A Filipino game developer from Marikina City, Philippines, Jergs Correa created a timely video game perfect to play during this lockdown. Dubbed as Lockdown Hero, it is an open-world adventure game where you’ll be able to play as a kid to find a cure for the virus and save the world from the pandemic. The game is now listed on Steam and set to release this month.
Set in 3rd person mode, Lockdown Hero has a various gameplay for its open-world environment; like roaming the big city to do quests from the residents, collect hidden items like masks to protect yourself against the virus, find alcohol as a weapon to fight them and explore map activities to unlock new gears for character customization.
Any fans of a farm sim genre would also love to try this game as it features a farming sim where you’ll be able to plant and harvest crops for its daily chores.
Aside from that, mini-games and activities like driving, gliding and ball games are just some of the other gameplay that you can try.
Indie Game Publisher and a Former 3D animator, Jergs Correa is the one-man show behind his own studio Brick Greek Games and its first published game will finally come out to Steam this month which is the Lockdown Hero.
We got a chance to interview with our local developer, and asked him a few questions regarding his brand new game. He also has some advises and tips for all aspirant game developers who want to take this kind of career.
The Lockdown
All of us have experienced Lockdown in the past few months because of the pandemic. And until now some parts of the Philippines are still in lockdown due to a reported number of cases in their area. After all of this, Jergs didn’t stop him from being productive.
Because of lockdown, all Jergs did was just to play video games in the comfort of his home. After getting bored of playing video games, he tried searching for new ones to keep himself busy, but there are no interesting games he finds – because he thinks all of them are just the same. Not until something pops in his mind “If I were to create a game, it’s going to be like this.”, he said.
Jergs loves creating a unique concept that has never been done before. “It was this wild idea that motivated me to study the game software. I ran with the Lockdown concept since it was going to be a very timely and unique game.”, he explained.
The Game Development
He started developing the game way back April 12, 2020, it was also the time he was learning how to use Unity, the game engine that he used for the game. After a month, Jergs completed the Lockdown Hero. “As a former 3-D animator, I used a platform that was similar to Unity, for 12 years. It made my learning curve that much shorter. YouTube was also a great resource for me to learn the software.”, he added.
He took 5 sleepless weeks to finish the game. Whenever he is on the roll, he didn’t sleep for 2 days straight, especially when he is motivated with ideas and elements that he wants to incorporate into his game. Said Jergs: “It was stressful, yet very exciting because I learned something new every day.”
Little Co-Developer, his 9-Year-old Daughter
Although he is a one-man show on the technical side of the game development, he is not alone after all, because some of the voice-overs used in the game were actually from his daughter and at the same time she was also the QA game tester for the Lockdown Hero. “My 9-year-old daughter was also part of the game development, I made her do the voice-over and she was also my game tester.”, he mentioned in the interview.
Tips for all Aspirant Game Developers
Jergs wanted to remind everyone who wanted to take this kind of career that, “Anything is possible. If someone like me can make a game all by myself, like most of the successful indie game developers out there, then you can do it too. Just remember to enjoy the journey. Use every milestone of success as a source of motivation and inspiration.”, he advised.
Lockdown Hero is now listed on Steam and you can now add it to your wishlist at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1359840/Lockdown_Hero/
You can also follow Brick Geek Games at their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/brickgeekgames/
We don’t have exact date for the release date, but the developer says it will come out this month. He also has a plan to release the game to Mobile and Nintendo switch. For now, check this game trailer below.