Hello! Today I want to announce the new game I released, as well as write a 2023 recap and a blog.

== NEW GAME ==

Super Combo Stomp!

Today I released my new game, Super Combo Stomp!

It's a game about shifting gravity as a spiked boot in order to stomp enemies and score points.

It has 15 levels, an endless mode, and a fully-fledged level editor with the ability to load and play custom levels!

The game costs $1.99 USD, but there's also a free demo you can download so you can try before you buy!

The game is currently available for Windows and Linux systems.

MORE INFO HERE!

== 2023 RECAP ==

This year I released 5 whole games with the help of my friends!

In this recap I will talk about how I made these games and what my inspirations were.

Game #1: CULLER

CULLER was the first game I released in 2023.

While working on Duck and Cover, I came up with the idea for a shooter game where you needed to match the colours of your enemies on the fly to score points. I couldn't get the idea out of my head until I made it a reality, so I whipped it up as a small side project while I finished up Duck and Cover.

I went with a minimalist art style for this one, because I wanted to challenge myself by making the game with the least amount of custom sprites. If I remember correctly, I only needed to use 2 sprites to create the game!

Game #2: Duck and Cover

Duck and Cover is a game inspired by this scene from the movie "Despicable Me" where the main character needs to weave through a swarm of missiles to dodge them. I thought that would be a fun idea for a game, so I made Duck and Cover!

Duck and Cover's modifier system was inspired by games like Unreal Tournament and Towerfall: Ascension.

Originally the game was going to be called "Duck Pond Destruction", but one of my friends came up with the name "Duck and Cover" during a playtesting session!

This game is currently my highest rated game, and it netted me my first daily award at 5th place!

Game #3 Duck and Cover 2

Duck and Cover 2 is a sequel to Duck and Cover with a higher emphasis on platforming.

Originally this game was INCREDIBLY different, being a game where you played as basketballs that needed to bounce around and perform tricks. This original concept was flawed and confusing to playtesters, so I scrapped it and transformed it into Duck and Cover 2!

This game was my first attempt at monetizing my work. My monetization method was making the game completely free and open-source, but selling an additional DLC expansion pack for $2.00 USD.

Game #4 CULLER 2

Just like CULLER 1, I made this game as a side project while working on Duck and Cover 2!

This game's aesthetics were inspired by old Japanese browser games I used to play with my dad as a kid.

As well as multiple new enemy types, this game added a multiplayer co-op mode.

Game #5 Super Combo Stomp

This game is actually an old scrapped demo resurrected into a full commercial release!

The concept of shifting gravity to stomp on enemies was present in a scrapped game that I made before Duck and Cover 1. While looking through my old projects, I found it and thought it had potential! Because of this, I built upon it until it was a full release!

That's all for the 2023 recap! I'm probably going to take a break from making games until the new year.

== BLOG ==

Since writing my last blog, I've spent a lot of time hanging out with my family and enjoying the holidays!

Lately I've been playing a lot of Lethal Company with my friends and little brother! I highly recommend that game, it's tons of fun when playing multiplayer!

I also watched Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron in theater with a friend. I don't want to spoil anything about the plot, so I will just say that the animation and visuals were incredible, and it's worth a watch for that alone!

Despite the cold December weather, I'm still regularly skateboarding whenever there's no snow on the ground.

I've been having a lot of fun making up dumb new no-comply tricks and cruising around my neighborhood!

That's about it for this news post, have a merry holiday season and a happy new year!