My name’s Patrick and I’m making a video game about switching between black and white. It’s a challenging, pixel art, 2D platformer called Monochrome Heights. I quit my job in 2021 to make video games but circumstances drove me back to full-time employment. But I just quit, again.
It’s been some time since I’ve shared a devlog or any sort of bigger update about the game. A lot has happened both in my personal life, and with progress on the game.
The last post I wrote (back in June of 2023!) was about trying to take a game-jam-like approach to working on the project. I lamented feeling stuck, especially with the season of summer presenting some problems surrounding focused work. I’m happy to report that I was able to take that approach and create a relatively polished version of the game in the form of a demo to take to San Japan, an anime and gaming convention, in early September of 2023.
The San Japan deadline forced me to focus on the specific goal of having a playable demo and I’m proud of the state of the game at that time and how the demo was received. Being at San Japan was a big turning point for me, and I got to see how people at a bigger space, with no connection to me or my community, interacted with the game. It was overall a great experience and I came away from it feeling very positive about the game and the future.
Shortly after San Japan ended, I returned to a regular full-time, in-office job. Up to that point I had been working various freelance writing gigs, and part-time with a plant nursery. I needed more steady income, and I had an opportunity to return to a previous employer. However, when I went back to full-time employment that made regular, consistent work on the game harder.
Despite that, I was still able to take the game to a meetup in Austin, held by local indie dev group Games Y’all, where I received additional positive and helpful feedback on the game. As the months wore on, though, I felt like I was doing less and less on the game. I was chipping away at it, but wasn’t able to progress like I wanted. I was able to make some small improvements in polish, build a number of new levels, and struggle with a persistent bug (still working on this one).
At the end of the year I got a new opportunity for a small bit of funding, and with that and some money I was able to save up, I made the decision to leave the full-time job in early February 2024. I’m once again now able to dedicate more time to the game. While I will have to get another job at some point later this year, I have a bit of dedicated time right now to work solely on the game, and I’m trying to make the most of it. Come hell or high water, I plan to finish Monochrome Heights in this time frame.
Since returning to the game with fresh eyes and a focused, determined attitude on bringing it to the finish line, I’ve decided to cut some features and really think about the scope for launch. I’m planning to participate in Steam Next Fest in June, which will include a public demo and livestreams, but I plan to have an earlier version of the demo available next month to share. Even though I’ve only been at it with this renewed vigor for a few weeks, I am now back in the swing and can’t wait to share more in the future!
Until then, make sure you wishlist Monochrome Heights on Steam. More soon!
Share any thoughts on the game in the comments below or come find me on the Boss Rush Discord.
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The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, LeRon, Stephanie, Edward, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk their week in games, entertainment, and more while also bringing topics for conversation, answer listener and community questions, and cover major news and events happening in the video game industry. Watch The Boss Rush Podcast live on Wednesday Nights on Twitch at 8:30PM ET / 5:30PM PT or on Monday mornings at 7AM ET on YouTube and podcast services everywhere. Thanks for listening! You can also get this episode one week early on Patreon.
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