Solo
(adverb)
1. alone, without a companion, here ellipsis of video games done solo
These are some of the video game projects I've done mostly all by myself.
I can do a bit of everything, but as these projects showcase, most of those things as a supporting character. I'll never stop doing solo projects but I'll also never be a one-man game developer army (more of a one-man game developer Swiss Army knife with a really good screwdriver), and I'd usually rather surround myself with people who know their craft as well as I do mine.
Marras
(Unity, Android, Windows | 2022-2023)
Solo project
A hypercasual take on hypercasual, with themes of passage of time, things ending and diminishing returns.
I did everything except sound effects which are public domain and the music which is licensed.
In Marras (or Marras - On Diminishing Returns) the player collects calmly falling leaves. The game narrative ponders the themes of passage of time, things ending and diminishing returns.
"But none of it was your fault, right?"
You can download the game for Android at Google Play and for Windows at itch.io (but not right now).
The Challenge
The challenge was to make the simplest of tasks, collecting things, that many casual games have as almost the only feature, interesting. Giving points to the things, the act of collecting them adding to the tally. But if that's the only feature, how to argue for the spent time, for progression just for progression's sake? Making the diminishing returns the main theme of the game.
And as the game itself tells the player, "there is no fail state but the one you bring with you".
Lessons I learned
Marras is more of an experience than a game per se. I do feel that even if that's the whole point of the game, and even more so of the narrative, the lack of variety does hurt the gameplay aspect a bit. It does exactly what it was designed to do, but since it was never meant to be one, the game absolutely could not be pivoted to be a commercial product and retain its core concept.
I also learned to be enthralled for small things: the viewport has a slight sway with the horizon line having parallaxing layers, and I finally got the wheelbarrow to move with the ground when idle and not to stutter (fighting the conflict between the player controlled movement and the ground sway) when moving. Game development, as most things really, is full of moments like this, but that's something that stuck with me.
Santa in Space
(Unity, Windows | 2021-)
Solo project
A 3D twin-stick shooter about Santa Claus saving his reindeer from little green men.
I did everything except the model for the reindeer, the sound effects which are public domain and the music which was commissioned from a friend.
Spoilers: Santa doesn't go to space in the game, but there are spaceships in this 3D twin-stick shooter.
"Cow tipping is a purported nocturnal activity of midwestern rural citizens and most probably an urban legend. Cattle mutilation is a very real nocturnal activity of interstellar aliens and a diurnal byproduct of the mainstream human dietary habits."
You can download the game at https://puiseva.itch.io/santa-in-space
The Challenge
To meld a fast-paced arena twin-stick shooter - a game genre I'm not overly acquainted with - with an ironic and unobtrusive story about overconsumption, a tone of whose varies a bit depending on the severity of violence inflicted.
Lessons I learned
I should trust my instincts. My assumption about the functionality of the enemy spawn-in animation was correct. It's a very simple trick, but got a positive reaction from an industry veteran.
I can code, but I'll never be a programmer. Years of hanging around the fringes of various programming languages, from 90's Visual Basic and Pascal via a short nope with Java in the noughties to a bit of php and beyond, did make it easy to become friends with C# at least in Unity context, but the code isn't good. It works, but it isn't good, and it certainly isn't pretty.
Most of the narrative hasn't made its way to the game. The lesson wasn't new to me, but a stark reminder that deadlines are like the game says about the aliens: "They're coming in fast!" Always too fast.
Kurupullo Series
(Programmer's Art Editions)
(AGS, Windows | 2018-)
Solo Project
An ongoing series of comedic 2D point'n'click adventure games made in "programmer's art" styleNOTE to hone and showcase my writing chops and just have fun.
I designed and wrote a complete adventure and then did the bare minimum of everything else to call it a game. Multiple times.
NOTE "Programmer's art" is used here absolutely non-derogatorily, although a more apt expression in this case would be "Writer's art". The games are practically greyboxed, missing most if not all sound effects and virtually all animations, using engine's default character sprites, and next to minimal effort is given for the backgrounds and other visuals. Ugly as half hell, the art aims to be functional enough to support the presentation of the writing and narrative but also puzzle and game design for the player to enjoy.
Lesson I learned
Everyone tells you to not include projects like this in your portfolio. But if you can't be flamboyantly proud of the dumb things you've done out of passion or just for fun, what's even the point of doing creative things?
