Hello! Welcome to the first of many blog posts about Where Shadows Slumber, a moody puzzle game coming to a mobile device near you. We have so much to talk about when it comes to this game, but today I’d like to pause and introduce you to this series.
Have you played our game yet? Download the demo for Where Shadows Slumber using the links below:
The App Store: bit.ly/WSS-AppleDemo
Google Play: bit.ly/WSS-AndroidDemo
Blogging is kind of a new thing for my friend Jack Kelly and I. The same is true for social media. At our core, we’re game developers. This single-minded focus is necessary for creating a beautiful, lasting work of art together. However, it does not behoove us to spend 3 years in a cave making a game and only make our presence known once the game is complete. Trust us – we tried that already. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, we’re going to spend some time every week talking about our process as we develop Where Shadows Slumber. I’ll begin today’s blog post by introducing the team, and then answering some made-up Frequently Asked Questions.
The Team So Far
Frank goes to bed each night in a full suit and tie, including loafers.
My name is Frank DiCola. I’m a life-long lover of video games and gamer culture. I credit my love of gaming to spending long hours as a child watching my older brother Paul beating games on the Super Nintendo, as well as a fascination with my muse “Yoshi”. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Art & Technology from the Stevens Institute of Technology, as well as a Master’s in Software Engineering. Stevens’ art program is heavily focused on digital artwork, and let me explore skills like digital illustration, 3D modeling, and animation (my true passion!). My Master’s is not so much a “programming” degree as it is a “software team management” degree. I serve as the lead Sound and Visual developer on Where Shadows Slumber, as well as Chief Marketing Guy.
Jack’s only had tea once in his life. This is the only photographic proof.
Jack Kelly is also a video game lover, growing up with computer games like Diablo II and StarCraft: Brood War. He also graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor’s in Math and a Master’s in Computer Science. He spends basically all of his free time acting as head (i.e. only) developer and designer for Where Shadows Slumber.
Check out the beautiful website Caroline is working on!
Caroline Amaba is a Senior Web Developer, currently hustling at VaynerMedia. She’s a huge nerd, in love with video games, board games, and dungeon-delving. Caroline’s got a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Art & Technology from Stevens Institute of Technology. In her spare time she’s either writing up table top RPG lore, streaming videogames of all sorts, gathering some friends for board games, or doing web and some production stuff for Mad Bracket Status, a pop-culture bracket podcast (look it up). She got involved with Where Shadows Slumber when, well, Frank asked. Anything for the games! Follow her on Twitter (@clineamb), Twitch (knilly_line), and Instagram (@clineamb).
What We’ve Created
Where Shadows Slumber is a brooding puzzle game that takes place in a shadowy, abandoned world. You will aid the main character in his search for redemption – a search that spans numerous worlds and introduces you to a cast of mysterious figures. Who rules this forgotten land? And who will be left once the adventure draws to its inevitable conclusion?
The only tool at your disposal – besides your intellect – is the chaotic nature of the universe. Anything that is not touched by light has the freedom to change. This governing principle will be your guide in the darkness, but also your undoing. After all, if you are not touched by the light, you have the freedom to change as well. What will you become?
Q.T.H.N.B.A. (Questions That Have Never Been Asked)
What website is this?
The Where Shadows Slumber blog series is being hosted on the publisher’s WordPress blog. The publisher (my company, founded November 2015) is Game Revenant.
Why do I see posts about Mr. Game!?
Game Revenant, the publisher, has two few active projects going on at once: Mr. Game!, a tabletop board game, and Where Shadows Slumber, a mobile puzzle game. There will be more projects this company publishes in the future, as well as more projects in the past. (Not true) You can use the search bar on this website to filter out any content you don’t want to see. Every one of the posts in these series will have the ‘where shadows slumber’ tag as well as more descriptive tags like ‘mechanics’ or ‘marketing’.
What’s up with that Dishonored post?
Sometimes opinion articles about gaming and gaming culture will appear on the blog roll too! If you don’t like them, then… keep scrolling!
I thought the game was called Where Shadows Grongus?
No, that’s incorrect. There is no game by that title, and that is certainly not the name of this game, nor will it ever be. Please refrain from engaging in some of the online petitions that have been sprouting up asking us to change the title. We will continue to ignore these requests, no matter the number of co-signers.
What will these blog posts cover?
Everything about the game! If you’re looking for the inside baseball of developing a mobile game in 2016 on a shoestring budget, you’re going to enjoy each and every article. We’ll cover everything you’d expect about the game development process (art, music, programming, working with Unity, testing, project management) as well as some behind-the-scenes things that few developers ever discuss (how to work remotely, our marketing plan, working on a tight budget, user acquisition methods, contract writing 101, time management tracking). No matter your role on the team, you’ll find a post that speaks to you personally.
When can I play the game?
The final game is not ready yet, and it won’t be out for a while. A release date has not been finalized at this time, so don’t expect the game any earlier than end-of-year 2017. However, we’ve created a demo of the game that is available on the App Store and Google Play for you to download and play. This small snapshot of the game is 100% free and always will be.
When will the next post come out?
We will post one article about the game every Tuesday at 1:00 PM EST. Currently, we plan to rotate authorship back and forth between the two of us, although we’re not against the occasional guest blog post. Don’t miss a post! Follow this blog on WordPress and Like / Subscribe / Follow / Chain Yourself to the links below:
Game Revenant’s Official Facebook Page
Game Revenant’s Official Twitter Account
Game Revenant’s Official YouTube Channel
Game Revenant’s Official Email List
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That’s it for today’s introduction. Come back next week as we delve into what makes the game ‘tick’ with a blog post by Jack Kelly, the game’s lead engineer!
Frank DiCola is the founder and CEO of Game Revenant, a game studio in Hoboken, NJ.
Game Revenant 