We recently chatted with the creator behind Grippy Golf, a super cool 3D platformer. It’s a wild twist on the genre, and our interview gave us some behind-the-scenes insights into how this awesome game came to be. Grippy Golf is definitely a game to keep an eye on if you love platformers with a twist!
1. Tell us about your games. What inspires your work?
My current project is Grippy Golf, a speedrunning platformer where obstacles stick to the ball! Originally, it was just a silly physics experiment that came to me after some friends and I were messing around with Wii Sports. At some point I added launchpads, and realized that it was pretty fun to bounce from one pad to the other. Following that line of thought (and pulling some inspiration from Neon White) lead the game to where it is today, where the goal of each level is to get a Hole In One as quickly as possible. Before that, my first proper game was Cat Herder, a puzzle game about, uh, herding cats. That one was mainly inspired by my own cat Dory, who is very rambunctious and chaotic. I had a lot of fun channeling that energy into the AI.
2. What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do?
This one’s a classic, but still very true: Start Small. So many new indie devs start off with big dreams about big games. But the truth is that your first game, your first several games, should be absolutely tiny. Reduce your scope as small as you can, and then cut it in half, because you’re probably still underestimating the work. As you get more experienced, you can start to scale up, but even then you’ll probably overshoot by a ton! For example, Grippy Golf was supposed to have a multiplayer mode, but I’m going to have to cut that in order to make my release date. Hopefully I can add it in a later update.
3. Goals for 2024?
Well, Grippy Golf comes out in February, so that’s a pretty major goal! Beyond that, I guess you could say that my goal is to make enough money to continue working as a solo dev. When I first set off on this adventure, I set aside enough savings to last me for around two years. We’re coming up on that deadline now, so after Grippy Golf’s release I’ll have to decide if I can keep doing this, or return to a more conventional job. Fingers crossed!
4. What is your biggest success story?
Probably my biggest success so far was the release of my previous game, Cat Herder. Not only did I get more downloads than I had any right to expect (I did a very poor job of marketing), but the reviews have largely been extremely positive. There’s a ton of things I would do differently now, and it’s certainly not for everyone, but it’s a project I can look back on and be legitimately proud of.
5. Where can folks support your work?
Thanks for asking! If you’d like to support me, please wishlist Grippy Golf on Steam HERE
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One Response
Loved reading the interview with the creator of Grippy Golf! It’s always great to see an indie game developer pouring their heart and soul into their work, and it’s clear that they put a lot of thought and effort into creating a game that’s fun for players of all ages. Can’t wait to try it out for myself! ????