PLEASE START US OFF BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF:

Aloha!

I’m Paul Giovannini, though online I go by Blukulélé! I’m a 28-year-old indie game developer from France, and I’ve been in the industry for about 6 years now. Nearly 3 years ago, I took the leap into solo indie development, and it’s been a wild ride ever since.

I got my start in a hyper-casual games studio where I made (or at least prototyped!) a new game every week. That pace was intense, but it taught me a lot about design, iteration, and not being afraid to try weird ideas.

My first solo game, OVERWHELMED, was a small twin-stick shooter I built in 3 months just to prove to myself I could actually finish something on my own. Then came Sunstone War, a Tower Defense game where you can move your towers around freely. That project taught me so much! Not just about making games, but also about how to talk about them, share progress, and connect with other devs and players. It was a real turning point for me.

Now I’m working on Gambonanza, and in many ways, it feels like the culmination of everything I’ve learned over the past 6 years! It’s a roguelike chess game where you have to bend the rules to survive, and I’m genuinely thrilled by the traction it’s getting!

TELL US ABOUT GAMBONANZA.

Gambonanza was born during a strange creative moment! I had just wrapped up Sunstone War, which was a year-long project and kind of my little cocoon. It had become my go-to thing: when I felt down, I worked on it; when I felt good, I worked on it; when I didn’t know what else to do, well... I worked on it.

So when it finally launched, I suddenly felt this huge emptiness. I struggled to find an idea that excited me as much as Sunstone War had. For a while, I kept overthinking everything, trying to come up with the “right” next project, but nothing really clicked…

Then one day, I just told myself: stop listening to the little voices in your head and just make stuff. No expectations, no pressure, just pure prototyping. I started churning out small experiments without worrying whether they were good or not, I just needed to create again, to get my momentum back.

And that’s when Gambonanza appeared! A roguelike chess game with heavy inspiration from Balatro's clever mechanics. From the first prototype, I had so much fun! It was exciting, it felt fresh, and I could immediately see a bunch of cool directions the game could go. That spark was exactly what I’d been missing, and I knew I had to keep going.

Today, Gambonanza is a fast-paced roguelike where you twist the rules of chess to pull off wild strategies and survive ever-tougher boards.

HOW HAS THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY BEEN

The development has been going really well! I honestly didn’t expect such a strong response from people when I first shared the game, it’s been amazing and a little surreal! I’m super grateful for the attention, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a bit of pressure too. I really don’t want to disappoint anyone.

Right now, my main focus is just to make a good game. One that’s fun, surprising, and full of those little moments where players find weird, broken strategies or come up with ridiculous ways to beat a tough board. That’s the kind of experience I love, and I hope players will too.

WHICH GAME ENGINE DID YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

I’m building Gambonanza with Unity. Even though I don’t always agree with some of the decisions the company makes, it’s still the engine I know best, I’ve been using it for over 6 years and have made more than a hundred small games with it. At this point, I know all my little tricks and shortcuts, so I can move really fast and focus on the fun stuff.

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT HURDLE SO FAR?

Honestly, the hardest part has been staying focused and not falling into the trap of trying to do too much.

When people start getting excited about the game, there’s this temptation to add more, go bigger, and pile on new ideas—but that can quickly lead to a messy, unbalanced game (and a burned-out dev). I’ve really had to remind myself to stick to the core of what makes Gambonanza fun, and build around that.

Thankfully, I’m lucky to be surrounded by amazing people—both devs and non-devs—who help me take a step back when I need it. They ask great questions, offer thoughtful feedback, and help me stay grounded and creative in a healthy way. It makes a huge difference.

ADVICE FOR FELLOW DEVS?

Absolutely! First and foremost, listen to yourself. That’s not just advice I give to others, it’s something I try to remind myself of every day. Game dev can be all-consuming if you let it, but you’re not a machine. You need breaks, sleep, sunlight, fresh air. Take care of your body, your mind, and the people around you.

Go for a walk, do a bit of sport, talk to a friend, cook something nice, anything that keeps you connected to the world outside your game. It helps more than you’d think, both creatively and emotionally!

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?

If Gambonanza made you smile, twisted your brain a little, or got you thinking “wait… can I actually do that?”, don’t hesitate to wishlist it!

It helps a lot!

Thanks so much for reading, and take care of yourselves and the people around you!

--Paul

❤️

Gambonanza on Steam