Paul “Nano” and Nano Commando
CastleDAO – for two weeks Superteam Ireland ran a developer residency at Slane Castle – here is one of the voices from Demo Day (read here for more)
Paul, known as Nano, is a visual artist, VJ and musician from Bristol who came to game development through art and music. He is now building Nano Commando: The Spire, a cyberpunk arcade shooter that introduces players to crypto as they play. He spent five days at the CastleDAO residency in Slane, working on a game that was already underway and meeting other founders building on Solana.
Photographic credit of main picture: Yusuke Yamamoto
Why make a crypto game?
Most people I know think crypto is a scam. I understand why they’re wary, but I wanted to show them another side of it without asking them to sit through a lesson. A game felt like the right way to do that.
Nano Commando plays like an old-school run-and-gun arcade game. You move through the story with human characters, collect ATLAS shards and gradually learn about wallets, swaps, self-custody and how to recognise a rug pull. You don’t need a wallet to begin. The game shows you how to make one, and it runs on Devnet, so people can experiment without using real money.
What makes The Spire more than a conventional shooter?
There are several things going on around the arcade action. The AI machines can remember you, talk to you and sell you gear. Players can connect their own free Groq key or another AI API, so they have control over that element. We also have D.A.S, the Dynamic Adaptive System, which changes the enemies it spawns according to how you play.
At the end of a run, a corporate AI roasts your performance, and you can share the result on X. There are little arcade machines inside the game as well. I like the idea of games inside the game.
The learning should happen as part of the experience. Someone who would never open a crypto guide can come in because they enjoy an arcade shooter and leave understanding a little more about the tools.
Who is building it with you?
There are three of us. I’m the founder and full stack developer. Kacper Tomaszewski works on graphics, UI and UX, and art direction. Gilbert Gabriel is our composer. He co-wrote “Life in a Northern Town”, so bringing his musical experience into the project has been brilliant.
We’ve also built NANOAMP, a music player inside the game. The idea is to feature bedroom producers from around the world so players can discover their music. We plan for the artists to receive a share of revenue.
What did you work on in Slane?
I was there for five days, and Nano Commando was already in development when I arrived. I kept building throughout my stay and showed it to people who understood what we’re trying to do. I came home with connections, feedback and plenty of new ideas.
I saw projects there that blew me away. The technical level was high, but the best part was that the founders wanted to help one another. Being around people like that made me look again at how I could improve my own game.
How far along is Nano Commando now?
Act 1 is nearly finished. We have the ECHO terminal, the ATLAS shards that teach players about keys, wallets and self-custody, and an on-chain leaderboard.
We’re bringing beta testers in through Discord. Testers receive a tradable Genesis Breach Pass NFT, which unlocks features including permanent shop purchases, daily spins and leaderboards. There are also SKR continues when you die, like putting another coin into an arcade machine.
The immediate job is to finish the demo, get people playing and learn from what they tell us.
Where do you want to take the game?
Crypto is the starting point. I want future missions to help people think about privacy, technology, food and the places they live. I’m interested in making a game that helps people stay alert and avoid being fooled as more of life becomes digital.
It still has to be fun. The arcade game comes first, and the ideas should be woven into what players do.
What was the best part of CastleDAO?
Meeting the other founders. Slane opened doors to new friends, founders and investors, and it helped me see where Nano Commando could be stronger. I’m going to Dogpatch Labs this Friday in Dublin and am looking forward to getting advice from people there.
And the biggest surprise?
Demo Day. I thought I was pitching to a few people in the room. Then I discovered more than 3,000 people were watching online. I hadn’t expected that at all.
What happens next?
We’re getting ready for Breakpoint, finishing the demo and looking for investors. I’m also trying to learn as much as I can from the people I meet along the way.
Anyone who wants to test the game can join us on Discord. The project is at nanocommando.app.
