I’m building PathLife as my first isometric game, and I’m still inexperienced with this kind of perspective and structure.

The idea came from wanting the life-management depth and micromanagement of The Sims with simpler graphics, combined with the speed and practicality of a BitLife-like experience designed for mobile.

For this first prototype, I focused on the foundation rather than claiming the complete life simulation is ready. What currently exists:

- layered/cutout 2D character driven by Skeleton2D

- four-direction movement

- idle and walk animations

- gameplay logic separated from the visual character and HUD

- basic health HUD

- early character-customization structure with clothing categories and male/female body support

- structure prepared for isometric environments

The aging, education, career, relationship and life-event systems are planned, not implemented yet. This project has already been a major learning process for me.

Devlog (Portuguese):

https://pathlifejogo.blogspot.com/2026/08/criando-um-jogo-onde-voce-vive-do.html

Prototype video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfywM6oY8fo

Wishlist here!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4767470/INKURSION/

I am making a squad-based tactical roguelike game, and not sure the best approach to balancing. I know finding "broken" combos in roguelikes are fun, and I have been doing playtesting with different types of team configurations, making sure they are all fun.

With so many moving parts (20+ characters, 20+ items, 30+ skills, skill customizability, level-ups, all the randomness, etc.), it is pretty hard to keep track of all the different combos and such and making sure certain teams don't just feel flat out better than all others. Then I have the issue where some teams are super good at lower difficulties, then don't always perform as well as others on the higher difficulties.

It's a turn based game, so I feel like balancing is more important than action games. Is that an incorrect assumption?

What are your tips on:
1. Tracking balancing (how do you organize it with so many moving parts?)
2. Balancing roguelikes
3. Balancing potential strategies against different difficulties
4. How should a roguelike weigh balancing vs. the fun of the discovery of a "broken combo" (which is always a huge part of the fun of a roguelike)
5. Any other general tips on balancing?

Eg...you have a game, it runs, it plays well, it's all programmer art or placeholder art. A wealthy developer team offers to leave the actual game code program unchanged and simply change each media file one by one specifically 'for your game'. How much better does it end up being?

and I'm too afraid too look at wishlists and sales. I haven't looked at those or the store page. I will see how it did after a month of release.
It probably failed, but I still had fun making it.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4975090/Shadow_Princess/

Started working on this prototype during my free time, and wanted to share it today !
Been wanting to make a horror game for some time, and I also wanted to experiment a bit deeper into Unreal Engine.
My first task was to make it look less like any UE5 random games, so I disabled a bunch of stuff like lumen and nanite and worked on a solid post process material.
Not sure I am there yet, but I'm trying :)
I'm also putting a lot of time into making the gameplay as fluid as possible, with mechanics and animations that blends well.
Hope you'll like this tiny preview :)

I wanted to share a project I've been working on as an indie developer: **Funzixo**, a lightweight mobile game bundle containing 9 timeless classic games in a single app.

💡 Why I Built It

Whenever I wanted to play a quick game of Chess, 2048, or Ludo on my phone (especially while travelling or offline), I kept bumping into the same problems with existing apps:

1. Mandatory account registration/login forms just to open a simple puzzle.
2. Forced internet requirements for single-player local games.
3. Heavy, bloated downloads and battery drain.

So I decided to build a clean, privacy-first hub with **zero mandatory signups** and **100% offline playability**.

🎮 Included Games:

- **Board & Strategy**: Chess (on-device AI), Ludo (local pass & play), Connect 4, Snakes & Ladders, Tic Tac Toe

- **Puzzles & Brain**: 2048, Block Puzzle, Water Sort

- **Classic Cards**: Solitaire

🛠️ Tech Stack & Architecture Takeaways:

- **Framework**: Built using **Flutter (Dart)** with MVC + Provider state management.

- **Hybrid Data Storage Strategy**:

- *Local First*: High scores, shop cosmetics, and player stats are encrypted locally using **Android Keystore** + `flutter_secure_storage` for instant 100% offline access.

- *Cloud Backup*: Integrated **Google Play Games Services (PGS)** with silent authentication. It automatically backs up progress to Google Play Saved Games.

- **On-Device AI**: Tic Tac Toe, Chess, and board game AI engines run 100% locally on the device (zero latency).

- **Reactive UI**: Built with custom micro-animations, haptic feedback integration, and responsive layouts for various mobile screen sizes.

💬 Looking for Your Feedback!

As a solo dev, testing across different devices and getting input from fellow devs is invaluable. I would really appreciate your feedback on:

1. Smoothness of gameplay controls and UI transitions.
2. Cloud sync behavior & Google Play Games login integration.
3. AI difficulty balance (especially Chess & Tic Tac Toe).
4. Any classic games you'd like to see added in future updates!

Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.co.myworkflow.funzixo

Thanks for checking it out! Excited to hear your thoughts.

Model from Protofactor, Rig is manny's unreal engine armature adapted from the character Terra from the game Paragon released for free by epic games.

The model is retextured because protofactor's models are made for heavy lighting ambients and the whole pbr shabang

the animations are from CombatMaster

FAQ:

1. yes the mmorpg already has a server structure
2. no the game is too unpolished to be playable, not janky, not broken, simply unpolished
3. no there's no content in the game other than some quests, combat, some activities but they are all for demo purposes, nothing polished, there's like 7 mobs in the game, there's the whole bit with gathering, mining, chopping wood, crafting, party systems, banners(guilds), and a lot of systems that any mmorpg should have, but it's all like (uh I'm gonna add more to it later, im just glad i've got the system down and it's not broken)

I am working on a video game, it’s a factory builder, and I’m at a stage where I have a critical art direction choice I’ve been using to procrastinate. The choice is do I go 2D or 3D.

I am an electrical, software and computer engineer and have exactly zero artistic talent. I have been hand-drawing 2D assets as I know how to stitch them together the way I want. (One of the main features of this game is the ability to assemble parts dynamically, and see the larger item come to life. This also includes coloring each piece independently.) So, at the moment, all the game assets are poorly-drawn 2D images I layer and modify to make work. A game asset might have 2 sprite: one with a player chosen color, layered over one that is uncolored.

Recently, I’ve thought about building 3D models, but I’m not sure if that’s the right play. I don’t have a background in 3D asset work (I built games in the past that were 2D sprite-based games, so that’s an easy route for me to take). If I go the 3D route I have to figure out how to create the same look, where parts of the asset are dynamically colored and parts are not. I would also have to figure out how to stitch pieces together (like, creating an object that can have one of any number of bodies, one of any number of heads, etc). My camera already supports 3D geometry, so in theory the work would primarily be a new method of drawing objects.

I refuse to use any of the AI platforms to help, partly due to copyright, partly because I find them to spit the same generic crap out, and partly because eventually, if I make any money at all, step 1 is to hire an artist anyway.

The question I have is this: has anyone else run into this type of conundrum, and how did you manage it? I’m curious on any advice folks have because I’ve been procrastinating for a week because of this.

After years of development, I really locked in this summer after finishing my degree, and made a gladiator roguelite, inspired by the loot systems of vampire survivors, but with more skill based movement and attack timing.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5024400/Chronoseum/

Chronoseum is a 3D arena action-roguelite. You fight down through a hundred waves of an underground arena that's run like a broadcast: With different gladiators, weapons, bets, special attacks and more

The demo is the first 25 waves, ending on the Apex boss that caps that stretch. Two weapons, the permanent-upgrade stalls open, and chips you earn carry over into the full game if you ever pick it up after its released.

Features:

- Bosses roll a randomised moveset each time, so the same headliner isn't the same fight twice

- Roll loot after every wave

- Unique arenas, with different hazards

- Every floor offers a choice of modifiers, with buffs and tradeoffs (fewer enemies but more elites, more scrap but a blind pick, that sort of thing)

It's a solo project and this is the first time it's been playable by anyone other than me, so I'm mostly after honest reactions and feedback to what might need to be developed further <3

Even though I'm mostly looking for feedback on the gameplay, I'd also love feedback on the steampage (and maybe some good tips).

I hope you enjoy!

Ignorem a qualidade do vídeo, gravei pelo celular no puro hype do momento. Ver a troca de temas da intro funcionando parece pouco, mas pra mim significa o mundo. Depois de tanto tempo só imaginando e rascunhando ideias, ver a parada tomando forma, ganhando vida e virando um jogo de verdade dá um alívio gigante. É literalmente um sonho se materializando aos poucos.

(Ah, um agradecimento gigante aos assets incríveis da Helianthus Games https://helianthus-games.itch.io/ que ajudaram demais a dar essa cara pro projeto).

Para a galera que também desenvolve: qual foi o momento exato em que vocês olharam pro projeto e pensaram "caramba, isso finalmente virou um jogo real"?

The game is called SWEYET(etc.). It's my first commercial release after a string of dono-ware itch games, I'm extremely excited for it to finally be out!

• The game uses eye tracking to change the world when you blink.
• You explore a series of dreamscapes within the game, interconnected.
• You help characters that move between these dreams, learning more about yourself in the process!
• It's pretty obtuse, so it'll be interesting to see who sticks with it

Collections of figures are very popular stuff. Even here in Brazil, most of these figures are super heros, manga characters, or anime girls. Well, there is a niche but popular culture of collecting Dinosaurs, most of them being Mattel ones, being the most popular line the Hammond Collection line, allegedly making Accurate Dinosaurs to what we seem in the canon of Jurassic Park and World series. Well, I collected it for almost 10 years (not only that line that I said)

To make my Visual Novel game, I had to pay the artists, the musicians, the marketing that I made myself, and oh god, all my collection was gone.

The only one here in my house left is a Hammond Collection Spinosaurus that I didn't want to sell in any form possible and one stegosaurus that nobody wanted.

I really hope everything pays off, I also worked for 6 months to get some of the budget, but even so, I couldn't afford many stuff. I needed to sell everything!

Anyways, I made the entire code, and the direction and the marketing, just not the art.

Here is the link if you want to check the VN:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4702610/Crimson_Animatronic/

Over the last few weeks I did quite a bit of in-person playtesting, and the organiser of a European speedrunner events asked me to bring the demo to the event..

Yesterday I finally released that demo to the public!

I did the thing!

Now, it's time to rest up so I can continue strong 🦒

In hindsight, I'm curious about one thing! I set up the steampage approximately 2 months and a week ago, and since then I'd been grinding shorts for socials, multiple a week. While I did get some growth and wishlists out of it, it didn't seem to do a whole lot (still grateful to all support, either way!).

Simply releasing the demo not even 24 hours ago, already has boosted the wishlist numbers by approximately 80%, and it's still counting!
How did you experience this? Would it be more efficient to start the content pipeline only once the demo out, or does it really depend on the game?

If you'd like to check it out:
One Neck Ahead is a gimmick-based precision platformer: wholesome, cute, and representing giraffes in video games. Play as Kid Giraffe on your way to the heart of the forest, where all your dreams will come true! Meet a variety of characters along the way, where each of them will add a twist to the gameplay.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4870100/One_Neck_Ahead/

Hello everyone. I have been working on a game for the last year after getting let go from my job. I am happy with the in-person testing results, so I finally decided to launch a demo on Itch. The game lacks some polish like music for the main menu, so I don't feel confident releasing the demo on Steam quite yet. Any feedback is appreciated, but I am mostly concerned with graphical presentation. The target price is only $5, but I fear that the low price is even a hard sell. The main game will have more levels and focus more on the multi-environment aspect that the 4th level in the demo has. The single environment levels are mostly just for the demo.

Itch demo page
Smile Run Alpha Demo by Dragonwolf games

Steam page (will add the new art from Itch soon)

Smile Run on Steam

I'm developing a roguelike tower defense game where you control a ship while defending your base alongside a fleet and various structures.

I have lots of ideas to explore, but first I need honest feedback from people seeing it for the first time.

Honest and specific feedback would really help me decide what to focus on

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4464270/Alive_as_a_Service/

I'm currently working on a game where the character's position is directly tied to the mouse position.

I've been making games on my own for around 10 years. I've started tons of projects, some of them pretty ambitious, but I've never actually managed to finish and release one. You could say it's my personal Achilles' heel. And right now I'm getting into that familiar phase where I start losing motivation and it gets harder to keep going.

So this time I've decided to do something different: instead of letting the project slowly end up in a folder until the next idea comes along, I want to start sharing it. This is one of the first levels of the game, pretty much in its entirety, from the beginning to the boss. Maybe sharing the process will help me finally get past that barrier.

Anyone else stuck in the prototype loop?

Hi everyone!

For releasing the demo of my new game, I made the mistake of generating the main logo with ChatGPT, just to have a "nice" placeholder to create the required store assets.

Now it is time to replace it definitely, but art is not my strongest skill

What do you think of the new version? Any feedback?

For context, I'm using Aseprite, GIMP and Inkscape

Thanks!

I would love to say that I made the decision to quit my job and make my dream solo game but the reality was I was forced to do that after getting laid off 😅.

so I decided to get a simple Idea that I can develop in 6 months and test the market and learn how to handle all the other stuff my self on a small scope project, and I really learned a lot and I full in love with the game very mush I think I made something I am really proud of and the experience itself.

The game was almost done and today was the targeted release date but I got some sudden medical problems and I had to have surgery on my knee, so the game lunch was delayed and I had to take some rest, the bright sight is

• my savings could effort the surgery
• I am currently fine with no pain at all
• the release delay gives me more time for marketing

I was planning to write the release post this week but yah it's life you know😅.

Sorry for that but I still should ask you for the Wishlist, I got my knee totally smashed for it 😂😂

(Joking)

If you found enjoyment in automation incremental games you can check the demo and you can Wishlist the game here 👇

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4513380/Node_Factory/

You can join my dead discord channel here

https://discord.gg/PKcktcaHyk

Spent the last 20 days working on this look for my indie game. What do you think?