Meerkat Man is a game I developed under the instructions of an 11 year old boy who had big ideas and a big imagination. It's the first game I have developed since graduation and also my most successful, with over 9 thousand players and 5 star reviews on several different social platforms.

Play Free: https://gx.games/games/u8banv/the-adventures-of-meerkat-man/

Creating a game for an 11 year old client

My main goal for this project was to complete a commissioned game, something based on someone else's requirements, which I hadn't done up until that point.

I got started by asking my client to give as much detail as possible about the game he wanted me to make, which he jotted down on the back of a local restaurant's children's menu. He also wrote down a rough idea for the beginning of the story. From there I set myself tasks:

Deliver a game that satisfies the client and fits their expectations.
Improve the game using my knowledge as a game designer, proposing changes that could make it more fun.
Complete the game within my means, without using money or time I didn't have.

I already had a rough RPG Template on GameMaker, so I got to work blocking out sections of the map, after meeting with my client, where we solidified the different wacky regions that the game would consist of.

These regions would have corresponding animals, cosmetics, and tasks that would help the player progress the main story while also having the opportunity to explore different areas.

Listen to the Meerkat Man Soundtrack on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DjacksGames

In order to make the map feel "lived in", I created multiple Animal NPC's who gave out side quests that let the player earn money or cosmetics, telling the player useful information that could help them complete the game, or saying something funny.

I found myself putting a lot of effort into the humour, as I felt it was important that players were fond of the animals that they needed to save.

After around 2 years of development (during which I was also completing my degree), I finished "The Adventures of Meerkat Man", delivered it to my client for a fair price and, with permission, released it on Itch.io and gxgames.com where I found thousands of people who seemed to enjoy it a lot!

I've had grateful messages from parents and rave reviews on tiktok, but while the game was a huge success for what it was, there were several areas I realised I need serious work on as a developer: namely Art and Marketing.

Overall, Meerkat Man was a huge success and still holds the position of my most played and best reviewed game to date.