PLEASE START US OFF BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF:

I am Yite. I started as a solo developer, but soon partnered-up with my friend and programmer Nitro to found Ground, an indie team from Barcelona, Spain.

I am the Creative Director of the game, so I have a hand on everything from its game design to art direction. Most of the time I am also the one to blame if something’s not good enough.

I have been developing a game called “The Time I Have Left” for several years. Together with Nitro we built a studio, went to a lot of events, and met a lot of people but we couldn’t find the external support needed to complete the game and had to close the company.

Despite that, we put so much into this project that we decided to keep working on it even after the studio closure, so we are still alive and kicking!

TELL US ABOUT THE TIME I HAVE LEFT.

The Time I Have Left is a time-driven escape adventure RPG. It blends a lot of elements from several genres, specially from Japanese RPGs, adventure games, and survival horror (although it is not a horror game!). If you like one of those 3 genres you will find something familiar.

We set out to create something that felt unique and would pull fans from one of those genres towards the others. We streamlined some elements of RPG design, included reactive elements to make it more appealing to people that don’t usually play turn-based games, and tried to keep a level of strategy and customization that would also make RPG lovers interested. Instead of grinding in combat, new skills are gained exploring and learning more about the world of the game.

And all of this happens under a 6-hour time limit with a twist!

It evolved from several ideas and failed projects. I had been trying to make a game with friends for several years but projects always fell through from one reason or another. At one point I felt I was running out of time to make the games I wanted to make, but I still wanted to try and make them.

And that’s how I decided to make a game about just that, a narrative game on a timer! It kept evolving from that point on.

HOW HAS THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY BEEN

It’s been equally difficult and enjoyable. We are very happy with what we have achieved so far, but there has been a lot of anxiety and uncertainty along the way too. The journey is not over yet though!

WHICH GAME ENGINE DID YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

We chose Unreal Engine (4 at the time, but we are working on 5 now). It fit our visual and technical needs perfectly and there was a lot of overlapping with our skillset. A lot of people feel intimidated by the focus on realism of UE, but it is an extremely versatile engine that allows for a lot of visual styles.

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT HURDLE SO FAR?

Finding financial support for the project. The game has always been progressing steadily, but without financial stability it’s been difficult to work on it at full power. We have pitched it to lots of publishers and potential investors, we even made a (failed) Kickstarter once. Securing money to keep working on the game has always been the most difficult part.

ADVICE FOR FELLOW DEVS?

Beware of the “hidden truth” behind game creation. There is a lot of work to do beyond “just making the game” and if you are a small team or solo dev it can be really overwhelming. Having to slow down your work on the game to search for support or tour for promotion can be both exhausting and very frustrating.

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?

The Time I Have Left is a very personal project to us, that’s why we are working as hard as we can to complete it. It’s a pretty unique game that may surprise you. We have a demo on Steam so if you try it we would love to hear your thoughts on it!

-Yite ❤️

The Time I Have Left on Steam