This Thursday’s Community Breakfast at Republikken took us on a pixelated ride back to 1980s Yugoslavia with Szrot. At the wheel? Gustaw – game developer, storyteller, and absolute one-man creative army.
A Game With a Soul
Gustaw is building something rare: a “caRPG” , a car-based role-playing game where you don’t just race, you talk, explore, and get wrapped up in the daily lives of people in a long-gone country. The setting? A detailed recreation of Yugoslavia’s streets, architecture, and spirit.
Inspired by RPG classics, Japanese racing games, and Polish fantasy novels. Gustaw’s game offers players a slow-burn story filled with charm, politics, and soup deliveries. Yes, there’s a mission where you bring hot soup from a grandmother to a sick grandchild”. And you better be fast.
Doing It All Himself
After years of freelance work and a reset in Norway. Gustaw returned to Copenhagen and committed to his project full-time. Now he spends 7–9 hours a day building his game from scratch code, music, dialogue, 3D models, lighting (well, hand-painted shadows), and all.
It’s a passion project in every sense. The cars are based on real models. The city is drawn from memory and research trips. Even the art style is intentional low-res textures, limited color palettes, and no fancy lighting tricks. It looks like a PS1 game on purpose. And somehow, it feels even more alive that way.
What’s Next?
Gustaw is aiming to create an internal demo by December and dreams of publishing with a studio in Poland, where his game already has a growing fanbase. Until then, he’s working from Republikken, grateful not to be stuck in a solo coding cave.
Curious about storytelling, Slavic nostalgia, or cars that talk back? Gustav’s the one to find in palmefløjen. Just don’t race him—unless you like losing.