PLEASE START US OFF BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF:
Hi! I’m Lorena. I started making games when I was 11, and I haven’t stopped since. I’m studying for a Computer Science and Math degree. I have made quite a few games for fun, mostly on my own, and now I’m working on my first commercial release, Mycelium Heaven. I’m super passionate about game design and can’t wait to bring cool little games to the world.
TELL US ABOUT MYCELIUM HEAVEN.
Mycelium Heaven is a spooky-cozy puzzle game where you play as a flesh-eating mushroom. It’s themed around nature, seasons, and change.
In this game, you will spread, bloom, or consume your fungi, managing your energy and finding the shortest routes to clear the forest floor.
My main objective with the game is to explore a simple mechanic from which challenging puzzles can emerge while adding enough variations to keep things fresh. I also wanted to bring the joy of learning how things work on your own.
The idea for this game came from the theme of the game jam where I started working on Mycelium Heaven, MalagaJam. The theme was “The end of the world.” I initially thought of doing a sappy narrative game, but then I decided that giving the zombie apocalypse a little twist was cool. I’ve always liked mushrooms and nature, so it felt natural to think of them as predators to zombies. I wanted to use the mechanics to show that the actual fungus is the mycelium, not just the mushroom, and since I had just played Baba is You, I was inspired to make a logic puzzle game.
HOW HAS THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY BEEN
The journey of creating Mycelium Heaven has been very special to me. It’s my first time bringing a game to events and making an actual effort to be a part of the gamedev community. I’m meeting lots of super nice people and learning tons of things.
Since this is a puzzle game, I have the opportunity to improve my level design skills. I’m also trying to give it a recognizable 3D art style, which is an aspect of design that I really enjoy.
Furthermore, this is my first time working with a publisher, Dojo System. They have made me feel very supported, and it’s been a nice experience working with them. I still can’t believe that my game is going to be on all platforms.
WHICH GAME ENGINE DID YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
I use Unreal Engine because I find it complete and easy to use. I also appreciate how fast and easy blueprints are to work with.
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT HURDLE SO FAR?
Finding time to make the game is always an issue. I wish I could be full-time, but I’m still to begin my last year of college, and it takes a lot of time.
Setting things up to export for Android was also a considerable challenge. The documentation was not up to date and I found it hard. I hope that things go a little bit smoother for the console porting.
ADVICE FOR FELLOW DEVS?
Start and finish projects. Jams are super useful for this, but even if there are none at the moment or you prefer a longer development cycle, start a project that you like, see where you can take it, finish it, and share it.
In my opinion, if you want to make games, you can only get better by doing them. Of course, there are some super useful books (The Art of Game Design changed how I see game design), podcasts, YouTube channels, and all kinds of resources out there. I personally love the BGLD podcast and listening to GDC talks.
I stress finishing and sharing the projects because I think it really gives you perspective on so many things, such as your speed in making games, the best workflow for you, and which ideas end up being fun and which don’t.
If you are on a gamedev journey, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see you around!
ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?
- Thanks for this space!
If you want to keep up with the development of Mycelium Heaven you can check out my twitter https://x.com/3DGoblinDev
- Lorena
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2656520/Mycelium_Heaven/
❤️
