We got a chance to talk with Joel Heath a member of Ash Born Interactive who are working on A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals, a story-driven JRPG built in RPG Maker MZ that blends anime-inspired storytelling, deep worldbuilding, and systems designed to support narrative and character growth.
Q) What inspired you to create A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals?
A) I’m a huge anime fan, particularly series that mix action, supernatural elements, and meaningful character development. A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals grew out of wanting to tell a story that feels like those worlds—high stakes, personal growth, and learning who you are under pressure.
Q) Were there any design choices that you knew you had to make to support storytelling and character development?
A) I knew the game needed to feel like an anime in how it tells its story. That influenced everything from character arcs and dialogue to how conflicts unfold over time, so growth feels earned rather than rushed.
Q) What are the challenges and advantages of a small team when developing a game?
A) The biggest challenge is that, on a small team, everyone has to learn and handle skills that may be unfamiliar to them. At the same time, that cross-discipline learning gives the team a deeper understanding of the project as a whole.
Q) What games does the team play when they are not working on A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals?
A) Outside of development, I enjoy playing games like Fallout 4, but most of my free time goes to my wife and kids. That balance helps keep me grounded creatively.
Q) I saw that A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals was using the RPG Maker MZ engine, besides a JRPG experience what can people expect from the game?
A) Beyond a traditional JRPG experience, players can expect a nostalgia-driven world filled with subtle nods to the stories and games that inspired me. Those references aren’t just Easter eggs—they help set tone, evoke familiarity, and make the world feel lived-in while still telling its own original story.
Q) Where would you like to see Ash Born Interactive, in five years?
A) In five years, I’d like Ash Born Interactive to be a sustainable, respected indie studio that supports my family and a small creative team. Just as importantly, I want it to help seed Dream Pathway Project—a nonprofit focused on helping people who face barriers to traditional employment find alternative, self-directed paths forward.
Q) I saw that Ash Born Interactive was also seeding a nonprofit initiative called Dream Pathway Project, can you give us some details about that and its focus?
A) Dream Pathway Project is a nonprofit initiative focused on helping people who face barriers to traditional employment—whether due to disability, trauma, or life circumstances—find sustainable, self-directed paths forward. It grew out of my own experience navigating systems that weren’t designed to support independence, and its focus is on practical guidance: helping people identify their skills, explore creative or entrepreneurial options, and build realistic pathways toward long-term stability and dignity.
Q) If people want more information about Ash Born Interactive or A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals, where should they go?
A) People can follow development updates on X at @ashbornLLC and on Instagram at @ashborn_interactivellc. The playable demo and ongoing progress are available on itch.io at joelheath42.itch.io/a-demon-hunters-guide-to-passing-finals. We’ll also be launching a GoFundMe soon, with the link shared through X and Instagram.
Final four questions –we ask everybody.
Q) When the zombies take over the world where will you be?
A) Hopefully in a bunker with a shotgun, but realistically there’s a non-zero chance I’ll be eating brains with the other zombies.
Q ) What is your favorite Fandom (could be sports, pop culture, favorite director or author)
A) My fandom interests are pretty broad—Star Wars, Star Trek, and Spy x Family, just to name a few. That said, I’m just as happy taking a two-hour drive to Mirror Lake and spending time outdoors with my family.
Q) What piece of art, be it in the form of music, a book, a film or picture, do you think people must experience before they die?
Eagle Eye, and Undercover Blues.
Q) Give one fact that most people would not believe about you?
A) It surprises most people to learn that my wife descends from Cotton Mather, one of the major proponents of the Salem witch trials, while I descend from one of the first victims, Rebecca Nurse. It’s a strange intersection of history in one family.
Paper Phoenix ink 