Dodrill is a self-trained illustrator and animator with a lifelong love of video games and appreciation for 2D art.

Dust wears its inspirations on its sleeve: Castlevania, Super Metroid, Ninja Gaiden and Dodrill's favorite games, Ys I & II. It's the quintessential pastiche — a combination of side-scrolling platforming and combat, with access to new areas gated by special items, all set against the backdrop of a grandiose story. Dodrill formulated a wish list from those seminal games.

"I wanted platforming. I wanted some sort of leveling-up system. I wanted some basic loot. And I knew I wanted a combat system that was a little more sophisticated," he said, adding that "larger-scale epics" fit his idea of a compelling tale. "I'm the guy who appreciates when a game shoots high, even if it makes others groan."

Dodrill had previously created the world in which Dust exists for his work-in-progress independent animated film, Elysian Tail, which he shelved once production on Dust ramped up. The film and the game share a beautiful, expressive, hand-drawn 2D art style, a look inspired by the work of Walt Disney Animation Studios and ex-Disney animator Don Bluth. (Dust's subtitle, "An Elysian Tail," is a reference to Bluth's 1986 film, An American Tail.) Bringing those visuals to life himself in a modern video game was, for Dodrill, one of the most appealing aspects of making Dust.

Dodrill had a dream, and a well-thought-out one at that, but he didn't know if he could realize his ambition. Aside from some cutscene production for Epic MegaGames' Jazz Jackrabbit 2, he had never done artwork for a video game, let alone made one, but he felt that his art background gave him a unique perspective on games.

"It was clear to me how the designers were achieving what was happening on screen," Dodrill said, "even if I didn't understand the code underneath."

Understanding the code was the next step.