Gleaner Heights Interview

Gleaner Heights is a game inspired by the older Harvest Moon titles, as well as the suburban gothic atmosphere of certain 90s TV shows. Players can tend to their farm, plant crops, take care of animals and engage in social activities with the townspeople. But they can also stumble upon mysterious events, townsfolk leading double lives, supernatural evils and old creatures guarding lost treasures. Add in the mix fluid combat moves, bosses, crafting, fishing, cooking, skills, perks and exploration and you have a rough picture of what the game has to offer.

As a matter of fact, it is my second game on Steam. The first was Emerge: Cities of the Apocalypse, an old-school strategy/defense game. It was a somewhat niche title that didn't draw much attention. It was also a quite difficult game, which disappointed many people hoping for a more casual experience, but was also praised by others looking exactly for that: a tough challenge. I am very proud of it and I believe it's a polished game, crafted with care, that has much to offer to anyone who likes a hardcore, old-school experience. Oh, and zombies.

All my previous games were freeware. I've made, among others, a short room escape game (written in Visual Basic 6, weird huh?), an Arkanoid clone with bosses, a sadistic Tetris clone where the screen rotates as you play and a very cool top-down shooter with RPG elements and a campaign editor called Metal Venture. Nowadays these games are somewhat of an antiquity, but you can find them here. Who knows? Maybe you'll have a good time!

I first played Harvest Moon for the SNES back in 2004. It quickly became a favourite of mine and not much later other HM titles followed. So essentially I've always wanted to make a game like that. Fast forward into 2012, where I watched the Twin Peaks TV series for the first time. I cannot recall the exact train of thought that glued these two concepts together, but it kind of happened. I started thinking how cool it would be to take a cutesy on the outside farming game like Harvest Moon and silently remove the safety net: Guilty people. Double lives. Secrets and lies. A looming, incomprehensible supernatural threat. Now that would be something new to play! As I had already began working on Emerge, the idea went into hibernation for years. But when I finally released Emerge, it woke up, tugging on my mind's sleeve, and I had to make it real.

Harvest Moon for SNES, N64, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. I think the GBA title (Friends of Mineral Town) was, for me, the best one, but the SNES title will always have a special place in my heart, and it's also the game which influenced the art style of Gleaner Heights the most.

Planting, fighting, fishing and exploring underwater are probably my favorites. Also, I miiight have seen some cutscenes related to the main plot a few more times than it's necessary or healthy, but I can always attribute this to testing. But as the game's sole developer, I'll have to admit that nothing is more exhilarating than fixing a nasty bug previously thought as untraceable...

Certain player decisions will influence the overarching story. Outcomes range from happy to mildly game-changing (eg: a couple is separated and one of them is now a romance option) to a downward spiral of violence and tragedy. But don't expect to find such paths lying at your feet: It will take vigilance, resourcefulness and more than a pinch of luck to witness the dark side of Gleaner Heights. Talking to everyone and giving lots of gifts wouldn't hurt either.

Character portraits would be a nice addition, I think. I have lots of ideas, and the game can be expanded in many fascinating ways, so depending on its reception/community buildup, there should be plenty of free updates!