Yevhen Bielik, the Ukrainian developer behind StartImpulse, has had an extraordinary journey in creating his first game, Hunt and Fight. In collaboration with Two Cakes Studio, he has been working tirelessly on the development of a new project, immersing himself in a process marked by both creativity and personal challenges. Recently, Yevhen shared his story on the Two Cakes Studio blog, revealing the difficulties he faced during the time he was under Russian occupation in the city of Oleshki, in the Kherson region.

“I spent a month and a half under Russian occupation,” Yevhen recalled. During this time, he had to save the game project on an external hard drive, but only 70% of the files were preserved. "I had to restore the rest from scratch." He explained that after escaping the occupation, he was taken in by strangers who provided him with free housing in the Zhytomyr region. This allowed him to purchase a laptop and resume development on his game after two months away from the project.

Yevhen graduated from Kherson State University in visual arts and spent years working as a graphic designer and 3D modeler. It was this experience that sparked his interest in game development. "The buyers of my 3D models often asked questions that revealed their lack of knowledge in game development, which surprised me. That led me to think that I could try creating a game myself."

The inspiration for Hunt and Fight came from the games he played. "While playing, I was always evaluating the gameplay and thought that it could be done better." This realization motivated him to transition from player to developer, and he began his project by exploring tutorials and forums to learn about game creation. "My only resource for learning was YouTube, as chat GPT didn’t exist at the time," Yevhen commented.

When discussing the technical challenges of development, Yevhen mentioned the complexity of implementing the save and load mechanics. "I expected the engine to offer a simple command to save the current state of the scene, but it turned out to be much more complicated than I thought." His chaotic development style became evident at this point, but he managed to overcome the obstacles and move forward with the project.

The game’s development took about two years, with much of the time spent on creating missions, lore, and choosing a style. When asked about the choice of a minimalist style, Yevhen explained that he is a fan of RPGs and strategy games, and his inspiration came from other developers on YouTube. "Many create amazing environments but then struggle with developing characters and animations that match the level of those environments. It’s very difficult for a single developer."

Yevhen’s journey was not just a technical one but also a personal battle. His determination to complete the game even after facing an invasion and losing files is a true inspiration for independent developers worldwide. Hunt and Fight stands as a testament to his resilience and passion for game development, and his new project promises to follow the same path of dedication and creativity.