Some games aim for realism. Others lean into fantasy. Milo, the upcoming indie roguelike shooter by Spencer Sharp, doesn’t just lean, it dives headfirst into a twisted world of exploding rats, cream-fueled cults, and psychological horror. All of it is held together by tight gameplay and a surprisingly personal story.
Described by many early players as Call of Duty: Zombies on acid, Milo wears its weirdness proudly. But behind the madness lies something deeper. In a recent interview, Spencer opened up about the project’s evolution, one shaped by trauma, recovery, and his love for surreal, chaotic design.
From Addiction to Inspiration
“The bleak tone and setting of Milo really came from my own battles with depression and addiction,” Spencer said. “Over time, I also got really interested in personality disorders and how manipulation and ambient abuse affect the psyche.”
Those experiences directly informed the game’s most iconic feature: a cult that pressures you not toward sobriety, but toward chugging a strange, creamy beverage. “It just hit me — what if the cult wanted the opposite of recovery? That absurd idea unlocked a ton of dark and hilarious design possibilities,” he said.
At its core, Milo captures the tension and fun of early Call of Duty: Zombies, particularly World at War and Black Ops 1. But it adds modern roguelike and sandbox mechanics on top. Players can unlock rat companions that scavenge enemy corpses, absorbing bizarre effects like explosive detonations, lingering poison clouds, or bonus ammo. It’s gross, smart, and surprisingly tactical.
The Name Behind the Madness
The game’s name has its own strange journey. Originally, Spencer was working on a 3D model of an airship from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, specifically the English dub’s version called “Milo.” That personal project brought him into Unreal Engine. Over time, the prototype evolved into a full game, and the name stuck. In its current form, Milo is the game’s antagonist, the mysterious figure behind the player’s grim circumstances.
Every run in Milo plays differently, thanks to layers of randomness and skill-based modifiers. “What bodies drop, how you perform in mini-games like basketball, what you roll from the cream machine — all of that shapes your path,” Spencer explained. “We’ve only scratched the surface of that variability. Much more is coming.”
Though co-op is part of the plan, Milo is designed with solo players in mind. “I pretty much play everything solo,” Spencer said. “So I made sure Milo is totally playable alone. Just expect a steeper challenge.”
A World Inspired by War and Dystopia
The game’s grimy, surreal vibe draws from a long list of influences. Akira, Saving Private Ryan, The Road, Schindler’s List, Metal Slug, Resident Evil, and even Day of Defeat all left their mark. These influences blend into a visual tone that’s both oppressive and captivating, a perfect match for the game’s narrative undertones.
Community feedback is already shaping the game. Spencer pointed to one moment in development when a player suggested that failing a mini-game, where you’re supposed to only shoot marked cultists, should trigger a massive enemy swarm. “That change turned a repetitive mechanic into a moment of real panic. It was brilliant,” he said.
As for what’s next? “Imagine something like the Ray Gun from Call of Duty, but it fires creamy liquid,” Spencer teased. “That, and a bunch of new weapons, environments, and major performance improvements are all in the pipeline.”
Milo might be absurd. It might even be grotesque. But behind its chaos lies a rare kind of clarity. It’s a game that embraces the weird, the personal, and the painful, then turns it into something unforgettable.
