Originally founded as a side gig under the tutelage of Egyptian developer, Mohamed Fawzy in 2021 has grown to a full time enterprise as well as a visual and creative rebranding.

Expanding on the rebrand, the solo developer said,

Since 2018, a dream has been quietly burning in my heart—a vision born from passion, creativity, and an unshakable belief in storytelling through immersive worlds. What started as a side project under the humble name Salama Productions has now evolved into Rare Castle, my dedicated indie game development brand, and a true extension of who I am.

In addition to the naming change, the company has also shed some light on its long in development project, now dubbed Project Escher.

After a period of quiet but determined work behind the scenes, I’m thrilled to officially announce that Project Escher—the game formerly known as Off the Grid: Bad Dream—has resumed full development under my indie label, Rare Castle.

The title “Project Escher” is not just a codename. It reflects the very essence of the game’s surreal environments and mind-bending architecture. Inspired by the impossible geometries of M.C. Escher and non-Euclidean space, the world of Project Escher is ethereal, dreamlike, and disorienting by design. This isn’t a world that plays by the rules of logic—and that’s exactly the point.

While still in an early, unpolished state, the core gameplay mechanic that drives Project Escher will see you play as a disembodied soul made of light, with the haunting ability to possess strange mechanical vessels scattered throughout the game’s mysterious world.