Five Years of Solo Development – Interview with Fountains Creator John Pywell

John Pywell, a computer science graduate from Canada, spent much of his free time outside of his full-time job building FOUNTAINS. His primary motivation was to capture the sense of mystery found in Dark Souls—a feeling of discovering secrets that feel uniquely yours. In FOUNTAINS, players are not guided by explicit instructions, but must rely on exploration to uncover the lore and their objectives.

The gameplay mechanics are a blend of distinct influences. The exploration follows the Metroidvania structure, featuring a seamless, interconnected world where new skills unlock previously inaccessible areas. Regarding combat, Pywell admits to being inspired by Hollow Knight—specifically, the mechanic of regaining magic resources by hitting enemies was borrowed from that title.

The development process presented unique challenges, particularly in mastering pixel art. Pywell noted that because he had a background in programming rather than art, many early animations in the game still appear somewhat "stiff" due to the simplified methods used during the initial stages of development. Visually, the game is composed entirely of 2D sprites; 3D modeling was only used as a tool to help visualize perspective for certain elements.

The game is built using the Godot engine. Pywell chose this open-source engine because he believes it is the best all-around tool for 2D games. The soundtrack was composed entirely by Travis Moberg, whose work Pywell credits with perfectly capturing the game's eerie and tense atmosphere.

While Pywell initially imagined only his friends would play the game, FOUNTAINS has achieved unexpected popularity, even reaching players in Japan. The game and its DLC are available now on XBOX.