I haven’t posted here in over a month or done a formal update in a while so I thought now would be a better time than ever for two reasons; the first, being that Infelicities.com 2.0 (the website this is being posted on) has reached 500 visitors. My previous website had reached this many times over but I’d say 500 since April is a pretty solid milestone. The other reason is much bigger.

You may have noticed a new button on the homepage. This is for VYCE, a game I am working on. This is my most ambitious project yet, and tomorrow would mark one month since the first asset was created, so I think this would be a good point to start sharing what VYCE is all about. I will include some screenshots below, and keep in mind that these are in no ways final, and I am open to any and all comments or critiques down below!

The VYCE title screen as of 7/10/25

VYCE is a game about life choices, and how certain decisions can lead you down interesting paths. VYCE are creatures that are manifestations of vices in the real world. So instead of going out drinking with your buddies, you would get some VYCE and duke it out. VYCE move like chess pieces, so there are different tiers of power. While some VYCE only move diagonally or in an L shape, others explode, clone themselves, and more! The world they inhabit is like one big chess board, so it is a giant grid. This means VYCE can rear their ugly heads anytime, anywhere. The VYCE you choose are what shapes your strategies on the journey to the top.

A screenshot of VYCE in the players inventory – The green one is the first VYCE I designed.

VYCE in the over world – visuals not final

Players can get VYCE by buying them from another NPC or by capturing enemy VYCE in the over world. Once they are in their inventory, you can summon them onto the map. Once they are on the map, you can move them or withdraw them, all of which (including the summoning) counts as a move. The combat in this game is turn based, but not in your traditional JRPG style, it is more like a chess game with more pieces and various obstacles to navigate.

I have a much larger scope in mind for this game, but for now, I am making sure the enemy AI isn’t too easy/hard and the gameplay itself is fun before I start incorporating story elements into the game. I’ve had this idea floating around in my head for years, so I have a good sense of where things are headed, but as this is a video game I want to make sure that above all, it is fun. Coming from a film/writing background, that part comes easily to me so learning how to use this software has been the biggest hurdle so far. This is the first game I have ever programmed.

Speaking of gameplay, the VYCE combat is not the only way to play this game. Other than VYCE, money plays a huge role in the game’s mechanics. How you choose to earn that money is indicative of your morals, but there will be several ways. You could work a job, you can play the stock market, you can collect trash, and most fun of all, you can gamble for it. I have already created a new way to gamble that has never been seen before. The odds are more than 50/50, so it is in your favor, but very enticing and addictive. Friends I’ve had test the game never just do one bet.

Players select a grid size (1×1, 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4) and one square is randomly selected. The grid size determines the payout if you win, with it being larger the smaller you go.

You may have noticed the emphasis on square aesthetics. As I mentioned earlier, the entire game is built on a grid, including the UI and menus. It will have a very sleek and modern feel despite it’s pixelated graphics and everything is uniform. The sprites and the grid tiles are the exact same size, and as you can see, I have already developed a font for the game as well that is also based on this square aesthetic.

There is so much more I can say about what I’ve done so far, but in reality, I am really just getting started. My goal is to get a demo out before the end of the year, hopefully this fall. The demo would be localized entirely within a club, and serve as a way to get familiar with the mechanics of the game. If you guys just want me to jump right to the full game, let me know in the comments below. I would anticipate at least a year or two before I even think about what the release date for the full game would be, but there is no rush, I’m really just having fun finally making this idea a reality and learning a lot along the way.

Until next time, thank you for reading, and have a NYCE day!

-S