The world of game development is a world filled with unique tales and personal stories. And we’re not just talking about the wide range of endlessly creative projects that see the light of day on a daily basis, but also the brilliant minds that will these titles into existence. Our series of game developer interviews began with a simple goal in mind: to introduce you to some of the most wonderfully creative people of the industry, and to learn a bit about their personal experiences and perspectives while working in this field.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting journey, and we’d love to have you along for the ride — so, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
We here at GTOGG adore point & click adventure games. They’ve been around for literal decades, enjoying their golden age in the 1990s — and while the genre itself is probably not quite as mainstream as it used to be in those years, it’s far from gone or forgotten; in fact, it’s been enjoying a second renaissance of sorts thanks to the countless talented indie creators who feel just as strongly about it as we do. Today, it’s our pleasure to present to you one such creator — we interview Francisco González from Grundislav Games.
First things first: could you please introduce yourself for our readers?
Hi, I’m Francisco González and I’m an indie adventure game developer. I started off in 2001 when I discovered Adventure Game Studio and began making small freeware games. I’m probably best known for the Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator series, which was a set of 8 games I made between 2004-2012. I released my first commercial adventure game, A Golden Wake, in 2014. After that, I released Shardlight in 2016, followed by Lamplight City in 2018, and most recently Rosewater in March of this year.
Your most recent project is Rosewater, a Western-themed point & click adventure that we were quite impressed with, but it’s not the first adventure game under your belt. For those who may not be familiar, could you tell us a bit about each title, and which aspect of them you’re most proud of?
Thank you! The Ben Jordan series was about a recent college graduate named Ben Jordan who decides to become a paranormal investigator. I was very inspired by the Gabriel Knight series as far as blending real world locations and history with the supernatural, but I wanted to focus even more on local legends and folklore. I’m most proud of the fact that I was able to complete the series. Sticking to a project for that long isn’t easy, but it definitely gave me the discipline and work ethic that allowed me to continue my commercial game development career.
A Golden Wake continues the tradition of historical fiction, and is a rise and fall story of a real estate agent in 1920s Miami. It meant a lot to me to make this game, because I grew up in Miami and always found that era of its history fascinating, so being able to explore it in an adventure game was really exciting. It’s probably one of the weaker entries in my catalog, because I focused way more on the history than on the characters and story, but I’m still proud of the fact that I was able to make it, and that it was my commercial debut.
Shardlight was my next project, which I developed with Ben Chandler. It’s a post-apocalyptic story about a woman searching for the cure to a deadly disease while also trying to bring down a corrupt government. Looking back, it’s wild that this game came out in 2016 considering what would happen in the real world just a few years later. In any case, it was my first experience collaborating with someone else on a project of that scale, and I’m happy that we managed to get it finished and retain our friendship :)
Lamplight City is a detective adventure set in an alternate 19th century. You play as a private detective who is haunted by the voice of his dead partner, and investigate 5 cases in an attempt to bring the man responsible for his death to justice. The unique aspect of Lamplight City is that each case has multiple possible solutions...or none at all. Your actions have consequences which might close off leads, and if you close off all leads, a case can be declared unsolvable. I wanted to experiment with designing a detective adventure where failing was ok and wouldn’t put you in a dead end situation with no way to advance, so I’m proud I was able to do that.
Rosewater is set in the same alternate history as Lamplight City, but takes us on a treasure hunt in the old west. It’s by far my most ambitious project, and I’m proud of every aspect, from the complexity of the branching narrative, to the amazing cast of voice actors I had the privilege of working with.
What inspired you to get into game development?
I was bitten by the bug as a child, when I played Dragon Warrior (aka Dragon Quest) on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I was drawn to the RPG mechanic of exploration, talking to characters, and going on quests. Later on I played King’s Quest V on the NES and was even more enamored by the pure adventure game mechanics. I always felt like it would be fun to try my hand at making an adventure game, but it wasn’t until I found Adventure Game Studio in 2001 that I was able to make that dream a reality.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face while working on a game?
Probably learning to let go of total control and let other people help me. It can be easy to want to do everything, but delegating tasks is both good for your own mental health, as well as for the quality of a project. It’s nice to be able to get excited about your own game after seeing someone else’s contribution to it.
What is the one thing that you believe every game developer should be aware of?
The games industry is not an easy one to work in, especially nowadays with all the layoffs and studio closures. You have to really enjoy making games more than making money if you hope to succeed.
In your opinion, what is needed for a game to be recognized by the gaming public? What will make people pay attention to the project?
I don’t have a definitive answer for this because I don’t know! Sometimes it seems like it all comes down to luck, and no game ever performs exactly how you would expect, for better and for worse. However, I do believe that people will pay attention if the game is good. If you as the creator feel excited about your project, that will come across to players. I can’t tell you how many reviews of Rosewater, both positive and negative, mention how much “love and care” were put into the game.
Whether people pay attention right away, or the game gets discovered in time as a “hidden gem”, I think passion and enthusiasm are the key ingredients.
Do you have any words for aspiring game developers?
Teach yourself the most important skill: finishing a project. The best way to do this is by starting small (game jams are a great option) and most importantly, don’t give up!
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your past self? Is there anything you’d do differently?
Mainly I’d reassure my past self that everything will work out and that game development is a sustainable career. I’d also tell myself to practice my digital art and draw the backgrounds for Ben Jordan 8 on the computer instead of on paper. I always feel that was a misstep that delayed the completion of that game significantly. If I’d finished it earlier, I could have started my commercial career earlier. Whether or not that would have made a significant difference, I couldn’t really say, but it’s something I sometimes wonder about.
Finally, could you tell our readers where they can follow you and your work if they’d like to stay up to date with any future developments?
All of my contact information and social media, as well as the option to subscribe to my newsletter can be found at my website: http://grundislav.games.
Make sure to check out our previous indie dev interviews as well:
