During lockdown, I found myself diving deep into my game collection, finally finishing all the half-played titles that had been gathering digital dust. At first, it felt like guilt-free indulgence—but eventually, the thrill wore off. The loud action adventures, the chaotic shooters, the tricky platformers, and even the mind-bending puzzle games all started to lose their appeal.
I began craving something different: more story, more depth. Narrative-driven games offered a refreshing change, but I found their mechanics—mostly multiple-choice interfaces—uninspiring. The adventure genre, despite its potential for storytelling, seemed stuck in the past, still echoing the text-and-image format of the '70s and '80s.
So I started wondering: Is there a better way for games to tell stories? Could there be new paradigms that let players stay immersed—without breaking the experience with menus, dialogue wheels, or clunky interfaces?
Fast forward to this week: on Wednesday, I’m releasing a roughly finished first level of my game, "In Like Flynn." It’s an action-adventure where both action and narrative are driven by a single button, with no overlaid interface—just uninterrupted play.
Why release something unfinished? Because if I don’t draw a line somewhere, it’ll remain a “perfect” idea in my head forever. Game development offers so many possibilities, it’s easy to get stuck in indecision. Wednesday is my line in the sand. Sure, the graphics could be better. The timing of the interface could be tighter. The sound could use work. But if I don’t release it, I’ll just keep polishing… until I burn out and move on to the next shiny idea.
I chose itch.io for the release because I’ve always found this community to be friendly, helpful, and—most importantly—honest. It felt like the right place to start sharing and making decisions.