Final Update
Time to put this game to rest.
This is my first commercial game I've ever released. It's only a small $5 game, but still something I'm proud of. For this final devlog, I'm going to recap the game's development history and talk about the results.
Before Basement Raid
This game is actually my fourth fourth game (at least it was, but my two multiplayer side projects now make this the 6th).
After Comet Flip, I decided to make a simple platformer. The concept of this game was that you were able to flip the world between two states. However, my attempt to actually make this game ended up with something that was just plain uninteresting. I think I ended up releasing a demo for this one, though if I did, that page no longer exists. In fact, the project as a whole is gone. I think I spent about 5 months before scrapping it.
After scrapping this platformer, I decided to make a simple top-down adventure game where you had to scale a massive tower in under an hour. The tower was meant to be a large maze of several different paths, with you having to figure out the best route to get to the top as fast as possible. However, this game had the same result as the platformer: I couldn't make anything interesting out of it and the project was wiped. I think this game lasted 2 months before being axed.
The last scrapped game was a sort of platformer where you were dropped into a room and traps would come at you from all angles. Saws, enemies, arrows, and other hazards would come wave after wave. I remember this one lasting 4 months before meeting the same fate as the other two.
Perhaps I could have made these three games work, but I was nowhere near skilled enough to make these projects to my liking. Considering how much I've grown as a developer during Basement Raid's development, I think I can make these work now if I had a good plan and was willing to commit to it.
Basement Raid's Beginning
This game was started May of 2024. I didn't have much of a plan, I just wanted to make a futuristic top-down shooter. I just made a simple player, a few simple weapons, and some enemies that moved towards you. Over time, however, I began adding stuff like dashing, improved enemy behavior, new weapons, and other stuff. In only 1 month, I was able to get a demo going. This is where the devlogs started.
Working on Basement Raid
This wasn't a game I was working on full time, it was just a hobby project. When it started, I wasn't even old enough to be able to get paid, and my initial expected release date would've been before I turned 18, so money wasn't expected.
When the game started, it was summer and I was pumped to keep working, so I dumped a lot more hours than towards the end. I think I would spend a total of 12 hours or so a week, as opposed to just about 4-6 towards the end.
As time went on, the enthusiasm faded away and I started to get sick of working on the game. It wasn't exactly burnout, but rather just feeling like I was stuck on this game without satisfying progress. I never really had a plan or a schedule, so I was just adding random stuff for the most part. It wasn't until about the last 6 months of release that I had a set plan, and at this point, the scope I originally had (20 weapons and 5 worlds with 4 levels each) was shaven down by a lot.
I eventually got Early Access started, but ended up getting no feedback or attention (that I was aware of) outside of people I knew personally. This was my biggest sign that this project wasn't going to get much attention. Completely my fault, as my "marketing" was just these devlogs (which weren't even Itch's official devlog feature) and the only two videos I made were the EA (now unlisted) and release trailers. Not even a YT short. At the very least, I was able to get my second demo (pre-early access) in the eyes of a youtuber that was playing his viewers' games (shout out to Bewky) and got some praise for it.
I ended up getting one of my schoolmates onto the project in the hopes of an original soundtrack (Soulen) in exchange for part of the game's revenue. However, this deal ended up dissolving due to his lack of time and my lack of money, though Soulen did help with coding and playtesting when he was on the project, which was highly appreciated.
On August 15th, 2025, the game was finally released.
After Release
So, how much did my game make in the first month? $10. I'm not bummed out since I wasn't expecting much, but I was kinda surprised it was such a low amount.
I also ended up finding a serious bug, which was that the double-fight room in 1-3 would start both encounters at once if you died while the second encounter was active. This bug should now be fixed. As far as I know, the game does not have any other serious bugs. I do not intend to fix any more bugs, so this game will be the way it is for the rest of Itch's life.
I don't expect any more sales or attention, so this marks the end of the game's life.
The Lessons I Learned
- HAVE A PLAN AND A SCHEDULE.
- This project would have been finished much faster if I had a solid plan and a solid schedule. The lack of direction and accountability (even with regular devlogs) is why the game took so long to make.
- If you get someone onto your project, make sure you can provide what they want.
- A cut of revenue doesn't matter when the game makes almost nothing. You should have guaranteed income for them.
- If not income, don't try to bring money into the conversation in the first place, just let them help for their own enjoyment.
- Market properly and regularly.
- Do videos regularly. Utilize any marketing channels you can, like shortform content and various social media platforms.
- Make sure your marketing is mostly visual. Don't expect audiences to read (I know this devlog is a wall of text but whatever) and don't expect them to listen to long rants. Use videos that immediately show what you want to show, with talking only to explain what needs explaining.
Conclusion
This game, although not a commercial success in the slightest, was still a good stepping stone for me as a developer. I learned and improved a lot of skills during the game's development and came out a much better developer. I also learned some good lessons along the way. While the game's development was hindered by aimlessness and demotivation, I pushed forward, locked in, and finished the game. For that, I am proud of what I made. For the final time this devlog...