Lion Quest 10 year anniversary
How the time flies by! 11th July 2016 – that's when Lion Quest first launched on Steam and that was now a whole ten years ago. To celebrate this milestone I'm doing a mini retrospect on the game, including a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to make a game in the mid-201
How the time flies by! 11th July 2016 – that's when Lion Quest first launched on Steam and that was now a whole ten years ago. To celebrate this milestone I'm doing a mini retrospect on the game, including a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to make a game in the mid-2010s.
A minimalist aesthetic
Lion Quest was first developed with a minimalist cube aesthetic and it was with this art style that it originally went through Steam Greenlight. Back in the day, this was a voting system through which indie developers could get their game published on Steam.
The feedback I received here prompted me to develop the art further. This was around May 2015 and a few things had happened all at once. The game was 'Greenlit', meaning I was now officially working towards a Steam release. But I'd also been planning a handheld version for the PlayStation Vita and this had to be cancelled when it was announced that PSM (PlayStation Mobile – the pathway towards publishing an indie game on the Vita) was shutting down.
Learning to code
I made Lion Quest in Unity, and it was my first time programming in C#. A lot of design decisions were based around the fact that I didn't really know what I was doing. For instance, the title and level select were originally playable levels to circumnavigate the fact that I didn't know how to make menus.
Ironically, over the two year dev cycle I figured menus out, so the released version of Lion Quest does also have menus for Lion Quest versus, arcade mode etc.
Many effects work using off-screen contraptions that, aside from a trigger for activation, don't run any extra code, but instead operate as a sort-of invisible Rube Goldberg machine that leverages the same physics and gravity system used by the player. It's not the most optimised way of doing things for sure, but does give these effects a fairly unique cadence.
Lion Quest gets a story
New Year's Eve 2015. I showed the game to a friend who's sadly no longer with us. His feedback was clear, he wanted the game to have a story. In my mind I was pretty much done with Lion Quest but that conversation resulted in another 6 months work going into the game.
I spent this time making a series of smaller levels that bookend the game. Both the tutorial and also the final section once you enter the red portal. Although I also added some dialogue at other points throughout the game, there's a lot more story at the start and end, and this is why. Being developed last is also why I think these levels are slightly better designed than those found in the middle section.
Post-Launch
Lion Quest has received a whole load of updates since its original release. This includes an improved camera and more responsive controls that make the moment-to-moment gameplay better now than when the game first launched. The Animal Maker was also added, making it possible to create a custom character.
The Future
Lion Quest received a 3D sequel called Lion Quest Infinity back in 2021. Meanwhile the 2D spirit of Lion Quest lives on in a new game I'm making called The Wizard of Gloss. It's a faster paced game that includes combat, upgrades, and a whole load of other things that I had no idea how to make ten years ago. Thematically I'm trying something new, but the game's design aesthetic still reveals the Lion Quest DNA underneath.
Did you know that it's been seven years to the day since the release of Lion Quest? It surely has been, and now FINALLY you can make your own animal. Welcome to Lion Quest 1.6.0, an exciting new update to the game which adds in a character creator called the Animal Maker.
...And we're back. Lion Quest returns with a new update for 2023 and yes, it's been a while. I've been sorting out a couple of bugs that were bugging me with this game and now here we are. Lion Quest 1.5.0 is live and here's what has changed:
Hello! It's here. 2016 doesn't really seem like that long ago, does it? But here we are, five years on from the original Lion Quest. And today the adventure continues with the the release of Lion Quest Infinity.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1384530/Lion_Quest_Infinity
[previewyoutube=WPeYv_0MVTA;full][/previewyoutube]
Jethro the Lion and friends steal a magic grandfather clock and travel through time and space on an adventure to save the universe. By night that is, by day you're working an office job.
The game fully expands on the ideas from the original Lion Quest in every way. It's much more story driven but equally it contains bigger, more varied worlds and mind-bending puzzles designed to surprise and delight. If you enjoyed the original I am sure you will find it to be a wild ride that doesn't disappoint!
Hello and happy new year. Today I'm here to update you with some exciting news regarding the future of Lion Quest. The next chapter in the series, Lion Quest Infinity, will be releasing on the 5th March 2021.
Here we go! Lion Quest Infinity takes the series into full 3D for a brand-new adventure and we've even got the trailer to prove it:
[previewyoutube=WPeYv_0MVTA;full][/previewyoutube]
Jethro and friends steal a magic grandfather clock and embark on an unforgettable adventure. Are they here to save the universe, or is it simply a marketing ploy constructed as part of an elaborate book tour?
Travel through space and time to find out! Oh, and visit the real world too, where you get to work an office job.
Wishlist the game today and please look forward to its release in 2021!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1384530
In other news the promo game supporting this release – Sloth Tales – is available from today. This is a standalone 2D platformer starring your new friend Jimmy the Sloth. It's on Steam and it's very, very free!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1435980
Ahead of this we will be releasing a standalone platforming game called Sloth Tales. This will come out on Steam on the 30th October and it will be completely free (yay).
[previewyoutube=w_YcnN49LsI;full][/previewyoutube]
It’s about half an hour long (maybe longer if you don’t like to be rushed) and features refined platforming action very much rooted in the style of the original Lion Quest. But with a sloth.
It will be available as a free standalone game and then also packaged as an unlock within next year's premium release. So in the meantime why not add Sloth Tales to your wishlist so you can be notified by Steam when it is available to download.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1435980
A new decade is here, as is a new update for Lion Quest! This includes a few tweaks designed to ensure better hardware compatibility and future-proof the game so you can enjoy it long into the next decade.
There's also a subtle new feature that I hope improves the quality of the game. This is a curbed jump, which means that the character doesn't jump as high if you release the jump button quickly after pressing it. Oh, and I've ever-so-slightly reduced the speed of the player walking animation. It seemed a little *too* fast.
The rest of the changes are as follows:
