PLEASE START US OFF BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF:

My name is Joël, I’ve been a 3D artist for games and animation for over a decade. In 2019 I decided to really dive into Unreal and Unity to expand my skillset. I had several prototypes but one felt the best, Red’s Revenge, a power washing horror game. I released a standalone demo on http://itch.io in 2023. After the demo's success I set my sights on a full commercial release. During this period another special project was born, 7 Nights with Vroombi, a relatively simpler concept and will help turn Red's Revenge into a better game!

TELL US ABOUT 7 NIGHTS WITH VROOMBI.

Ideas tend to hit while doing something else, shower, cleaning, walking etc. For Red's Revenge, I was watching a streamer play a power-washing game, and I wanted there to be a scary undertone and a bit of a story! So I decided to make my own with a Little Red Riding Hood inspired twist. For “7 Nights with Vroombi”, I found it interesting to be a helpless cleaning robot going on with your night, while the family experiences a haunting they'll never forget! There is something about relaxing gameplay + eerie moments that really appeal to me.

HOW HAS THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY BEEN

It's impossible to convey how many small hurdles you'll face while trying to make a game. There are so many different expertise and skillsets all bound into one product. That said when you finally cross those hurdles the feeling of accomplishment is great! Overall, I love it, and when I see someone truly enjoy one of my games it makes it all worth it!

WHICH GAME ENGINE DID YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

As for game engines, I started with Unity as C# programming came more naturally to me, and at first I dove into pixel art games. After a couple years of Unity I tried out Unreal out of curiosity and loved the blueprint system so much that I switched over completely. I've been using it for awhile now and all my public projects are now in Unreal! I find Unreal has so much to offer by default, that it simplifies iterating on prototypes.

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT HURDLE SO FAR?

My biggest personal hurdle is how to balance my career as a 3D artist and my want to start a small indie studio. I've had to self fund my projects and this means I've had to maintain a full-time career on top of my gamedev journey.

ADVICE FOR FELLOW DEVS?

I saw a tweet that said “If your prototype took 1 day to complete, your game will take 1 year”. While that topic could and probably has books written about it, I take it as one of my reminders that gamedev always takes a bit longer than you want, but to not get discouraged when you're stuck and to find your path forward. From your community, fans (even if it's just 1 or 2!), or to spite your rival :P

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?

Gamedev is a challenging endeavour so far, but even getting a handful of people streaming my demos has been hugely rewarding creatively. After decades of working on other people's ideas it's nice to get your own out there no matter the scale!

- Joël❤️

7 Nights with Vroombi on Steam