Hi there! I'm Jérôme, solo game developer of BEFORE I GO. I've been in the game industry for nearly 20 years now and shipped many games in my programmer role. I took the plunge and started my indie game journey 4 years ago, living my childhood dream of making my own platformer!
At its core, BEFORE I GO is a punishing metroidvania with intense platforming and unforgiving battle action. Lost in limbo, you embody a pure and innocent inner child on an allegorical journey towards death acceptance. BEFORE I GO delivers a good challenge to players and will definitely please those seeking a well-deserved and longed-for gratification.
I think the idea for the game was with me all along. I've been maturing the gameplay since I played Super Metroid when I was 10. The things you love when you're a child, they shape you as you grow old. It had to be appealing, challenging and rewarding. That's what a player loves. That's what I love and I had to deliver this experience. Story-wise, I think I was simply attentive to my own thoughts. This is what creating is, right? The best story you call tell, the most authentic, it comes from who you are, it comes from your reality.
The journey is a real delight, but it has its ups and downs. Your passion and your goal stay with you. That's the drive. Then, you've got to deal with the reality of climbing this huge mountain, where the slope is steep and the trail is not always marked. But hey, no fun if it was too easy right?
BEFORE I GO is made with Unity. Brilliant engine overall. It delivers a professional and reliable dev environment. Recommended 100% for small to average size projects. I came across a few engines during my career. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I had already played around with Unity in the past and it has always checked the boxes for me with little to zero frustration, so I didn't think twice and went for it. No hesitation.
Each stage of development comes with its own share of hardship. During early conception, I found myself never satisfied with my art and what I was sketching. It never looked as good as what I had in my mind. Later, I sometimes ran out of level design fresh ideas and I found it hard to get out of my comfort zone and produce a good variety of content.
Right now, the real struggle is time and energy. Being everywhere at the same time, between finishing the game, iterating on quality and maintaining a good marketing presence, this is all quite overwhelming and you need to keep a cool head and stay self-disciplined if you don't want to lose your mind.
Stay curious, enjoy learning, be patient. It all takes time. The destination doesn't count as much as the journey to get there.
Be ambitious and stay realistic. You need to be self-aware of what you can and can't achieve given the knowledge you built up so far. Take a step back and reassess what you know and what you need to learn once in a while.
It took me 15 years in the game industry to finally feel ready and confident I could do it on my own. If you've got the passion, you'll enjoy the ride, you'll get there!
It's always a pleasure to share a bit of my world! Thanks GameDevJourney for the opportunity!
If you want to support me, follow me on your favorite social media platform and add BEFORE I GO to your wishlist!
Jerome (J's Labratory)❤️
