With INDIE INTERVIEWS, I talk to the game developers hanging here on Cohost to learn more about new games you might love.
I think the best thing about making indie games, or any form of art, really, is to make the type of stuff you want to see in the world. Making stuff is your opportunity to take a form or genre you like, and put YOUR stamp on it. I was delighted that one of the very first games I noticed on Cohost was Frogsong, by @brodnork. It's such a cute looking game, and clearly channels the creator's tastes, so I really wanted to ask about it.
You can wishlist Frogsong on Steam!
1. Introduce yourself for everyone here on Cohost! Who are you?
Hi there! I’m Bee, my pronouns are they/them, and I’m a game developer/animator/comic artist from Canada. I like drawing colourful characters and telling meaningful, heartfelt stories in my work while still making people laugh.
2. Is there a project you're working on currently? Tell us about it!
I’m working on Frogsong, a cute little game about a tiny tree frog trying to prove they can be a warrior despite their small size. The gameplay centers around exploring a little world, fighting monsters, and talking to lots of weird froggy characters. It has a heartfelt narrative about identity and self love that was inspired by a lot of personal life experiences. I’ve been working on it for a few years now, and it’s finally getting close to release. It’s come a long way and I’m so proud of the work I’ve done and I’m so excited to finally get it out into the world.
3. How did you find yourself first getting into game development?
When I was a little kid, my brother and I used to hang out and play Pac-Man World together. There’s an unlockable concept art gallery in that game, and it blew me away! I’ve wanted to make games ever since then. Outside of coming up with ideas, my first actual development experience was in the world of Super Mario World ROM hacking when I was about 11 years old. I never actually finished any of those projects, but it was fun to mess around with. I also played around with a fan made game called Mario Builder that was basically Super Mario Maker but 5 years earlier. Oh, and there was also that Super Mario Flash game online. Come to think of it there was a weird amount of Mario early on in my game dev journey??? My first original games were made in RPG Maker and Clickteam Fusion when I was in high school, but those were all tiny, poorly made projects I made just for fun. With Frogsong I finally took the plunge and starting make a “real” game for the first time!
4. Any advice for aspiring indie devs out there?
I’m gonna skip the usual advice of “start small” or “follow tutorials” or “make whatever you want to make” and just say… never take yourself too seriously. Game development is great and all, but it can be such a tedious and exhausting task. It’s not always fun. Sometimes it’s downright infuriating! I think it’s really important to find little ways to make yourself happy while working on a project, or else you’re going to end up hating working on it. You can tell when something’s been made with love, and I think that’s always such a special thing.
5. I've noticed that when you describe Frogsong on Steam, you mention how "it's okay to be small" and that the game explores hope and "what it means to be important." As indie developers, I feel like we often feel small when we try to put our work into the world. What would you say to anyone who might feel that way when they're making something?
This kind of experience is exactly what inspired that aspect of Frogsong’s narrative. I was posting my art online for nearly a decade before I got any sort of recognition for my work, and I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t hard. Seeing other artists get thousands of likes and hundreds of comments and people drawing fanart of their characters honestly made me feel pretty jealous at times. But here’s the thing: it’s normal to feel that way. It’s totally fine to feel that way. Humans are social creatures, it’s in our nature to crave recognition and external validation! But you need to figure out how to have a healthy relationship with that external validation. Social media makes it so easy to get addicted to it. It’s so easy to change yourself and your work to try and get more. But that never ends well. It’s easier said than done, of course, but it’s so, SO important to keep your relationship with it healthy.
6. Lastly, are there any indie games out there you've been playing recently? Any favorites to shout-out?
I haven’t had as much time to game over the past few months as I’ve been super busy finishing up Frogsong, but I want to give a shout out to Chicory: A Colorful Tale. It’s easily one of my favourite games of all time. It blends gameplay and narrative so well, and the story is just flat out incredible.
Thanks for chatting with me! Can't wait to see more of Frogsong as it gets closer to launch! If it looks cute to you, give it a wishlist over on Steam. And follow @brodnork on Cohost! See you all next time!