Howdy,
today I'm here to discuss the development process of our latest game:
THE TEST OF INSANITY
This game is published under a new brand: Big Nuts, and developed using Godot
A rocky start
Originally, KC and I were thinking of the kind of games we liked. Immediately, we found a common interest in JRPG (the likes of Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star...). So this was our obvious choice. We were going to build an epic JRPG, filled with wondrous world building and a very elaborate story.
We were very well aware that this was a very ambitious project, so we cautiously reduced the scope. This came down to:
- Just one village
- Simple turn base combat
- A limited number of playable characters
- An inventory and skill system that isn't too complex
Somehow, this seemed pretty doable to implement.
But soon, we came to the realization that the task could take a very long time, perhaps 6 months or even a year. I can't keep my interest that long on a single project!
The devil is in the content
My misconception came from the fact that JRPG mechanics are somewhat simple to implement. The problem isn't the mechanics. The challenge is: How do you make an JRPG fun?
Before being engrossed into the story, the player's attention needs to be caught. Turns out, JRPG mechanics alone are not entertaining enough for players.
In most RPG games, the novelty comes from gorgeous art and a sophisticated world to explore.
When that's not enough, there are some complex but interesting battle mechanics.
On top of that, some games add mini-games, such as Blitz Ball, ChoCobo racing... My favorite JRPG, Phantasy Star, doesn't have all that, but it starts the game with both topdown view and dungeon crawling!
So this is where all the work comes from. Just the thought of it, made working on the game somewhat discouraging.
Starting over
Thankfully, we were ok to let go of the work we had already put into the JRPG, and decided to pivot to a new idea. This time, we changed our goal. On top of making a fun game, we also added: Doable in a month!
We started brainstorming a few ideas and ranking them using those criteria.
A game to rule them all
We came up with tons of funs ideas, but the one that we landed on was a variation of "The Impossible Quiz", where we could also mix quizzes and "mini-game" puzzles.
As it turns out, "mini-game" puzzles meant we could pretty much implement all the game ideas we had from the brainstorming session, so yeah, here we go underestimating the work again... But hey, at least now it was actually doable in a month!
Getting started by setting the tone
I think we both had a pretty good idea of the kind of game we wanted. A bit silly, requiring some thinking out of the box and using your brain. To get started, I knew that we would need some kind of template, where we simply mark the level as complete and move to the next puzzle. That could be the base for all our other puzzle. So I just made a button that you could press to move to the next level.
Somehow, I felt like this was a good opportunity to set the tone for the game. So a bit as a joke, I made the button move every time you try to press it, such that you can never pass the level. Well the best part is that you could solve that level, if you put some thoughts into it.
That's right, that's our first level in "The Test of Insanity". Just in case you were wondering, our first level isn't trolling you. There's an actual solution to solve it without skipping.
Smooth sailing
We were both working on the game, and things went very smoothly. I recently chatted with a friend about working on this game, and he asked about our process for code review. That's when I realized: we don't have any of that! Me and KC were able to work independently on our own levels, without having to scrutinize each other's code.
Should we do that? Isn't there a reason why software engineers generally perform code reviews?
Well, maybe. But if you think carefully about it, there are also reasons why some people enjoy coding for their side hustle, while dreading doing the exact same thing in a big company. It's liberating to work the way you like without being judged. I think one of the big lesson here, is that you don't always need to apply your "good" work practice to your hobby project. Make up your own rules!
At the end, our project has inconsistent coding style, two different art style, and we're perfectly fine with that!
The challenges to come
As you all know, releasing the game isn't the end of the story. There's still a lot of work left to spread the word around and make our game popular.
We're pretty satisfied with it, and so far, play-testers seem to have fun solving the puzzles, trying to not go insane. So why not give it a try?
We welcome you to try our game using the links below. Be sure to wishlist it on Steam so you get notified about juicy sales!
Link to demo
Newgrounds: https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/938341
Itch.io: https://bignutsgames.itch.io/the-test-of-insanity
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