Last Hammashan: Awakening of a Hero

Press Release

Amman, Jordan – September 09, 2025 – Independent game developer Alaa Hamash is proud to reveal part of the remarkable journey behind the making of Last Hammashan: Awakening of a Hero.

The journey began with the message “SHOW US YOUR WORK” on the Epic Games website where the release of $17 million worth of Paragon assets was announced.

Can a single programmer, in a single year and on a zero-dollar budget, turn the $17 Million worth of AAA assets into a game, a superhero, and an inspiring story?

Programming such AAA game assets by a solo programmer is beyond challenging, especially when it has to be finished in less than a year. That is pretty much impossible.

This is the perfect challenge for me. If I can program AAA assets, it is an indisputable testament to my programming skills. Three companies programmed the same assets: Epic Games (American), Omeda Studios (British), and Netmarble (Korean).

I decided to start with the hardest problems first. “If I'm going to fail, better fail soon.” I began by creating a generic base character which can be used for any of Paragon’s characters. Studying the assets and understanding how the characters, skeletons, curves, animations, and effects were designed to be used was like solving a million-piece puzzle; it required immense effort⁽¹⁾.

Then I moved to another hard problem, programming AI for the boss fight. I didn’t want to use the commonly used 3-phase AI; I want an AI which makes the player feel that it is a fight against another player. The end result can be seen in the fight between Adam and Greystone⁽²⁾.

The base character wasn’t a good fit for other NPCs, because they were designed differently. The lack of animations and the diversity of their attacks made finishing the work even more challenging: Melee, shooting, swords, attacking, chasing, retreating, probing the environment, coordinating attacks with other NPCs…⁽³⁾

Testing the game for bugs and playability is tricky! While I can test the game for bugs, playability is best tested by others. This is where my nephews came to the rescue:  Zaid, Faris and Hamza (their ages were 12 and 13). They put in a lot of effort testing gameplay, finding bugs, and game design.

Now that the characters are ready, it is time to create a superhero out of the main character: Gideon. The result is our first Middle Eastern superhero, Adam, who belongs to a long-lost civilization and is the Last Hammashan— the only one capable of wielding the ancient Astrolabe’s power to challenge the tyrant Sevarog and his generals.

Creating cinematics fries a programmer’s brain. Suddenly, you are a screenwriter, a director, an animator, a camera man, a technical artist, a musician, and a voice actor!

The decision to release such an effort for free wasn’t easy, but I want everyone to enjoy stepping into the role of a Middle Eastern superhero who brings justice to the world.

The workload was 12 to 16 hours a day, without any days off. No holidays or weekends, just work every day. Was it worth it? “Last Hammashan” is the answer. ⁽⁴⁾

Availability

Last Hammashan: Awakening of a Hero is available for free. Start playing now:

Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3914590/Last_Hammashan_Awakening_of_a_Hero/

Epic Games Store:
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/last-hammashan-awakening-of-a-hero-6c0204

Alaa Hamash, based in Amman, Jordan, is a solo indie developer pursuing his passion for game development. He started coding 38 years ago.

Follow Us on Social Media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HammashAnimation/videos

X: https://x.com/HammashTech

Press Contact:
Alaa Hamash
Email: last.hammashan@gmail.com
X: https://x.com/HammashTech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaahammash/
 

Content Creation & Streaming Policy
Alaa Hamash grants permission for individuals to record, stream, and monetize gameplay footage of "Last Hammashan" on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Kick, Facebook Gaming, and similar services.