way we get them is by supporting the ones brave enough to try.