08 Jun 2026Developer post

A Brand New Shoot 'Em Up Coming Soon

View game page Announcing Hellfish! A classic side-scrolling shoot 'em up set deep in a corrupted ocean. Battle demonic sea creatures as The Pope using his holy submarine, and customize your righteous weapons in unique ways every time you play. Another Shoot 'Em Up? Over the past

30 Mar 2026Developer post

Gunlocked 2 reaches 1.0

View game page At the tail end of February 2022 (I think?), I had an idea for a quick game. I was waiting to hear back from some interested publishers on a much larger project, so I thought I'd take some prototypes I'd worked on and smash them together into something new. The res

02 Nov 2025Developer post

New Game: Super Shootin Star

View game page 4 years ago I released a little mobile game that combined Doodle Jump with rocket jumping. People called it "Reverse Downwell", Apple called it a "New Game We Love." But alas, I don't have enough hours in the day to maintain mobile and PC games. So with my modern f

13 Oct 2025Developer post

Gunlocked Dev Diary #008

Gunlocked 2 is currently 20% off all week long to celebrate its Gunlocked 1 infused update. View game page In making Gunlocked 2, nothing has delighted me more than finding interesting ways to remix old ideas. It feels like a eureka moment each time I figure out a new way to inco

Gunlocked 2 is currently 20% off all week long to celebrate its Gunlocked 1 infused update.View game page

In making Gunlocked 2, nothing has delighted me more than finding interesting ways to remix old ideas. It feels like a eureka moment each time I figure out a new way to incorporate something from Gunlocked 1 in a fresh form factor. Even this week's key art update is a big love letter to the original art from Gunlocked 1!

Gunlocked 2's systems are very different from the original in many key ways, so bringing any idea over in a 1:1 fashion is unlikely even if I wanted to. There's way more utility and augment slots, pilots are more unique and have super charged bonuses to start the game stronger, and the battlefield is bigger and battler. Everything needs to be balanced to fit into this brave new world.

But more fun than rebalancing, is re-inventing. I love looking at Gunlocked 1 and going, "Okay, but what if it was this instead of that?" A great example is the Static Surge. A powerful weapon from the original that had fans split. It made you invulnerable and let you crash though enemies with reckless abandon, but you couldn't control when. In Gunlocked 2, it's a utility now, and it powers up your new dodge ability when it's charged up. It won't activate until you activate dodge the next time. And that dodge? Oh, that's also a remix of the Phase Shift powerup from Gunlocked 1. You now always have it, on a short cooldown, and it makes for more dynamic and interesting combat.

Speaking of powerups. The latest update for Gunlocked 2, not only brings a new mode, new leaderboards, 80 new weapon enhancements, and a returning pilot, but It also brings back powerups! Remixed versions, and new powers alike, let you go crazy in Turbo Mode. And if you collect all the letters that spell TURBO, you get every powerup at once for 10 seconds.

And that leads to one final thing that Gunlocked 1 had that Gunlocked 2 has now too: Brevity. Gunlocked 2 made runs a lot longer, with more choices, and interactions to be had, and brought saving and loading with it. But even with save points, it might still feel like too much game when you only have a few minutes to play. Turbo mode is the answer. Just 10 minutes start to finish, and you get the full experience of power and leveling with it.

If you wanna see that in action, I put together a little youtube short of the new mode and powerup medley: View game page

If you want to do more than see that action, click the store link above.

Hope to see you over at Gunlocked 2. Until next time!

Original post

27 Aug 2025Developer post

Gunlocked 1 OST Now Available

After years of email requests for the OST, we worked it out and put it up! It includes all 14 mp3 tracks spread across 4 zone themes, and all for less than $2(this week)! View game page You can also get an extra little discount if you grab the Gunlocked Complete bundle, alongside

21 Aug 2025Developer post

Gunlocked 2 Has Launched!

Gunlocked 2 launches in Early Access on Steam in August 2025. Wishlist on Steam today! View game page After years of feedback on the original Gunlocked, a successful Kickstarter, and many sleepless nights, it's time to head back into the void and take on the Swarm! Deeper boss fi

15 Jul 2025Developer post

Gunlocked Dev Diary #007

Gunlocked 2 launches in Early Access on Steam in August 2025. Wishlist on Steam today! View game page Last update I talked about the challenge of balancing between fresh and familiar. In it, I showed an updated version of the warp menu. The warp system is probably the first chang

Gunlocked 2 launches in Early Access on Steam in August 2025. Wishlist on Steam today! View game pageLast update I talked about the challenge of balancing between fresh and familiar. In it, I showed an updated version of the warp menu. The warp system is probably the first change I envisioned when an idea for a sequel finally started to coalesce. Removing the old level select, and instead creating a more visceral light speed jump from section to section was immediately appealing for two reasons:

First, it was just a cool visual. Something to say, "Hey, it's Gunlocked, but not like before. How cool is this?" The second, and (maaaybe...) more importantly, was replayability via player choice. Having different options, destinations, and battles to choose from felt like just the hook the game needed to stand out from the original. But as I mentioned before, simply adding more of something (in this case, choice and variety) isn't a guaranteed solution.

Initially, the warp menus were cluttered with too many icons, indicating all kinds of different variables, including (but not limited to) a complete breakdown of each individual item reward you'd get. In practice, I found this actually killed the momentum of the game. Information overload, choice paralysis, and other two-word catastrophes stopped the game in its tracks. And something I, and many others, loved about Gunlocked was the breezy pacing.

I had to figure out how to implement this new system in a way that provided meaningful choice, but quickly. In the current version, the solution is to convey important information in broad strokes, using only 4 icons: Threat, Primary Faction, Zone Type, and Reward.

Threats are your standard combat zones, elite zones, and boss battles. Elite zones immediately tell you that the fight will be harder, and the rewards will be better. Elite zones can have a number of environmental hazards, and other challenges to make it a risk vs reward proposition. In some cases both zone choices might be elites, but more often there will be an easier, but less rewarding alternative.

Faction tells you about the kind of enemies and challenges you'll face. Each faction of enemy has their own style, with some overlap, that might be stronger or weaker to your current build. This is never so important that you can't win with certain builds, but it might increase the risk enough if your health is low. You can still face enemies from other factions in any given zone, but the primary faction will appear the most. It also determines which bosses you can face, and that in turn changes what upgrades you'll be offered at the end of the battle. Each boss now has a unique loot table to draw from, so learning the bosses and their possible rewards will provide more mastery over the game.

Zone Type ties heavily into the new item drop system. In every zone, there will be opportunities to collect items like reroll tokens, hull repairs, and data disks. Some zone types will offer you a chance to collect more items, or more gems, and some will allow you to spend your data disks in unique exchanges that can offer even more items that can't be found anywhere else.

Reward tells you the kind of beacon that will appear. Data Beacons in the original Gunlocked, were a way to get a free, random upgrade without needing to level up. They showed up a few times per game. In Gunlocked 2, they appear in every zone, as an important way to earn upgrades regularly, and they aren't random. You'll be able to choose from beacons that make copies of upgrades you already have, or beacons that drop a specific weapon or elemental type, and at various different rarities.

With this system in place, experienced players will be able to quickly assess the danger each choice presents from the Threat and Faction icons, and the benefits from the Zone and Reward icons. Ultimately, you're still going to be getting classic Gunlocked gameplay at warp speed, but with enough choice and variety to prevent you from going on auto-pilot.

You'll get to find out for yourselves, soon enough, as Gunlocked 2 has a planned Early Access launch date of August 21st.

Original post

30 Jun 2025Developer post

Gunlocked Dev Diary #006

Gunlocked 2 launches in Early Access on Steam in August 2025. Wishlist on Steam today! View game page When a hit new band releases their followup album people tend to fall into two camps: the people that just wanted more of the first album, and the people that wanted to hear what

Gunlocked 2 launches in Early Access on Steam in August 2025. Wishlist on Steam today! View game pageWhen a hit new band releases their followup album people tend to fall into two camps: the people that just wanted more of the first album, and the people that wanted to hear what else the band could do. One of these groups is almost inevitably going to be disappointed.

There is no right way to make a sequel. Every choice is the wrong choice for someone. Some might argue not to “fix what isn’t broken.” While others might argue that we already have that version and it will keep existing, so the sequel should do new things. And while it might seem the most reasonable to split the difference and simply expand the breadth and depth of every existing system in interesting ways, sometimes there really is too much of a good thing. Sometimes the only difference between a great game and an okay game is that one has too many stats, collectibles, menus, systems, etc.. For Millennials, It’s the difference between Mario 64 and Donkey Kong 64. For younger gamers, take any game ever and then imagine the version Ubisoftːsteammockingː would make. You get the idea.

In Boons & Burdens, my roguelite followup to the original Gunlocked, I took every left turn where previously I took a right one. Gunlocked had a forced scrolling camera, so B&B had a camera that followed the player. Gunlocked didn’t require you to aim or use active abilities, so B&B did. Upgrades happened between rounds, not on leveling up like in Gunlocked. And on and on. It wasn’t as successful as Gunlocked, but B&B gave me another data point at the other end of the spectrum. And while scientists might argue that two data points isn’t enough for an informed conclusion, the colloquialism “third time’s the charm” (or “third time lucky” in metric) definitively proves otherwise.

Pictured: An early mock-up of Gunlocked 2 with an interface closer to the original

Since I initially began conceptualizing Gunlocked 2, the game has gone through various expansion and contraction phases much like the universe (here come the scientists to argue again). The goal, at every step has been to see how far I can push the Gunlocked formula before it doesn’t feel like Gunlocked, and then reign it back in until it does. Along the way, I’ve discovered the formula is actually pretty fragile. It doesn’t take a lot of change to make it start to feel like an entirely different experience. But as I’ve written about in previous devlogs, there were clearly many aspects that needed improvements. So the question becomes, much like in my previous Heaven Meets Hell blog, how to balance the two opposing needs.

Pictured: Sprite comparisons between Gunlocked 1 and 2

The goal was to identify improvements that wouldn’t change the formula, such as analog 360-degree movement versus digital 8-direction movement, or more detailed and colorful sprites, and then where changes can’t be so objectively positive, focus on implementing them in a way that doesn’t negate something good from the original game. An example of the latter is the “Warp Gate” system. Gates allowed me to make a longer game with more level variety (common requests in the original), while also maintaining the ability for players to have short pick-up-and-play sessions (commonly praised in the original). Play for 2 minutes or 20, it’s your choice.

Pictured: Selecting and inspecting a warp gate. One of the biggest structural changes to Gunlocked 2. Also featured is the much more minimalist user interface that opened the playing area up considerably.

Choice, in fact, is the concept that most informs the changes in Gunlocked 2. More ways to customize your experience before you even begin, and then to choose your next destination/boss fight/rewards once you have. More upgrades to choose from, and more opportunities to increase your choices. And when choice became such a major focus, I decided (from a community suggestion) to give players the tools to make more informed choices with the new Simulator game mode.

Pictured: The Simulator. Test out strategies, practice against bosses, or just break the game... It's your choice.

Pictured: Once you have your preferred Simulator settings and loadout, test your mettle against a variety of enemies and bosses.

In the Simulator, players will have access to most of my own debug tools, in a free-form sandbox mode that will allow them to combine any number of upgrades they’ve previously equipped, in any quantity, and then test them against any boss they’ve previously fought. Additional tools like damage pop-ups, dps meters, invulnerability, and more create an environment perfect for experimentation. You’ll even be able to save your loadouts at the end of a run in the normal game, and import them into the Simulator to make tweaks, so you know how to make better decisions the next time. So while I personally think 2 data points is enough, you can create as many as you’d like.

Pictured: Work-in-progress of the post-game menu. Check your stats, save your loadout, test and adjust in the Simulator, then get better stats next time.

As I head toward the August Early Access launch for Gunlocked 2, I’ve zeroed in on a lot of the areas where I can make improvements and expansions like those mentioned above, and pulled back where changes threatened the winning formula of the original. But the changes won’t end there. Early Access will be a place for all you game scientists to argue about what went right or wrong, and help me make Gunlocked 2 the best it can be.

Original post

15 Jun 2025Developer post

Gunlocked Dev Diary #005

Gunlocked 2 launches in Early Access on Steam in August 2025. Wishlist on Steam today! View game page First, let’s take a moment to define some terms in the context of this feature. “Bullet Hell” is a type of shoot ‘em up (shmup) where the focus is primarily on dodging large amou

Gunlocked 2 launches in Early Access on Steam in August 2025. Wishlist on Steam today! View game pageFirst, let’s take a moment to define some terms in the context of this feature. “Bullet Hell” is a type of shoot ‘em up (shmup) where the focus is primarily on dodging large amounts of screen-filling projectiles. “Bullet Heaven” is a genre that flips this paradigm and has the player creating all of the bullets, while hordes of mostly harmless enemies become their fodder. So what if Heaven meets Hell?

You might think that would mean a moderate amount of bullets coming from the enemies and the player simultaneously, which just sounds a lot like a traditional shmup. Hardly revolutionary. Beyond the rudimentary definitions laid out before you, each genre also has a number of other key elements that define their experiences, in ways that can’t be measured in bullets (or bananas, giraffes, football fields, and/or any other imperial system). In fact, there are many more differences from camera movement to controls, but for this article, I’m focusing on difficulty and power curves.

Bullet Hells focus on dexterity and pattern recognition. Your power level remains relatively consistent, so you improve (hopefully) through practice and muscle memory. Bullet Heavens focus on combining abilities synergistically. Your reflexes are (largely) irrelevant to success, but your power increases exponentially with smart (again, hopefully) decision making, and a little luck. The power fantasy of Hell is in navigating the impossible, and the power fantasy of Heaven is in not needing to. So how much skill could I introduce to Heavens without making them too hard, and how much synergy building could I introduce to Hells without rendering them too easy?

Gunlocked 1 was my answer. Unfortunately, everyone else had their own answer. I won’t pretend Gunlocked is the only game to try to balance these two extremes of the shmup genre, but each game that has attempted this has its own unique proprietary blend. Gunlocked’s blend was successful in entertaining many fans of both genres, but each group also had unique grievances. Players had differing ideas of where the game was too easy or hard, and often in contradictory ways. In combining genres that targeted gamers of vastly different skill-sets and interests, I created a difficulty paradox.

I received countless messages about how players didn’t “get it” or “click with it” at first, but once they did, they fell in love. These messages came from fans of both genres, so I knew there was a universally appealing core to the game. But I also knew that for every message like this, there were probably 10 people that never stuck around long enough for it to click. When so many games are competing for gamers’ attention, I can’t blame them. Games need to click fast because it’s easier to pick another game and try it for 15 minutes than play one game for 3 hours and hope. I needed to deliver Gunlocked’s unique mix of skill and synergies sooner, without overwhelming the player later.

I believe Gary Gygax said a good dungeon master makes his players feel like they have a 70% chance of failure, and 30% chance of success, when the reality is just the opposite. The solution to Gunlocked’s difficulty paradox then was as much about balance as it was about perception. The goal is to deliver the intensity and thrills of a Bullet Hell to give the perception of difficulty, but ensure that players of many skill levels have a high chance of early success without eliminating long-term challenge.

I've previously discussed changes coming to weapons and early game challenge, so today I'll focus on Bosses and their improved role in the balance of Heaven and Hell. When Gunlocked 1 first came out, bosses weren’t really a feature of the Bullet Heaven genre except as larger units with larger health pools. So simply having them at all was a novelty. “Simply” being the key word. Their abilities were rudimentary and limited by the player’s lack of a reliable dodge and/or defensive options. In fact, the proprietary blend of genres skewed so heavily in favor of heaven over hell that many might suggest it has no hell at all (but believe me, I got plenty of angry messages about it being a bullet hell). So in Gunlocked 2, bosses have been expanded and refined, as have the player’s abilities.

(Pictured: The player practices against the new and improved Sting King in the brand new Simulator game mode of Gunlocked 2. Still a few bugs to work out ːsteammockingː)

The arenas in which you fight Bosses are far more tightly controlled and choreographed, with less randomized elements, unrelated to the boss, causing visual clutter. This allows me to focus on making the combat look more spectacular (the perception part). While most of the game is about cutting a swath through helpless swarms, I get to flip the script and let bosses shine a bit more and throw more outrageous attacks at you in place of these enemies (though some bosses do still call for reinforcements).

On the other hand, the new timed “phase shift” dodge ability every pilot has allows boss attacks to be more aggressive, and not just look more impressive. Where previously I had to leave the player safe openings they could always reach, now I can do all sorts of unimaginably devious things, with the knowledge that if players manage their dodge well (the balance part), they can always make their own way out.

And “making your own way” is really the core of Gunlocked 2. Every system in the game has been adjusted to give the player more choice and freedom to manage the more varied and intense combat. This in turn has freed me up to tackle this unique combination of Heaven and Hell in ways I never could have in the original.

Original post

17 Apr 2025Developer post

A Gunlocked Retro-future-spective

Forgive the self-indulgence here, but with a recent influx of new Gunlocked players, and discord members I found myself once again discussing the origins of the project. What I realized then is that most people who have played Gunlocked were not around when it first launched, and

Forgive the self-indulgence here, but with a recent influx of new Gunlocked players, and discord members I found myself once again discussing the origins of the project. What I realized then is that most people who have played Gunlocked were not around when it first launched, and certainly not privy to how it all began. Each time I explain why it's so hard to do X or Y in the original game, the players often have no reference for what I'm talking about.

With the Gunlocked 2 Kickstarter in its final 48 hours, and having just released some test footage of the updated Hive Queen boss fight, I thought now was a perfect time to discuss the past, present, and future of the game that eventually changed my life.

3 Games I Never Made

Gunlocked the name has existed for years. Gunlocked the game, as it is today, is the result of three different games, whose problems could not be solved individually, becoming one.

The first: Well, it was called Gunlocked, but it was nothing like the game it is today. It was a Fruit Ninja-like mobile game where the player used a limited power resource to target enemy space ships and blow them up. The gameplay was decent, but I struggled to find a memorable hook to keep players coming back, and ultimately forgot about it myself. For a while.

The second: A game called Astro-Mutt. Another mobile high-score type game idea that evolved to have roguelike style elements. It was at this point that I was trying to introduce ways to freshen up arcade-style games even as they were falling out of favor on mobile. That memorable hook that Gunlocked lacked. But all the best upgrades were at odds with the main gameplay. The cool stuff was all about fighting the enemies, but 90% of the game was about running (jet-packing) away. You might notice the background art here.

The Third: A game that would eventually become Boons & Burdens was my attempt to take the roguelike systems I made for Astro-Mutt and put them into a combat focused game because the combat was the best part. This old version was a platform twin-stick shooter, and it had way too many buttons and controls. From double jumps and wall jumps to active abilities, supers, deployable powerups, and more. My testers liked it, but all complained it was really hard to manage all of the controls.

Eventually, I heard about a game called Vampire Survivors, and had a go with it. It was an interesting concept, and I won't explain it because I think everyone knows, but the main hook is that you don't aim, and you don't trigger your abilities manually. Suddenly, the idea of a combat-based roguelike with a million abilities didn't seem so hard to manage. So I decided to revive my old project/s.

Borrowing art, code, and other assets from each of the previous games, I smashed together the first version of the Gunlocked that eventually saw release. And it was fun. Really fun. I thought, what the heck, I'll throw this game in Early Access, add a few more upgrades and bosses, and maybe sell a few hundred copies...

And 1 Humble Game I did...

The thing I cite most when discussing why I didn't do X or Y, or why I can't change Z, is these humble origins. I didn't expect the game to be so popular, and it was never designed to have so much content. I always had ideas for how to expand it, but I never planned to expand it so much. The spaghetti code resulting from smashing together 3 old games made years apart meant making updates was tedious and sometimes catastrophic.

When the game first launched, there wasn't even a main menu for selecting pilots, augments, ships and levels. That's because there was only 1 level, only 1 ship, only 1 boss, and only 3 pilots. Pilots each had their own unique augment, but that system was otherwise not even in the game yet. Instead, you jumped right into the only level, and chose your pilot right then and there.

Pictured: The pilot menu as it was when Early Access started.

Eventually, as the game's popularity began to swell (around the 0.25 release) I was encouraged by a player to add more flavor to the pilots, and in doing so, it set off a chain reaction of adding more detail and color to the entirety of the game. Everything from upgrade icons, to menus, and bosses. Even asteroids and gems changed multiple times as I pushed to improve the game over several updates. An ethos that has carried through to Gunlocked 2 today.

Pictured: The pilot menu you all know, as it is now.

Pictured: The pilot menu in Gunlocked 2.

If you've even made this far, I've probably strained your attention with my self-indulgent nostalgia, so I'll wrap things up with some more visual comparisons of where Gunlocked started, and where it currently is in Gunlocked 2. If you like what you see, you can wishlist Gunlocked 2 here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3492830/Gunlocked_2/

The Upgrade Menu

Pictured: Version 1 of the upgrade menu. Featuring the old icons before the redesign. No rerolls. No synergies.

Pictured: The upgrade menu as it is now. It was the previous lack of synergies or a plan for them that prevented me from doing more with this system.

Pictured: The upgrade menu in Gunlocked 2. Designed with extra space for many more possible choices. You can also read about synergies, and instantly see and count how many of any synergy type you already have. A common request in the original that just wasn't possible.

Boss Design: The Hive Queen

Pictured: Version 1 of the Hive Queen boss. Taken straight from the mobile game, and before I added more color to the palette.

Pictured: The Hive Queen now, alongside the improved UI and upgrade icons.

Pictured: The Hive Queen in Gunlocked 2. A far more aggressive and versatile boss that makes use of the increased battlefield size.

If you're still here, I hope to see you when Gunlocked 2 launches later this year. Thanks for reading!

Original post

15 Mar 2025Developer post

The Future of Gunlocked

Gunlocked is a game that keeps on giving, but as a solo developer there's a limit to how much I can give back. We're heading toward 1000 new players just this month, 3 years after release, and that means a fresh batch of feedback on Steam, social media, Discord, and even in my em

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3492830/Gunlocked_2/

Gunlocked is a game that keeps on giving, but as a solo developer there's a limit to how much I can give back. We're heading toward 1000 new players just this month, 3 years after release, and that means a fresh batch of feedback on Steam, social media, Discord, and even in my email. So I thought I'd take a moment to explain where I'm at as a solo developer, and how that affects development of my games, especially Gunlocked 1 and 2.

The short version is that development stopped on Gunlocked quite some time ago. As mentioned, I still get feedback about the interface, controls, balance, and content/feature requests, but any time I spend going back to an older game is time away from a current or future game. There's no team to pick up the slack. It's just me. But that doesn't mean your feedback isn't valuable. It's why I'm making Gunlocked 2 in the first place!

The community's feedback on the original Gunlocked has been invaluable in helping me shape Gunlocked 2, and I've set up a new forum post to continue to facilitate that here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/3492830/discussions/0/828204828240947732/ And you can always join the Discord here: https://discord.gg/YbdSHs58m9

If you want to take a more active role in shaping Gunlocked 2, there's a Kickstarter going on to help me expand the game even further with more planned content, and a robust soundtrack. Backers can gain access to early playtests, or even become characters in the game. If even a tiny percentage of Gunlocked 1 players backed the Kickstarter at the $10 tier, the game would be funded.

You can check that out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromlefcourt/gunlocked-2-endless-battles-in-space

Pictured: This could be you. The hightest tier backers can even become playable pilots!

It's important to note that Gunlocked 2 will release even if the Kickstarter fails, but It will mean the final scope of the game will be decided by Early Access, similar to how the original was developed. It will be a complete experience, but the depth and breadth will be decided by its success.

Pictured: 6 of 20 planned bosses for Gunlocked 2. Only time will tell how many more I can add.

There's a lot I want to do in Gunlocked 2, and a level of quality I'm trying to maintain, well above anything that was possible with the original. And that drive to improve is largely driven by the amazing feedback I've received and continue to receive about the original. But that kind of quality also takes more time, and time is money.

Pictured: A selection of animations from Gunlocked 2. Things even explode better in the sequel!

Wishlists continue to climb for Gunlocked 2, so I know there's still a hunger for shmup roguelite experiences, and no matter what happens, I intend to make the sequel better than the original in every aspect. I hope you can come along for the ride in whatever way makes sense for you!

Original post

10 Mar 2025Developer post

Kickstarting A Better Gunlocked

Support the Gunlocked 2 Kickstarter. Become a part of the game! Over 20% Funded already! Kickstarting Something Better: Or When Good Enough isn't Good Enough Why Kickstarter ? I’ve gotten that question (and some ruder variations) a few times since announcing Gunlocked 2. If you f

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3492830/Gunlocked_2/
Support the Gunlocked 2 Kickstarter. Become a part of the game! Over 20% Funded already!

Kickstarting Something Better: Or When Good Enough isn't Good Enough

Why Kickstarter? I’ve gotten that question (and some ruder variations) a few times since announcing Gunlocked 2. If you follow my games, you know a few things are constants: My games are self-funded, have short development times, deliver on their promises, and they’re good enough.

Pictured: A collection of games I've released over the years, some under different banners

It can be easy to infinitely toil away trying to make art perfect. Add in the complexities of programming and the endless search for more optimum code, and infinity gets a +1. They say “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” but I used to say don’t let it be the enemy of “good enough.”

It can be helpful to aim for good enough. I wouldn’t have released 7 games and 1 expansion over the past 8 years if I aimed for anything more than good enough. It was both a mantra to avoid burn out, and a means to an underfunded end. I was giving myself permission to make imperfect art, so that I could make art at all.

Developing games is expensive. It’s probably the art form with the fewest shortcuts. There are a lot of shortcuts to making bad games, but not a lot to making good games, or in my case, good enough games. It takes focus, and sustained passion. It takes imagination because for huge stretches of time you’re working with abstract concepts that have no manifest results. And most of all it takes time, and time is money.

So “good enough” let me shave off 4 frames and 6 colors from each enemy animation. It let me settle for the same laser sound I used in my last game. It let me use my 1st or 2nd draft of the tutorial, instead of the 4th or 5th. And it was all in service of the idea that if I released some good enough games, I’d make enough money to finally have the time and resources to make a great game.

Pictured: A comparison of boss designs in Gunlocked 1 (above) vs Gunlocked 2 (below)

But that mentality had a hidden cost. It slowly sapped my passion and distracted me from why I wanted to make games in the first place. It turned releasing projects into a means to an end (rent). I was forced to always look ahead, instead of savoring what I was working on in the moment. Don't get me wrong, I was still making games I wanted to make, with mechanics that I thought were fun. But the benefit was that I only ever made good enough money to make more good enough games, and never games of the quality that inspired me to make games in the first place.

Metal Slug made me fall in love with pixel art, and Mega Man 2 made me fall in love with game design. But I’ve never aspired to make games that lived up to those benchmarks before, even though I've wanted to since I was young. I’m 40 years old, and I’ve been dreaming of making games since I was 4. There hasn’t been a perfect time, to put everything I have into what I’m working on, in 36 years. Now is good enough, and with Kickstarter funding I can make something great.

Original post

03 Mar 2025Developer post

Gunlocked 2

I’m excited to finally announce Gunlocked 2! Making the original roguelite shoot ‘em up was such a formative moment in my life that I knew if I was ever going to make a sequel it had to be special. For a while, however, I wasn’t sure how. So I’ve spent the past few years experime

I’m excited to finally announce Gunlocked 2! Making the original roguelite shoot ‘em up was such a formative moment in my life that I knew if I was ever going to make a sequel it had to be special. For a while, however, I wasn’t sure how. So I’ve spent the past few years experimenting with various spins on the formula, learning what works, and what doesn’t. And after a few extra twists and turns in the journey, it’s finally here (almost).

Wishlist it today: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3492830/Gunlocked_2

The first game’s success was a welcome surprise that changed my life, but it was limited by its originally modest ambitions. When tens of thousands of players joined the fight against the Swarm, the game expanded beyond anything I previously planned. But it could only reach so far outside its original constraints. A sequel was the only way to make things bigger and better.

Gunlocked 2 is, planned from the start to be, a premium indie game that can stand toe-to-toe with the best action RPGs, shmups, and roguelites. It has everything you loved about the original, and many improvements to the formula based on years of feedback.

It's the biggest, and most ambitious FromLefcourt game yet.

And you can help make it even bigger, and even better. A Kickstarter campaign is now underway to fund a more expansive version of the sequel that will deliver extra content and challenges from day 1!

Support the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromlefcourt/gunlocked-2-endless-battles-in-space

Gunlocked 2 will launch into Early Access on Steam for PC in Q3 2025, proudly keeping the FromLefcourt tradition of heavy community involvement. Unlike more recent games, I expect a long development period full of huge content updates that will dwarf the original in scope and spectacle!

About Gunlocked 2

Movement is your weapon. A sci-fi action roguelite and shmup combined, in Gunlocked 2 you'll pilot and upgrade a state-of-the-art warship against endless waves of deadly aliens. Deep customization, branching paths, truly novel weapons, and tons of unlockables offer endless replayability set against the infinity of outer space.

What's New in the Sequel?

Expanded Customization: 18 unique pilots, customizable warships with their own strengths and styles, and 100+ infinitely stackable upgrades offer new creative freedom.
Branching Paths: Warp gates let you seamlessly jump to different zones that offer unique battles and rewards. Every run offers new choices!
Refined Control: A new dodge ability gives players more control. And 360-degree analog movement brings Gunlocked out of the retro era and firmly into the present.
Play How You Want: Play for 2 minutes or 20, Gunlocked 2 fits perfectly into whatever free time you have, then save and resume later. But death is still permanent!
Modular Difficulty: Difficulty modifiers now come in multiple levels, and can make the game as hard or as easy as you'd like.
Glorious Pixel Art: Huge, full color sprites with detailed animations make every bullet, bomb, and laser explode with style.

More details on the Steam Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3492830/Gunlocked_2

Connect with FromLefcourt

Bluesky: @fromlefcourt.bsky.social
Mastodon: @[email protected]
Discord: https://discord.gg/YbdSHs58m9
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fromlefcourt
IndieDB: https://www.indiedb.com/members/fromlefcourt

Original post

25 Oct 2024Developer post

Cosmic Raze Launches in Early Access!

What if Tower Defense had auto-battler style drafting, and roguelike replayability? If you love tower defense games as much as I do, you're going to love Cosmic Raze! Originally conceived as a spin-off from Gunlocked, Cosmic Raze has since become its own unique thing, but for fan

What if Tower Defense had auto-battler style drafting, and roguelike replayability? If you love tower defense games as much as I do, you're going to love Cosmic Raze!

Originally conceived as a spin-off from Gunlocked, Cosmic Raze has since become its own unique thing, but for fans of Gunlocked, there's a lot that you'll recognize as you upgrade your weapons, select unique augmentations, and unlock powerful synergy bonuses.

Utilize the powerful shifting mechanic to move your towers around the battlefield to overcome your early build limits.

And between rounds, choose from dozens of passive augments, and then draft and upgrade towers to unlock powerful synergies that compliment them!

The controls are simple and intuitive, and the gameplay is perfect for playing on any device, from Desktop, to Laptop, and especially Steam Deck.

Buy it now for just $2.24!?!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3129720/Cosmic_Raze/

Why only $2.24? Cosmic Raze is part of my new "Byte Size Initiative." You can read more about that below, but the gist is that I'm making small, but deep games, for super affordable prices. If you don't want to read anymore about it, here's some more "pew, pew"

Byte Size Initiative

Cosmic Raze is the first game in what I'm calling my "Byte Size Initiative." Over the years, I have made dozens of prototypes for a huge variety of genres, from tower defense, to deckbuilders, to pinball, and more. But when individual games take 1-2 years to develop, it limits how many of these could ever be completed by a solo developer, and as a creative I hate thinking I'll never get to finish many of these ideas!

So now I want to make the best ones into small, but deep, and replayable experiences, for super affordable prices. With the benefit of years of experience, and months already put into developing many of these prototypes, I'll be able to release 4-5 of these games a year, and possibly more!

FromLefcourt on Patreon

If you like the cut of my jib, and want to support this initiative, you can subscribe to my new Patreon for just $2 a month, and as long as you're subscribed, you'll get every new Byte Size game I release, along with some other perks.

Or take a wait and see approach like the discerning connoisseur you are.

Original post

04 Sep 2024Developer post

(re)Announcing Cosmic Raze

A funny thing happened on the way to release... I was deep into balancing the mid-to-late game for Cosmic Raze and...it just wasn't working. It was too hard, and too chaotic. I tried multiple ways to salvage things, tweaking difficulty here, adding new mechanics there, but it was

A funny thing happened on the way to release...

I was deep into balancing the mid-to-late game for Cosmic Raze and...it just wasn't working. It was too hard, and too chaotic. I tried multiple ways to salvage things, tweaking difficulty here, adding new mechanics there, but it was clear if Cosmic Raze was going to be a great game, I needed to make some tough decisions. This is the result, and it's a whole lotta fun!

What if Plants Vs. Zombies had auto-battler style drafting, and roguelike replayability? If you love tower defense games as much as I do, you're going to love what Cosmic Raze has become.

Originally conceived as a spin-off from Gunlocked, Cosmic Raze has since become its own unique thing, but for fans of Gunlocked, there's a lot that you'll recognize as you upgrade your weapons, select unique augmentations, and unlock powerful synergy bonuses.

The controls are simple and intuitive, and the gameplay is perfect for playing on any device, from Desktop, to Laptop, and especially Steam Deck.

Wishlist it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3129720/Cosmic_Raze/

Byte Size Initiative

Cosmic Raze is the first game in what I'm calling my "Byte Size Initiative." Over the years, I have made dozens of prototypes for a huge variety of genres, from tower defense, to deckbuilders, to pinball, and more. But when individual games take 1-2 years to develop, it limits how many of these could ever be completed by a solo developer, and as a creative I hate thinking I'll never get to finish many of these ideas!

So now I want to make the best ones into small, but deep, and replayable experiences, for super affordable prices. With the benefit of years of experience, and months already put into developing many of these prototypes, I'll be able to release 4-5 of these games a year, and possibly more!

FromLefcourt on Patreon

If you like the cut of my jib, and want to support this initiative, you can subscribe to my new Patreon for just $2 a month, and as long as you're subscribed, you'll get every new Byte Size game I release, along with some other perks.

If you'd rather take a wait and see approach, then good news! You won't have to wait long for Cosmic Raze, because it's coming out very soon, and for the low price of $2.99! (regional pricing applies)

Original post

16 Aug 2024Developer post

New Game: Cosmic Raze

Announcing my next game, and a new initiative! Cosmic Raze is a tower defense game with auto-battler drafting, and a dash of roguelike elements for endless replayability. Take control of advanced weapon systems, build powerful synergies, and then blast away as aliens attempt to c

08 Apr 2024Developer post

Boons & Burdens goes Gunlocked and on sale!

Patch 0.20 of Boons & Burdens just launched and it brings with it a whole new way to play called Arena. This mode is heavily inspired by Gunlocked, so if you were hoping for more Gunlocked style action, this is the update for you! Turn on auto-aim in the options, and you almo

26 Feb 2024Developer post

Boons & Burdens Is Out Now!

I'm excited to announce that Boons & Burdens, my spiritual successor to Gunlocked, Has released into Early Access! Buy It Here: Already own Gunlocked or been wanting to get it? You can grab the "Bullet Heaven bundle" and get an extra 10% off on top of the launch week 10% off

Updates & announcements

View game pageAnnouncing Hellfish!

Another Shoot 'Em Up?

Lessons Learned

Features

See how things have changed:

3 Games I Never Made

And 1 Humble Game I did...

The Upgrade Menu

Boss Design: The Hive Queen

Kickstarting Something Better: Or When Good Enough isn't Good Enough

About Gunlocked 2

What's New in the Sequel?

Connect with FromLefcourt

Byte Size Initiative

FromLefcourt on Patreon

Byte Size Initiative

FromLefcourt on Patreon

Announcing my next game, and a new initiative!

Byte Size Initiative

FromLefcourt on Patreon

This update is for DLC owners

Arena Mode Features