Behind the Stress: The 15-Month Journey to Build My Horror Game
Hello again!
This is Maciej, the creator of There’s a Gun in the Office.
Last time, I shared the inspiration behind There’s a Gun in the Office and how it came to be. This time, I’m taking a step back from the darker themes to dive into the messy, chaotic process of bringing the game to life.
I’ll walk you through the development timeline, the unique challenges I faced, and what it’s like to create a solo project that’s far from a straight line from idea to final product.
And don’t worry — no spoilers!
A Temporaty Halt
By March, I was ready to dive back in, keeping a daily progress log to stay motivated. It was surprisingly helpful — I often forgot what I’d accomplished after finishing a task, but reviewing the list of things I completed each weekend reminded me just how far I was moving forward.The plan seemed simple enough: build a game within a year for the next Halloween. Keeping the scope small felt manageable.
Second Life
Getting back into development wasn’t easy. The game had major problems:
- The puzzle logic felt arbitrary and frustrating.
- There was no clear goal.
- Playtesters were confused more than anything.
And then there was the ending. Just finding a key and walking through another door didn’t feel right. I wanted closure — something that made the experience feel complete. The solution finally came to me in April, giving the game the narrative structure it needed.
But even after that breakthrough, progress was a rollercoaster. I’d make headway, then stop for weeks, lose faith, and only regain momentum when someone played the game and liked the idea.
Summers Go by Too Quick
By late August, two things became clear:
- The game was happening. It worked, and the big hurdles were mostly behind me.
- I wasn’t going to meet the October “Spooktober” deadline without sacrificing my health.
Rather than rush out something half-finished, I decided to push the release to the end of the year. That gave me time to finish it properly.
The Trailer That Changed Everything
Working With a Publisher
- There are plenty of horror stories about publishers, but this isn’t one of them. The publishing deal brought three major benefits:
- Wider Reach: More people could play the game across multiple platforms. For someone who wants to be heard, that’s awesome.
- Quality Assurance: Having fresh eyes on the game daily helped catch things I never would have seen on my own.
- Accountability: Knowing others relied on me kept me focused and productive.
Today
And now it’s done.
