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Indie Game Development: Careful Where You Go Looking
“Careful where you go looking…”
That phrase came to me as I captured the screenshot above. It perfectly reflects what indie horror game development feels like — searching in the fog, stumbling through obstacles, and slowly revealing something haunting and alive.
Why Indie Game Development Is a Struggle Worth Taking
Indie horror game development is never straightforward. Behind every moody screenshot and atmospheric scene are countless hours of trial and error.
I spend entire nights tuning fog densities and adjusting lighting angles, only to realize the next morning that shadows don’t look right once a player moves. A sound effect I thought would create subtle dread sometimes plays too loud, too often, or at the wrong time. And when narrative pacing doesn’t flow, it often means rewriting entire dialogue sequences or rearranging objectives.
The struggles can feel endless — but they are the process. Each frustration sharpens the final experience.
The Creative Journey of Hollow Despair
Hollow Despair (my current project) started as a simple experiment: could I create a world that felt oppressive, unsettling, and alive even when “nothing” was happening?
That experiment grew into a full-scale project with evolving storylines, strange anomalies, and carefully timed horror events. At its core, Hollow Despair isn’t just a game — it’s a reflection of what indie horror game development really demands: persistence, emotional investment, and a willingness to keep walking into the fog even when you don’t know what waits on the other side.
Sharing the Journey
I often find it difficult to put the journey into words. As developers, we usually show progress through builds, trailers, or patch notes. But there’s something powerful about pulling back the curtain.
Indie game development is not just about mechanics or assets — it’s about carrying an idea until it claws into existence. It’s long nights of failure, followed by moments where everything clicks: the light cuts through the fog just right, the sound echoes eerily, or the story finally feels like it belongs.
That’s the fuel that keeps me going.
Why Visibility Matters
One of the biggest challenges isn’t just development — it’s visibility. Getting the word, my name, and my art out there feels like a battle of its own. Indie developers don’t have big marketing budgets or PR teams. What we have is authenticity, and hopefully, an audience willing to connect with the story behind the game.
That’s why I’m sharing this post. If you’ve ever wondered what really goes into indie horror game development, this is it — the messy middle, the raw moments, and the relentless push forward.
Careful Where You Go Looking…
The screenshot above isn’t just a scene. It’s a statement. In Hollow Despair, every corner hides a story, every shadow threatens something more, and every step asks you to decide whether you’ll keep moving forward.
So, careful where you go looking… because sometimes what you find isn’t what you expected.
Explore More from Blatant Pixels
- Hollow Despair: our game in current development – A closer look at what we are working on currently
- More from our blog
- More info about our upcoming playtest
Further Reading & Resources on Indie Horror Game Development
- Gamasutra (Game Developer) – Indie Development Insights – Articles and postmortems from indie devs across genres.
- IndieDB – Horror Games Section – A hub for indie horror titles, demos, and devlogs.
- Unity Blog – Tips for Atmospheric Game Design – Official Unity posts on lighting, fog, and mood-setting in games.
