A Ghostly Rose Dev Journal #1

Since I began development on A Ghostly Rose, which was maybe around July 2019, a LOT has happened in my life. Mainly the death of my dad and the birth of my child. I developed this game while my wife and I worked full time jobs. While she was pregnant and while we took care of a newborn. Life never slowed down, it only got more intense as time passed.

I worked on the game during little pockets of free time here and there. Whether it was downtime at work, or as the baby napped.

There has never been a ‘good time’ to dev for me. I constantly have to make it work. Whether it is good times or it is bad times. It has never been easy for me to just sit down and develop a game. My life does not revolve around this hobby of mine. I doubt it ever will. And that is a good thing.

It is constantly on my mind. I am always thinking three steps ahead. I am constantly crafting worlds. It is honestly more of a burden than a joy. Yet it is a burden I love. I have said this before and I will say it again. I develop games because I have to, not exactly because it is fun.

If my life revolved around game development, I would be miserable. It is a craving that is never satisfied. It is a burden that never gets easier. I love it, but it is a love that often is not kind in return.

I often think to myself: 'Why did it take me so long to make this?’ Like I failed because I did not work on it as fast as I could have. Then I think back to everything that happened. Oh, a lot DID happen.

This game has a lot of history for me. This version especially.

Why A Ghostly Rose Again

For those who do not know, I previously released Three Ghostly Roses

Back in May 2019, I finished and released Cope Island: Adrift. ‘What’s next?’ I asked myself. I had about two much larger stories in my head well thought of, but there was something bothering me before I could move on to those.

Three Ghostly Roses.

But wait, don’t people generally like that game? Yes, it is my most successful game BY far. People seem to like it, much to my delight. Why can’t I just move on to the next thing?

I could have done a much better job on it.

That is true for everything you do! Just move on.

No, it could be so much more. I rushed it, thinking Cope Island was my big project. It was to help me get through being ghosted by a certain company. Developing Three Ghostly Roses taught me so many lessons. It was why I was able to jump back to my feet and make the Cope Island I wanted to make (mostly) by myself. But the game itself? It lacked something. It lacked something quite important.

Three Ghostly Roses lacked me.

I tried to talk myself out of remaking Three Ghostly Roses for a while. I convinced myself to move on quite a lot of times. The issue was, ideas kept flowing. The story changed so much in my head. The gameplay changed. I had thought of this new game altogether, while keeping a similar blueprint.

So I decided to start making it. Patiently, I chipped away at it. It became something I am very proud of.

It is a completely new game. It is half sequel, half remake. New story. New graphics. New gameplay. New world. New soundtrack. If you enjoyed Three Ghostly Roses, please treat this as a new game altogether, rather than a replacement or a definite version.

I look forward to telling you all more about what the game is. It is very special to me.

If you want consistent updates about this game, please follow me on twitter. Likes, retweets, or wishlisting on steam. It is all a massive help.