Hello dear readers,

After over a year of solo work on larger, more ambitious projects, I'd like to revive my presence on itch.io with a few small victories.

I am working towards obtaining a source of funding to sustainably complete The Inverted Spire. Working in small increments out-of-pocket can be a torturously slow and emotionally draining process. It can also be a source of comfort through difficult times- and the past few years have undeniably been quite difficult.

More recently, my journey has brought me back to the game jam and festival circuit. I'll be sharing a few experimental games. Little solo dev adventures that reflect my progress as a creator. 

These side quests have given me a much-needed creative reboot. They're a good way to test my skills as a developer, create opportunities to meet new people, and perhaps most importantly, recharge my enthusiasm for making cool stuff!

Destroy Your Demon (let's call her DYD) is inspired by action puzzle arcade games of the mid-90s such as "Dossun! Genseki Battle" and "Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo." 

The thing is, I didn't grow up with much access to game consoles. When I decided to try emulating these classic games in my spare time, there was no nostalgia attached to the idea. I just wanted a simple pattern-matching game that let me shut off my brain without stumbling through ads or gacha gambling mechanics.

I quickly found that the puzzle arcade games of yore were surprisingly challenging. At least when compared to the average IAP-laden Tetris clone I can download to my phone today. I lost over and over again, but my stubbornness kept me coming back.

Eventually, I realized the repetitive pattern-finding mechanics can inspire a flow state. I even found myself a little addicted to the calming, meditative state of mind that came about when I focused on raising my score.

After several years of standing knee-deep in narrative-heavy projects, it occurred to me that making my own arcade game might be the perfect palate cleanser: What if I explored the way the frantic pace of a retro puzzle game can produce this contradictory stress-relieving effect?  

DYD is designed to be small and portable. Something that’s easily played on mobile devices with a touchscreen.

The game only has four levels, each representing different times of day.  On starting a new run,  the player is asked a series of questions about their day-to-day intrusive thoughts. Their enemy then embodies their "inner demon" (i.e. negative self-talk and cognitive distortions), while the blocks represent activities that replenish energy and self-esteem.

This breakdown of game mechanics reflects how I felt about retro puzzle arcade games while playing them. The rapid build-up of blocks felt an awful lot like the build-up of real-world responsibilities. Without so much as an excuse plot to go on, it was tempting to project my frustrations of the day onto the archetypal characters I was fighting.

In DYD, the player's demon can charge up and execute attacks that hide block tiles to make them more difficult to match. Meanwhile, the player must rapidly form combos of blocks with strategically chosen effects. Matches charge their "resolve" for an attack on the demon. 

I liked the idea of emphasizing this kind of reward-based motivation over a more punishing timer mechanic. What timers do exist impact the player's dropping health and the demon's rising attack charge, but they are easily delayed with the right type of block.

I also wanted to address a number of accessibility challenges I encountered while playing the games that inspired DYD. The colour palette, block animations, line guides and other features built into the game are tailored to my particular constellation of disability. Such features likely won't work for everyone— so I'm all the more curious to see how other players feel about them!

My final thought on DYD is that it was fun making something so completely outside my wheelhouse. I never thought much of incorporating mini games into larger, more narrative-heavy projects. Now I've got some new ideas about how to make that work without disrupting the narrative flow.~