As soon as the dream of turning into a sport developer shaped in my head, I didn’t let go till I attained it. The highway resulting in Sally Face was lengthy and difficult however it modified my life endlessly. This can be a private story of how I received the place I’m right this moment.
The Origin and Inspirations
I grew up loving steel, video video games, and cartoons of the 90s. This stuff had been massive inventive influences on me. I started drawing at a younger age, with a robust curiosity in characters and storytelling. I additionally taught myself guitar after I was 16. Dwelling in a haunted home was one other massive aspect that molded me. Plagued with horrible evening terrors and unusual encounters all through my youth, I’ve all the time discovered myself drawn to darker topics and the paranormal.
I didn’t actually know what to do with all these pursuits of mine and it wasn’t till after highschool that sport improvement got here up as an choice. It was virtually a direct spark – making video games was good for me. It concerned all the things I like: storytelling, artwork, music, creativity, interactive worlds…
Round 2007, throughout my school years, an odd dream I had impressed a creepy sketch. This drawing was the origin of Sally Face. Quickly after, I had varied tough sketches and concepts for a cartoon surrounding this character. I attempted to get some pals collectively to animate it however that rapidly fell aside. So the idea sat in my head for the subsequent few years.
After school, I shaped a small indie group with some pals, known as Wither Studios. We labored on tasks in our free time, after work hours. A pair years after releasing our first sport and nonetheless struggling to earn a living, the group hit a tough patch. Arguing brought about two of our members to go away. With an uncertain destiny, I made a decision to begin my very own aspect undertaking. I had sufficient expertise by then and wanted the artistic outlet.
In 2015, the idea for Sally Face got here again to me and I believed it will work nicely as an journey sport as a substitute of a cartoon. Retaining the gameplay easy was additionally necessary as a result of I’m not a programmer. I wanted to be taught some new instruments due to this. And that was the place to begin of my solo endeavor as Transportable Moose.
Sally Face, Episode One: Unusual Neighbors was virtually achieved however the subsequent yr or two can be the toughest of my life. I used to be immediately laid off from my day job and having a tough time discovering good work. Then started a separation with my ex-wife which led to transferring backwards and forwards and finally divorce. Within the midst of this, a detailed liked one made a number of suicide makes an attempt, which was traumatizing. I fell right into a deep despair and couldn’t depart my condo and even get off the bed. This halted manufacturing on the sport for a pair months. Although, ultimately, engaged on the sport once more actually helped me pull myself out of the darkish gap I used to be residing in. It gave me one thing to pour myself into. It gave me one thing to be hopeful of.
Reaching the Dream
I initially launched the sport episodically on PC as I used to be making them. Episode One got here out in 2016 and other people had been liking it. The sport was now pulling in sufficient income for me to proceed working full time on it. Sally Face frequently grew a big cult following and remains to be rising robust. The fifth and remaining episode was launched on the finish of 2019 after which I started engaged on the console ports. I ended up hiring outdoors assist for the ports; which moreover for translations, was the primary time different individuals have labored on the sport moreover myself. I crafted the story, the design, characters, art work, music, all of it. This made it much more rewarding because the fan base grew and the quantity of admiration they confirmed for my creation.
Preserve Combating the Darkness
Delve into the offbeat thriller right this moment with Sally Face on Xbox One and Xbox Collection X|S!
Sally Face
Transportable Moose
$14.99
A DARK MYSTERY IS UNFOLDING…
Delve into an unsettling journey following a boy with a prosthetic face, as he makes use of his handheld online game system to talk with the lifeless and be taught their tales. After a string of mysterious murders, Sal and his three pals uncover one thing really sinister casting shadows over their small city.
