Developing my dream game after 7 years as a solo dev

I did not have the habit of putting things down in words. For the past 7 years, I have been focusing on making a better game. The Internet is a busy place. If you don't show it, no one knows about it. Through this update, I wish to summarize the development journey of the last 7 years into 1 devlog.

What is my project about?

The Book of Prosperity is a 2D Action RPG that transports players to a surreal pixel art world where ancient magic bleeds into modern skyscrapers. The story follows Cyrus, a sarcastic student pulled into a parallel dimension ruled by a powerful and mysterious organization known as The Circle.

The game incorporates parkour like Assassin's Creed with unforgiving battle like Dark Souls. Parrying and rolling in the perfect frame will reward you with extra mana that keeps your attack going. Pressing skills at the right time will trigger combos. Some enemies are powerful and will knock you into the sky, but you can also make a perfect landing if you can catch the frame.

Why did I start the project?

I am SingKeys. I like gaming. I used to wait at the game shop on my favourite games' release date before their opening hour.

I particularly like Assassin's Creed and some other AAA games. But in recent years, I just cannot find a new game that hits my soul like they used to. That's why I started playing indie games. Among them, Toby Fox of Undertale inspired me to start making a game. One person with limited resources can make something people enjoy, simply with creativity and determination. I want to find out why those games I like hit me so much, and I will combine those feelings into a game that I really, really like. If you like it, that's an absolute bonus!

As a Hong Kong-based developer, I also want to express my admiration for this place through this game. The culture and the spirit of the people here just feel like an anime to me, with thick lore and passionate characters. I want you to feel the same. However, the game is not entirely about Hong Kong, there are also familiar elements of a regular fantasy world, like magic, big scary monsters and more.

How's the journey?

I started developing back in 2019, and I planned to release it in 2023. Do not look at the date I published this update... Throughout the years, I learned so much and got exposed to more high-quality projects, which made me always doubt myself about whether the game is ready or not. Therefore, I stopped all online presence in 2023 and focused on the quality itself.

It's not an easy journey. I work a full-time job that demands high performance. Usually, when I get home, my energy is depleted. It was not until recent months that I decided to stay at the office to stop my bed's temptation that I enhanced my efficiency. I experienced lots of burnout and self-doubt as there seems to be no specific goal to achieve, with no teammates, and an overwhelming number of roles falling on me. But I tried to deal with it, and come to peace with myself, that I need to give myself affirmation and break, even if the project is not in its best shape yet.

Being a solo dev means I have to do everything, animations, programming, marketing etc. I am grateful that my full-time job allowed me to look for a portrait artist and a composer. For the art and animation, I draw them frame-by-frame.

I have recently started redesigning some of the older characters as my standard for quality has risen. In the early days of development, I think pixel art is easy because I can just randomly throw a few blocks on the canvas and it's done. But as my skill improves, I find pixel art can be difficult because of the limited pixels you can use for shadows and highlights. It's not perfect, but I'm proud of my progress.

Some core systems are also being redeveloped. For example, the skill system.

This is what I had 7 years ago.

What's next?

I hope to release the first trailer in the upcoming April, and a playable demo later this year. My plan is to release the game in early 2027, let's hope it can come true. I will post devlogs more frequently on social media and here.

Early in the development, my marketing strategy is to keep promoting the game. I will still do that, after all, I'm just a small potato to be smashed by the triple-A companies. But I will put more time into gathering gamers' feedback. To be better in marketing is by making a better game. I hope you can let me know what you think, and together, we can make this project come true.

Please join our community to keep up to date and give feedback. You will also have a chance to try out the internal Alpha test! A wishlist will be very much appreciated as well!

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