Judi-n-Lyle Devlog - 000

Finally getting around to making a first post and what better than to mention that I have started a full game dev project. I know, I know… very original idea to make an indie pixel art game. But this has been a dream of mine for awhile and now it feels like the right time to see it through.

This will be a game about my dogs, Judi and Lyle and their adventures in the woods as they lose their way from home. I am excited to be working on a project with the intention of releasing a full game. I have had the experience of completing some bite sized games through the Godot Wild Game Jam (see my Games page for those). However, I haven’t had the experience of actually completing a larger project.

I have had some great experiences learning pixel art via Aseprite and I have definitely been getting the hang of that tool along with art in general. I have taken some drawing and painting courses at my local rec center and it has honestly taught me so much about myself, art appreciation, and principles that I can take into many different facets of design and development. Mostly, it has taught me to trust the process and be patient through the moments when I just want to be at the finish line. Art is a slow process with lots of iteration and trust in yourself. Game dev in general is something I view as an interactive art medium which means there are so many facets of creativity and art that can be layered and expressed in a single canvas. I think it’s just a beautiful thing to get to build and share that experience with others.

I hope you enjoy this experience with me as I attempt to document my journey along the way and show off some of the cool things I am working on. I am currently planning for this game to be a puzzle platformer with 2 main character controllers. You will play as both Judi and Lyle as you solve puzzles with both of their unique abilities and make your way back home. Plus doing foley design with my dogs is one of the most rewarding creative tasks I have ever done (originally with Judi’s Journey - check it out on my Game page).

I have already done some work to flesh out the initial prototype character controllers with Judi and Lyle which are mostly taken from the Judi’s Journey project. I revamped the sprite sheets and made them look and feel a lot more like my dogs. I have also put together a preliminary switching mechanic so you can swap between the dogs and it feels nice so far. Excited to keep working on this journey and building out some fun worlds for the doggies to explore hopefully with you in the future. Check out a small demo video below of what I’ve got so far.

Judi n Lyle Demo

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you again very soon :)