JellieBox Games

28/12/2022

Merry Christmas! I'm still alive - I've just been incredibly ill for... 2 months? It's been absolutely ridiculous, but I'm getting back to normal now. This is a bit of a personal-progress-blog-type-post, so feel free to keep scrolling - Or don't!


Since I don't have the free time I once had, I decided I wanted to keep a closer eye on my own progress, so I went a bit over the top and created myself a Jira board. It's not something you generally do without a team, but I've found it really helps me focus and keep on top of what I've changed not-so-recently, and it's much more efficient than just leaving random notes in my own code...

I've been closely watching the journeys of lots of other game devs and I really appreciate the way some of them provide detailed changelists when they drop an update for a game (I'm looking at you, Valheim) and wanted in on that action. I've attached a random screenshot of some of my tickets that I've completed recently, just for posterity.

I've done a lot to No Way Up in the last few months, but the majority of it has been building a much better framework to build the rest of the game over, so unfortunately I don't have much to share with you. But things are finally shaping up, and I've now got a nice, chonky list of some new, well thought out enemies that I think you're all going to love.

Everyone enjoys games where they die when they stop moving, right?

11/10/2022

This is a special day for me, and I'll tell you why! Today is the second anniversary of my first Android release, Brock Hop: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.JeffMakesGames.BrockHop

While it never quite gained the following I would have liked, it was great fun to work on, it taught me a lot in a short time, and I always knew that simply creating something and seeing it through to completion and release would be the hardest step. It was the first passion project I ever saw through to the end, and because of that it will forever hold a special place in my heart.

I've since gone on to release Colourfall, Fidget Box, No Way Up, and even branched out over to Steam - Which was something that seemed unachievable when I started out.

When I very first sat down to work on Brock Hop, I was a postman with a bad knee, a busted ankle, and an incredibly encouraging and supportive wife.

I gave myself 3 years.

3 years to build a portfolio of 3 solid games and start looking for work as a full-time games developer. Today marks the end of 2 of those 3 years. Not only did I release 4 games in that time, I'm also approaching the end of my first 6 months as a full-time game developer! I work at a fantastic company that sought me out and immediately put me to work on their highest-earning game, and (to the best of my knowledge) I'm absolutely killing it over there.

I love my job. I honestly never thought I would get to say that.

I'm good at my job. Wasn't sure that would ever come up either!

All of these interactions with you - my wonderful little community; every like, every comment, every share, every review, every fragment of feedback I've received across various platforms and in person, everything has led up to this moment. And I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your support over these last 2 years.

Thank you all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much!

I genuinely couldn't have done it without you. I'm so grateful to every single person reading this right now.

Yes, you!

Anyway. I imagine you're thinking this is a roundabout way of me telling you that I won't be working on my games anymore because my spare time is limited... Quite the contrary! I've been spending every spare waking moment of the last few weeks rewriting No Way Up from the ground up. Just last weekend I finished building a system that lets me create new levels to completion from within the game itself. It can be done in seconds!

One of the biggest caveats of being a so-called 'professional' now is that I'm now learning about all the different ways that I did things badly in my own games... So I'm fixing every minor detail as we speak!

Hopefully you'll all feel the difference when the second part of No Way Up drops. I'm very excited to showcase what I've got in store, but... not yet. Not just yet.

Love you guys!
-Jeff

PS: Brock Hop has a Halloween event all this month, along with a cool birthday event that ends at midnight tonight. If you're bored, check it out! It's silly fun.

30/08/2022

Anyone running Steam on a Mac?

No Way Up is now available to you.

Also, here's a trapped Cinder in the same style as my last post. (Repost - I put the wrong picture up. Whoops)

22/08/2022

This week is my birthday, and I want to celebrate with all of you by giving you 50% off the game, along with masses of improvements. Including (but not limited to):

- Revised levels - Almost half of the existing levels have had the difficulty hiked up and many puzzles made much more interesting.
- Sound - I've devised an entirely new audio system to keep everything consistent.
- Equalisation - Volume levels have been severely stomped down and normalised.
- Background music - As requested, more dark, sinister ambience...
- Lighting - The 'black wall' issue should be resolved.
- Dialogue - The story has been almost entirely rewritten to be less wacky.
- Menu Navigation - Page left/right buttons added to the main menu.
- Optimisation - Lots of minor fixes and quality of life improvements.
- 2 new achievements!
- Dancing... Just to take the edge off.
- Late edition: Dialogue Skip - Story dialogue is now always on by default when replaying levels, but it can also be toggled on/off in the Options menu.

Thank you all so much for all the feedback since release. Every single word has been taken on board, and I think this update has it all covered - plus much more! Now the game is all nice and polished, time to start work on Part 2...

Get it now, or play it some more:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1878670/No_Way_Up

Check the comments for a very cool re-imagining of a Spectre...

18/06/2022

Would you just look at that distribution! I'm overwhelmed by how far and fast No Way Up is spreading. I've had droves of eager streamers reach out to me recently, wanting to play. I can't thank you all enough for putting in the time to play, write reviews and share the good word.

I've had some fantastic feedback in the last few days on what I've done well, and what could have been better. I've listened closely to every single word you've all said - I'm sorry the intro music is so loud...

I'll immediately be working on tweaking those parts of the game, as well as starting work on the next chapter.

THANK YOU ALL
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1878670/No_Way_Up

14/06/2022

SPEECHLESS. The response for No Way Up has been absolutely phenomenal. In less than two days, the Steam release has outsold the Android version more than ten times over. Thank you SO much for everyone that bought it, and everyone that claimed a code in the giveaway.

I'm currently still sitting at one single positive review. If you've enjoyed the game please please please give it a rating on Steam, as that is what will ultimately give the game a chance at success and result in more quality content. I have big plans for the future of No Way Up and am very keen to hear what people have to say about it, be it good or bad!

Thanks everyone! 🥰

12/06/2022

Steam release day!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1878670/No_Way_Up/

Full controller support, achievements, and masses of optimisation and quality-of-life improvements! No Way Up is now available on Steam. It's currently under the early access banner, but there are 48 fully playable levels wrapped in a quirky little story.

Once again, the first 5 comments will receive a copy of the game absolutely free. All I ask is you leave a fair review - or at least provide some general feedback.

I'll see you if/when you return from the Void.

Edit: All free keys (and then some) have now been claimed. Thanks for supporting JellieBox!

03/06/2022

While preparing No Way Up fit for its Steam release, I got a bit carried away with making the game more non-phone-friendly and started work on promised features a bit prematurely. It's still coming! Just... not today. But what IS coming you ask?
---
Controls have been revised - Tank controls are now exclusive to first-person. When in third-person, up/down/left/right are now explicit.

Full controller support is 99% integrated, I just need to run a few more tests with some different controllers.

And assuming I don't massively overrun: Achievements!

The Android release will be updated with all new features and optimisations shortly after the Steam release.
---
Once again, thanks for your patience!

Wishlist No Way Up now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1878670/No_Way_Up/

07/05/2022

Big news for my non-Android followers.
..Ready? I'm preparing to release No Way Up on Steam! Everything is working great so far, but I plan on using the weekend to fully stress-test everything and release the finished product within the coming week. Controller support and achievements are also in the works to be added shortly after release!

Add No Way Up to your wishlist now! (And receive 25% off on release)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1878670/No_Way_Up

The only way up... Is down.

29/03/2022

Automatically sync your game progress across your devices in version 1.2 of No Way Up.

Available to download now!

10/03/2022

No Way Up - Part 1 is now available to download and play on Android!

To celebrate, I'm hosting a little giveaway - The first 5 comments on this post will receive a code to download the game free of charge. All I ask is that you leave some fair feedback once you've played. Thank you all for your patience everyone!

Download here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.JellieBoxGames.NoWayUp

Updated trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7TV_6iUros

10/03/2022

A new addition to the family is always a shock to the system, so the final testing phase and subsequent release of No Way Up had to be briefly halted while baby Phoebe settled into the JellieBox family.
😴

No Way Up has been submitted for final approval and will be landing on Android any day now!

16/02/2022

No.

Way.

Up.

https://youtu.be/O7TV_6iUros

The only way up...Is DOWN.Releasing soon on Android and Steam.

16/02/2022

JellieBox is back in action! My new PC has arrived and I've already leapt into action to put together the trailer for No Way Up as promised. It should be barging onto your screens before the day is out. Thanks for being patient!

20/01/2022

20/01/2022

It's been a while since I posted anything because I've been so buried in polishing the release of No Way Up, but I thought it only fair to mention that my computer sort of... exploded while I was working on a launch trailer. 😱

Not to worry though, my harddrive is still intact so I haven't lost anything important but I'm currently out of the game for a week or two.

The second I'm back up and running, my latest release will be imminent. Exciting twist: I'm aiming to release on 2 platforms for the first time. Stay tuned!

12/11/2021

Whoops, I seem to have dropped a new game!

Fidget Box!

I made this distraction piece for my little girl so she could hold my phone without accidentally buying things. You can see her thoroughly enjoying a beta version of it if you look at my previous posts.

Free of charge - No ads, no profit, my gift to parents everywhere. Play with bouncy balls, stars and coins. Enjoy bright colours, silly noises and some peaceful music while you fling things around in this gravity-defying fiesta of colour.

If enough people show interest, I'm happy to continue adding new content. Currently only available on Android.

PS: Sorry for the lack of recent updates, work has been absolutely manic and the family has been consistently ill for roughly an eternity.

11/10/2021

🤩 100+ followers for little old me? Absolutely mind-blowing. And you're all so good-looking too!

Thanks for all the likes and shares in the last few days everyone, it really does mean a lot.

If you haven't already (and you're on Android), feel free to check out Brock Hop before the anniversary/birthday event ends at midnight tonight. The Halloween event will continue until the end of October. 👻

10/10/2021

Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of my first release. What better way to commemorate that than a double-barrelled event!

Brock Hop 2.0 features:
- New seasonal events!
- New characters and accessories that you can now buy and own forever!
- Bigger daily bonuses!
- New event-specific music tracks!
- Cloud saving! Never lose your progress when you upgrade your phone!
- And loads more secret goodies...

It's currently the Halloween event, which will pair up from midnight with Brock Hop's 1st birthday party for the whole day tomorrow. Free stuff to be had, and all Tier-2 Powerups are yours for the whole day! Try them out!

Watch out for ghostly apparitions. Successfully tackle a ghost and get possessed by EVERY powerup in the game at once.

Ghostly powerups have also been seen loitering, which can't be good for anyone...

Download/Update now: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.JeffMakesGames.BrockHop

04/09/2021

www.jellieboxgames.com/no-way-up

A very short blurb about my upcoming game. The game mechanics are absolutely solid and I'm now exclusively working on new levels.

This one even has a bit of a story! Check it out if you've got a spare minute. I'll put a trailer together soon.

31/08/2021

I won't lie. I'm quite proud I finally managed this one. Mainly because I forgot about it.

14/08/2021

It's been a long time coming, but Codename: Maze Project/Just Get Out has *finally* been designated a proper name.

[Drumroll please]

No Way Up!

I'm currently in the process of trialling a prop/clutter system to make the levels a bit more interesting to explore.

It's still in the early testing phase right now so there's not a huge variety of items as of yet, but I'm hoping to give the game some added replay value. Here's two screencaps of the same level on different playthroughs to give you an example.

06/07/2021

Think it's safe to say that Elliebox loves her game! I've been trying to create something she'd really enjoy, and this seems to have hit the spot!

27/06/2021

Ok! It's been a while since I've posted anything particularly informative, so here are the trio of games I've been working on lately.

Pictures 1 + 2: Just Get Out! (Working title)
A simple maze navigation game. The world unfolds itself from the darkness as you explore, gathering crystals and ultimately trying to just get out of the labyrinth. I've created 2 modes. One where you can freely walk around and make mistakes, and one where you have to script every single movement and if you make a mistake, you're back to the start! There will be first-person perspective levels, and also levels set entirely in the dark. (Picture 2 shows a combined dark, first-person level)

Picture 3: Moon Miner (Again, working title)
In very early development, but in a nutshell you're a technologically advanced pirate captain with the goal to dominate the galaxy and harvest all it's resources. Battle for supremacy to conquer a planet, then claim anything and everything you can get your hands on. Send your ships on expeditions, upgrade your equipment, take over! This one started as an idle-miner game and... Got out of hand, there's lots to cover but I won't go too deep into it until I've got more to show you. Some familiar graphical assets are being used as placeholders, probably best to ignore them for now.

Picture 4: The JellieBox!
My daughter is now at the stage where she wants our phones, and gets upset when we tell her no. So what was I supposed to do? That's right. Build her own bespoke game with bouncy balls, bright colours (Yellow is her favourite), and lots of plinky-plonky sounds. Gravity is based on the orientation of your phone, so every time you flip the screen round, everything drops to whatever it considers downwards. It keeps her happy for hours! I've only been working on this one for a couple of days so it's not the prettiest of things yet.
----
If you've read up to this point, you're the best and I appreciate your support! I've been very hard at work and am hoping to release my maze game fairly soon, hopefully with a better name and hundreds of levels. And, if there's any interest, The JellieBox will also make its debut before long.

Much love!
-Jeff

15/06/2021

Hey Jelliefolks, sorry for the lack of recent updates, but I'm certainly still plugging away at my latest game.

Spoiler: I started work on a second game as a side-project and got incredibly invested in it.

I've just started a Twitter account with the intention of showcasing more screenshots/videos of my games without viciously spamming everybody on here. I'll still be posting here, but my Twitter page will be a bit more involved for anybody interested in my development process.

I'll be dropping some news about my new game very soon. In the mean time, click the link if you'd like to follow my Twitter feed. Thanks!
-Jeff

The latest Tweets from JellieBox Games (). UK-based Indie developer. I make games in my spare time, here's hoping you enjoy them!. United Kingdom

12/04/2021

i swear

I SWEAR

This is the last time.

www.jellieboxgames.com

This is my website, from now until the day I die. There will be no more placeholders. It's done now.

Welcome to JellieBox!

12/04/2021

31/03/2021

This is a friendly reminder that I'm still alive and still doing things. I spent some time messing around with about 20 different concepts for new games and genuinely struggled to decide which one I'm more excited about and to pursue first.

For those interested, it's SPACE PIRATES.

Hopefully that's not overselling it. I've got the basic mechanics in place and a few test planets, but so far the concept is a resource-management space-plundering idle game. This may change as it progresses, as it's going to be a tough one to get right... But I'm quite excited about it and already eager to start showing off what I have. But I won't. Watch this space.

(Sorry about that last pun)

28/02/2021

Couldn't be happier with Colourfall's reception so far, thanks to everyone who downloaded it. More levels to come!

If you haven't downloaded it yet, here's the link to do so:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.JellieBoxGames.Colourfall

22/02/2021

Colourfall has... Fallen? Fell? Fallen!

Sincere apologies for the delay, Google's verification system is apparently a bit overloaded right now and took much longer than it should have to pass the review process. Learning curve!

Anyway, here it is! Any feedback would be wonderful.

Currently only on Android, download now!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.JellieBoxGames.Colourfall