PLEASE START US OFF BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF:
Hey there! We are Tembac, a veteran of the industry with around 20 years of experience in video games, and Chabbie, a newcomer to the scene with previous experience in board game design.
TELL US ABOUT GO SLIMEY GO!
We met at a Global Game Jam many years ago and had been working together on small educational games for Legends of Learning. While they helped pay the bills, they didn’t always allow us to fully express our vision. We often talked about making “the game we really want to make”, and a year ago, we decided to take a shot at it.
The project initially started as a local multiplayer party game in the vein of TowerFall, but it quickly evolved into a 2D platformer. We felt that the character we had designed and its movement style were a perfect fit for the genre. The slime itself came from some of Chabbie’s early animation attempts, and we instantly fell in love with its squishiness.
You take the role of Slimey, the cutest and weakest creature in the realm, in his attempt to visit his friends for a nice cup of tea while the ultimate showdown between good and evil takes place in the background.
HOW HAS THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY BEEN
For Chabbie, it’s definitely been a learning experience!
WHICH GAME ENGINE DID YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
We’re using Unity since Tembac has been working with it for a long time. Maybe for our next project, we’ll try a different engine, since Unity isn’t the best for working with pixel art—but so far, so good!
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT HURDLE SO FAR?
Probably the fact that, even though we’re both from Argentina, Chabbie lives in Japan. That means we have a 12-hour time difference between us. It’s challenging because we can’t always discuss things in real time—we often have to wait until the other wakes up to talk. But in a way, it also means that one of us is always awake and working, so the development never stops, which is a pretty unique dynamic that not many teams have.
Also, Chabbie is a big Mega Man fan, while Tembac usually enjoys slightly more relaxed games. So Chabbie keeps designing levels that Tembac can’t beat, and then ends up having to tone them down!
ADVICE FOR FELLOW DEVS?
Create something you can be proud of. That’s the one thing you have complete control over. We live in an era where it’s hard not to measure success by numbers—likes, follows, sales. Yes, the business side of things is obviously important, but no one becomes an indie dev without a vision. So… follow your heart?
Also, surround yourself with like-minded people and always be willing to compromise. Even the most well-aligned teams will clash from time to time.
ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?
Seeing people have fun and enjoy something you created is a wonderful feeling—one that most careers can’t offer. Be smart and mindful about how you approach development, but never forget that feeling.
-Tembac
❤️
