Recently I was given a code for a game called “Geneticognito”. Being a fan of indie games and stealth, I decided to try it out. To my surprise, I really came to like the game even if it was a bit short and repetitive at points. The bosses were the highlight of the game for sure, all fun and challenging in their own way. Anyway, I was able to get in contact with Felix, the developer behind Geneticognito and many other games from Blob Games Studio. I had a chance to interview him about his experiences as an indie dev and the development of Geneticognito.
Gumshoe: How would you describe the process of making a game?
Felix: For me, it’s a messy one. I try my best to stay organized, keep to-do lists, communicate with the team, etc. However, I still largely follow my motivation, and I have a lot of projects. So I often switch what I am working on, sometimes suddenly, and it can be a bit hard to follow. On the plus side of it though, I don’t have many cancellations under my belt, so I always come back. And at least a lot of my ideas get some attention this way.
Gumshoe: So, why did you make Geneticognito?
Felix: I’ve been making another game, Super Gear Quest, for close to 3 or 4 years now, and I decided to make a different, smaller story set in the same world. So I basically used what I had made for Super Gear Quest, took a portion of its story, and made a different game out of that, which resulted in Geneticognito. The two games don’t directly overlap, but if you know their stories and the world they are in, it’s obvious where they are connected. Though that said, it’s smaller size is also why Geneticognito was essentially just a few months of hard work and not years. Which is why it’s already out there even though it’s not nearly as old as several other projects. However, I was still lucky that motivation stayed around long enough to finish it efficiently.
Gumshoe: When developing Geneticognito, were there any difficulties or challenges?
Felix: Geneticognito went fairly smoothly due to the context of why and how it was made. Though, most effort went into the plot, the main character, and the boss fights. The rest of the game is fairly simple, and Super Gear Quest was the base for the game, meaning I didn’t actually have to code a lot of it, as I had already done that previously while making Super Gear Quest.
Gumshoe: You have made a good number of games, which would you say was your favorite to work on?
Felix: Kinda hard to say, especially since a lot of them are not even done yet. But I’ve had a lot of fun with certain projects like Super Gear Quest and Solarblade; they are two examples of games that I would really like to perfect. In fact, that is why they are taking so long, and why my goals for them are so high. There are a few others like this too, such as The Legend of The Artifact (or rather, the remake of it). Other than that though, I mostly do have fun with every single project I create, mostly because I create them entirely based on very specific ideas I have. It also helps that I am very attached to some of the characters and that I generally try to work on whatever I feel like, rather than forcing myself to work on a project I don’t want to work on at the time. Though of course, the latter is a strategy that definitely also has its downsides, haha. Gotta force myself sometimes.
Gumshoe: Lastly, do you have any tips you could give to other indie devs?
Felix: I don’t feel like I am the best at giving out great advice, all I can really say is to work hard. It sounds cliche, but it does work pretty effectively, especially if you work alone. Your games won’t finish themselves, and there is nothing quite like feeling the satisfaction of releasing a project you are happy with. Plus, when you have done it once, it only becomes easier to do it again, especially as your experience grows as well. But like many others have said, I recommend starting small and not aiming for a very big project as your first one. It’ll get you going a lot faster than if you aim for something really big, so save your big ideas for when you think you are truly ready to create them.
Overall I enjoyed talking to Felix and really enjoyed playing Geneticognito. If you interested in the game or keeping up to date with Blob Games Studio and Felix, links to their twitter and discord, as well as a link to the game Geneticognito, can be found below. With all that said, my name is Gumshoe and thanks for reading.
Felix’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/FelixBlobDev
Geneticognito (Steam link): http://store.steampowered.com/app/655490/Geneticognito/ …
Blob Game Studio’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blob_Games
Blob Game Studio’s Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/blobgamesstudio