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This article is a record of reflections on the (post-release) development log of the iOS mobile game “Slashing Samurai,” released on the App Store on December 15, 2023. It explores areas for improvement and lessons learned during the development process. Feel free to download “Slashing Samurai” for free from the App Store using the banner below if you’re interested. Identification of Reflection Points After completing the development of “Slashing Samurai” and reflecting on the process and outcomes, various points for improvement became apparent. To better utilize these reflections in future game development, I want to document them thoroughly. Let’s start by summarizing specific points for improvement: Overdoing Too many stages Excessive difficulty Overemphasis on world-building Too late Implementation of plugins took too long Testing on actual devices was too slow Promotion preparation was too slow I will provide detailed records for each of these. Overdoing Let’s begin by discussing the common pitfalls of the “overdoing it” category, which many novice developers, including myself, tend to fall into. Too Many Stages Rather than doing this with good intentions, I might have unconsciously avoided the struggles of subtraction....

This article is a record of the “logic” behind the development of “Slashing Samurai,” a mobile game for iOS released on the App Store on December 15, 2023, using the Godot Engine. However, to avoid excessive length, specific code details will be kept to a minimum. Slashing Samurai is available for free download on the App Store. Just click the banner below to get this game! Identifying Necessary Screens I am the type to prioritize visuals. In game development, including the creation of “Slashing Samurai” in Godot, I started by identifying the necessary screens. I also considered the flow of screen transitions. Although there were many changes in the end, the base stayed relatively close to the initial plan. Initially, the plan included the following screens: Start Screen Play Screen (including Pause Screen) Stage Selection Screen Settings Screen In the end, the following screens were added: Prologue Screen Menu Screen Credit Screen Score Screen Falling Object Record Screen This devlog will focus on documenting the screens that were originally planned to be the core of the game. Start Screen and...

This article is a record of the “Assets” in the (post) devlog of the iOS mobile game “Slashing Samurai,” released on the App Store on December 15, 2023. Slashing Samurai is available for free download on the App Store. Just click the banner below to get this game! Consideration of Assets to Use In this development log, we record how we prepared assets for the development of the mobile game “Slashing Samurai.” In the context of game development, assets refer to the materials used. First, we listed the necessary assets and proceeded with a rough policy to prepare them with as low a budget as possible, considering the time cost. The result of listing the assets necessary for the game is as follows: Character images Object (falling items) images Background images Fonts Background music (BGM) Sound effects (SFX) We will detail how we prepared each of these materials one by one. Character Images Initially, I attempted to draw the player character, a samurai, by myself. I even tried drawing a bit. It was a 2D drawing. Using the Procreate app on the iPad, I could create animations simultaneously....

This article is a record of the “Planning” phase of the (post-release) devlog of the iOS mobile game “Slashing Samurai,” released on the App Store on December 15, 2023. Slashing Samurai is available for free download on the App Store. Just click the banner below to get this game! Defining the Rough Specifications of the Game The development process began by roughly defining the specifications of the game to be developed. It was pre-determined that the game would be distributed globally on a specific platform. If aiming for global distribution, it was clear that it would require a certain level of quality to gain approval. Achieving this alone meant the game’s volume had to be kept small. For a game with a small volume, a casual game seemed appropriate. The essential element for casual games is user-friendliness. The most effective platform for maximizing user-friendliness is likely a mobile game. With devices that everyone carries, offering a small screen that serves as an input device, there seems to be no other platform that matches the physical convenience. I have always loved RPGs....

I recently joined the “KENNEY Game Jam” held recently. It was my first game jam. In this article, I would like to write about the game jam for indie game developers held on the itch.io website, including what I learned and felt while participating in the game jam. What is a Game Jam? A game jam is an event where participants develop a game in a short period of time, publish it, and evaluate each other. It is also called the hackathon of game development. The itch.io site sells games, assets, and hosts a number of game jams worldwide. Some are held monthly, some are held as an annual event, and there are a variety of small and large game jams, and there is always some sort of game jam going on throughout the year. KENNEY Jam 2022 , which I attended, was also held at itch.io . The participants in the game jam are mainly individual developers and small teams. Skill levels range from beginners to veterans. Although veterans are considered to have an advantage, many game jams have...

When one has taken the trouble to start a personal game development project, one would like to continue it for a long and enjoyable time if possible. However, in general, game development tends to be frustrating. Let us first consider the reasons for this. Reasons for frustration First, game development is hard work. It is sometimes referred to as a comprehensive art form. In other words, a game is a work of art that combines music, images, characters, scenarios, systems, level design, and everything else into one. There is no way it is easy. It is so difficult that it is easy to fall behind in the process. However, there is another problem that is even bigger, especially for adults who are making games as independent developers. That is the fact that you can’t make money by developing games. If there is no money to be made, they quit this hard work. Game development is hard work, but it pays off when the game sells. The word “no money” may be a bit of a generalization, because there are always...

This article is especially worth reading if you are a beginner who has just started or is thinking about starting game development. We hope you will read it through to the end. Now, do you have a dream game that you really want to make? Many people who have started or are thinking of starting game development probably dream of such a game. And that game will have plenty of elements of games that you have played and been influenced by in your life. As you can probably guess, this article is now going to make the claim that you should save your dream game for the future. However, this assertion is not brand new, but rather a rather common piece of advice for novice game developers. Let me explain why you should save your dream game for the future. Elements that tend to be included in the dream game What elements tend to be included in a dream game? By the way, the elements here are the specifications and functions of the game. The following is a list of those that come to mind as examples....

Many people want to start game development but tend to give up because of their age. No, this is not limited to game development but can be applied to anything from playing the piano to being a YouTuber. For some reason, it is a common perception that when you reach middle age, your physical and mental strength declines somehow. However, this is not true. There is no evidence that this socially accepted notion applies to you. It doesn’t matter if you are a middle-aged businessman, a first-grader, or a 90-year-old. The moment you decide you want to do something is the youngest time to start doing it. In the end, life is about doing or not doing. At the age of 100 years of life, there are few cases where it is too late to start doing something. It would be a shame to make a decision based only on a vague impression that game development sounds too difficult for you. You will never know the truth until you try it. It is a fact that game development is often thought of as a hurdle for the average person....