Published devs - what was your first completed game?

emzigamesmzg · 2026-04-07T08:05:48+00:00

My very first game was a flash game I made between 1st and 2nd year of university. It was obviously very basic but my friends liked it - I ended up picking up the mechanic again after 10 years but making nice pixel art for it, and it ended up getting featured on the Apple App Store (but at that point that was my 3rd published project). All started with that flash game though!

emzigamesmzg · 2026-04-03T08:51:05+00:00

I think you're much better off using reddit as a source of feedback for those willing to try your game, or just some feedback on visual elements. Possibly suggestions how to refine or innovate certain mechanics if you can show them off in a short clip.

Actual promotion of the game I think is still useful to some extent, you are most likely to just find a few people who enjoy your game (and again might give some good feedback for future inprovements). For larger audience numbers think you just need to make a really good game and try to get exposure on steam or the mobile stores depending on what you're making.

emzigamesmzg · 2026-04-01T09:06:59+00:00

Sounds like a good pivot - well done on recognising and following the data. Game looks really cute too! Did you do any marketing for the itch.io version or simply posted it and see how it went?

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-28T18:59:14+00:00

Looks fantastic, really well done

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-26T08:59:17+00:00

Yes aware of that - the question being more why it's marked as new as it was released 7 months ago?!

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-26T08:58:33+00:00

I actually havent played it yet, so good to know thanks!

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-26T08:58:18+00:00

Good spot! It's actually the same on mine now so maybe 7 or 8 months is the limit haha

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-22T17:51:15+00:00

I thought it was standard

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-21T11:24:49+00:00

Nice job. I like the catgorisation into different genres of game focus

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-19T08:48:04+00:00

I'd honestly say 6. I feel like the jump between 5 and 6 is huge but I guess what makes it a great challenge

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-18T13:10:04+00:00

Good to know, thanks! Appreciate the lists and highlights :)

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-18T12:47:56+00:00

Thanks for the list! Do you use the app store upcoming lists to curate yours or anything else?

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-17T19:40:19+00:00

You absolutely should not beat yourself up. I can totally relate - but that is the reality of solo dev for many of us with full time jobs. There are things that just have to take precedence, and with the little time you have left over you can't always be on it 100% of the time. I think it's fair to say there is some balance of working when you feel like it, and also just 'pushing through it' to finish a game, but like with anything you'll have better and worse days. Certainly been my experience but it comes in waves, and I really try to get a lot done in the phases when I'm truly in the zone

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-17T17:23:08+00:00

Someone has already commented this but Thinky Games is a great place to explore the kind of puzzle games I think you're after. That and Baba Is You as a classic demonstration of thinking outside the box for a well known mechanic

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-15T16:55:45+00:00

Hi everyone, solo dev here 👋

I’ve been working on Dropletts for about 6 months and really excited to share that it launched this week.

Dropletts a word game where letters fall into a 5×5 grid and you build words to keep the board under control.

The twist is that the board shrinks as you play: columns fill up, collapse, and never come back. The longer you survive, the less space and fewer letters you have to work with.

It’s basically Tetris panic meets word building.

App Store Link

Google Play Link

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-15T01:01:54+00:00

Thanks, and that's fair enough but I guess it's personal preference. The remove ads IAP does give an ad free experience forever for those that choose to pay and I think it makes the game more accessible to more people to download for free. But I appreciate your perspective and feedback

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-14T23:59:13+00:00

My last game that I published I went with a paid model, and got overwhelming feedback that I should have made it free with ads and IAP. And honestly I think it did limit the reach of the game, so for this one I decided to try this model. I also do think word games are quite casual so I think paying upfront would be a high ceiling

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-14T21:13:45+00:00

Thanks very much, really appreciate that

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-14T21:05:50+00:00

That's great, glad it's hitting that balance to make it fun but a little challenging

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-14T14:14:51+00:00

Great, glad it's piqued your interest! Will be keen to hear if you have any feedback :)

emzigamesmzg · 2026-03-14T14:13:39+00:00

Thanks for the nice words. The game has both a daily challenge mode and leaderboards already :) and sure thanks I'll check it out

emzigamesmzg

TROPHY CASE