From creating small experimental games on the Playdate to developing a deeply personal puzzle story coming to Steam, Julie Bjørnskov represents a new wave of indie developers bringing intimate stories to life. Escape the Baby Alarm blends a unique hand-drawnstyle, surreal visual puzzles, and the emotional journey of becoming a parent.
In this interview, Jorge Fernández from Brave Zebra sits down with Julie to talk about her path into game development, how motherhood transformed her creative voice, the challenges of being a solo developer, and what players can expect from her upcoming title.
Chapters of the Interview:
- 0:00 – Welcome & Introducing Escape the Baby Alarm
- 1:02 – From Interactive Design to Indie Game Development
- 4:16 – Developing for Playdate and Building a Community
- 6:41 – Art Style, Visual Identity, and Inspirations
- 8:22 – Designing Without Traditional UI
- 10:52 – Puzzle Design, Boredom, and Everyday Inspiration
- 13:10 – Discipline, Focus, and Solo Development
- 16:05 – Sharing the Journey Through Devlogs
- 18:13 – Motherhood as the Core Theme of the Game
- 22:54 – Translating Emotions into Gameplay
- 28:48 – Funding and the Future of the Escape Series
- 31:20 – What Julie Wants Players to Feel
- 32:42 – Funny Development Stories and Family Inspiration
- 35:02 – Advice for Solo Developers Making Personal Games
- 37:04 – Where to Follow Julie & Closing
All the questions
Could you briefly introduce Escape the Baby Alarm?
Escape the Baby Alarm is a casual puzzle adventure about the chaotic, funny and strangely beautiful reality of becoming a parent. It mixes escape room style puzzles with a graphic novel approach to storytelling.
Everything is hand drawn and animated, which gives it a very personal feeling. The core idea behind the game is to take everyday situations that any parent recognizes and turn them into playful interactions that also reflect the emotional transformation that happens when a child enters your life.
You originally started making games on the Playdate. How did that transition lead to developing a bigger PC game?
Working on the Playdate was the perfect starting point for me. The community was small but incredibly supportive, and because there were not that many games available at the time, anything you released would immediately reach people. That helped me gain confidence as a creator. After releasing several small titles, I felt the need to work on something more ambitious, something that would allow me to express more of myself. Moving to PC gave me the space to explore deeper themes, larger puzzles, and a more polished narrative experience.
Your art style stands out as very graphic, surreal and expressive. What inspired this visual identity?
My style is influenced by many things. When I was younger I loved surrealist artists like Dalí. I was fascinated by how they combined dream logic with real life images. That same idea of blending internal emotions with external reality appears naturally in my work. I am also inspired by animation, especially the softness and organic feeling in Miyazaki’s films. Over time this mixture of influences evolved into a very flat, graphic and symbolic visual language that allows me to express emotions quickly and clearly.
Your visuals are very flat and stylized. How do you make interactions intuitive for players?
This has been one of the most challenging parts of the project. Since my art style does not use shadows or common interface elements like outlines or highlights, I needed to find other ways to guide the player. I use small movements, repeating shapes and consistent visual patterns to teach players what is interactive. The game gradually builds its own visual language. At first it may feel unfamiliar, but after a few puzzles most players start understanding what is clickable and how the logic works.
Where do your puzzle ideas come from?
Most of my ideas come from very simple everyday moments. Many puzzles were imagined at night while putting my children to sleep. Those quiet moments, when everything is dark and repetitive, give my mind the space it needs to wander. I often start by thinking of an emotion or a situation that parents deal with and then I ask myself how that could be expressed through interaction. Sometimes the puzzles are metaphoric, and sometimes they are much more literal, like sorting chaos or cleaning up a mess.
As a solo developer, how do you structure your work?
I have always run a one person studio, so I am very used to organizing my own schedule. I set clear goals and I push myself to reach them, a habit I learned while studying classical piano as a child. Being a parent has also made me much more disciplined. Every hour I spend working is an hour I am not spending with my children, so the work must feel meaningful. This forces me to prioritize ideas, avoid feature creep and stay focused on what truly matters for the game.
You share a lot of devlogs and behind the scenes content. What motivated that?
I made a promise to myself that if I started sharing devlogs, I would continue until I had posted at least one hundred updates. It was a way to hold myself accountable. Even though the videos do not always get many views, people around me now understand the amount of work that goes into a game. My family, friends and even other parents I meet know what I am building. It has been a helpful way to make the project feel visible and real.
Motherhood seems deeply connected to your game. How has it shaped your development journey?
Motherhood changed me completely. It was like starting over with a new identity. That transformation is difficult to explain with words, so making a game felt like the perfect medium to express it. Parents go through a huge emotional journey that includes fear, joy, confusion and pride, often all in the same day. Since there are not many mothers in game development, I felt I could offer a perspective that is not often represented. Creating this game is also a way to show my daughters that they can follow their own creative paths.
How do you translate emotional experiences into gameplay?
I try to mix metaphorical and literal moments.
For instance, there is a scene where you look into a mirror, tap it and it breaks. That represents breaking your old identity. After that you must collect pieces and rebuild yourself. Other puzzles are inspired by very familiar situations such as cleaning up after a baby or managing chaos.
By turning emotions into actions, players experience those feelings rather than simply reading about them.
Have you ever worried the game might be too personal?
Yes, and that is why humor has become essential to the tone of the game. The main concept of being trapped inside a baby monitor is intentionally absurd. It gives players permission to laugh and not take everything too seriously, even when the themes are emotional. Humor makes the experience lighter and keeps the game accessible to people who may not be parents themselves.
You recently received funding from the Danish Games Institute. What does that mean for the project?
Receiving this funding has been transformative. It allows me to dedicate the next nine months entirely to the development of the game and to bring in external help when needed. Without this support I would have had to split my time between freelance work and development, which would have slowed everything down significantly. Now I can focus on creating the best version of the game.
Do you see Escape the Baby Alarm as part of a larger series?
I do imagine more games in the series, although not all of them will be as personal as this one. Escape the Arcade and my earlier projects were more playful and abstract. With Escape the Baby Alarm I needed to explore something real and emotional. Once this game is finished, I will allow myself to move back into broader and more experimental ideas again.
What do you hope players feel when they play?
I hope players are drawn in by the art style and then discover a deeper emotional journey beneath it. My goal is for the experience to feel similar to watching a meaningful film, where you finish it feeling changed. Even though parenting can be stressful, the game itself is designed to be calm and reflective. There are no timers and no pressure, just puzzles that allow players to progress at their own pace.
Do you have a development anecdote you can share?
My children constantly influence the game. Whenever they become obsessed with something, it somehow finds its way into a puzzle. When they were fascinated by dinosaurs, dinosaurs appeared in the game. Some references are very hidden and only people who know my family would recognize them, which makes the game feel even more personal.
What advice would you give to other solo developers?
Know your strengths and build a project that matches your abilities. A game does not need to be enormous to be meaningful. Choose a topic that matters to you and let that drive your decisions. Players can feel when something comes from the heart. Being personal is not a limitation. It is often what makes indie games stand out.
