The Journey of Creating “The Abandoned Planet”: A Solo Developer, Two Kids, and One Wacom Tablet

Sure, here’s the rewritten article:

—

So, there I was in Florida, juggling a job and two kids running wild — one I might add, who popped into this world right smack in the middle of game development. My “office” was more like a tiny corner in our bedroom, doubling as a nursery and, let’s be real, a chaos zone. Picture a Moleskine notebook squashed onto the last inch of a tiny desk, doodled over with maps and squiggly lines while my toddler thought my laptop was his new jungle gym. I figured, “Hey, why not a one-year project?” Ha! Fast forward two and a half years, and I was still deep in the trenches of solo dev hustle. We’re talking coding, drawing, animating, composing — even cooked up a base-7 number system and an alien alphabet, just for fun. Or madness.

Every single pixel in The Abandoned Planet sprung to life on my Wacom tablet. Spent endless hours obsessing over pixel art and animations, while crafting the creepiest soundscape I could muster. The movement’s got this retro vibe—hello, 4-way D-Pad navigation—but it’s got a certain snap and polish too. As you wander through this freaky alien world, you’re like piecing together weird symbols and collecting bizarre stuff. It’s got that 90s adventure game nostalgia but cranked up for today’s gamers.

And the game? It’s a weird mashup of both old and new. Gorgeous pixel art paired with a sleek UI. Quick gameplay with navigation that feels responsive, like you’re gliding through it. Classic point-and-click moments where you’re messing around with items and trying not to blow yourself up. There are five acts—300 plus unique areas to explore. It’s like getting lost in a pixelated universe, and let’s not forget those spooky animated cutscenes that shimmy into the game now and then.

Oh, and did I mention it’s got full voiceovers in 11 different languages? English is the star, of course, but there’s even this kooky alien language thrown in just to keep things interesting.

Now, while The Abandoned Planet stands on its own two feet, it also slots right into this bigger saga with Dexter Stardust: Adventures in Outer Space, hinting at even more cosmic capers. Every little puzzle twist, every hand-scrawled alien symbol, goes right back to my cluttered bedroom-nursery-office, which made developing this thing a delightful mess. If you’re on the hunt for an adventure that’s all about diving into a lost civilization and the sheer joy and chaos of creating solo, take the plunge with The Abandoned Planet. Perfect weekend escapism, if you ask me.

—

Hope you enjoy your space oddity!