Being held at Gunpoint

I have a few things I would like to write about today.
 
The first is the discovery of a game called ‘Gunpoint’. It is by Tom Francis, and what a game it is! From the trailer, I expected it to have great visuals, captivating gameplay and well-thought out puzzles. What I didn’t expect was the wry sense of humour that complimented the tone of the game. I also didn’t expect the responsive dialogue, and choices that the game asks you to make. For example, there was a point at the end of the game where I really had to spend some time thinking  ‘what do I think is the morally correct thing to do next?’ All the different elements of the game work together beautifully, even the music is superb.
 
In short, for a game with such ‘simple’ packaging, it truly delivers an awesome and impressive gaming experience. It didn’t take me long to finish it, but I enjoyed every second immensely, and it is likely that I will revisit it again soon.
 
I learned a lot from the game as well - I guess now is as good a time as any to announce it - since the beginning of the year I have been working on a new game. I don’t want to reveal anything major about it now, but I do want to say that it will blow minds. Its abbreviated name is FMMH, and it will change everything.
 
At first I wasn’t certain that I could deliver a project so ambitious using GameMaker, but knowing that Gunpoint was developed with GameMaker has given me full confidence that it can be done. Another reason why I learned a lot from Gunpoint is that my new game is trying to go for a particular tone – one that Gunpoint captured perfectly. As a result, I have a few new ideas about what I can do to make sure this tone is captured successfully.
 
I also know whom I am making FMMH for. In last week’s blog, I provided a link to an article by Matthew Hall (a successful game developer). One of the pieces of advice he gives is ‘make your game for one person’. Following Matthew’s advice, I have decided that FMMH will be made for Tom Francis.
 
If you haven’t played Gunpoint, you’re missing out.
 
Cheers,
McDeezy