But those that do tend to complain they couldnt get the hang of the controls.
you’re able to understand why.
And yet theyre also a unique selling point.
“I liked the clunkiness of it because it led to a lot of tension in the gameplay.”
Tension and, frankly, panic.
Waking up on a Soviet submarine is just the beginning of your disorientation in Sonar Shock.
Even at melee range, precision aim is a necessity.
“I think that’s lost today.”
“I didn’t want to do that with Sonar Shock,” Bossniak says.
“Mainly because I wanted people to have to interact with the interface.”
Its the same alluring absurdity as patting your head while rubbing your stomach.
“I don’t really have a tech background,” he says.
“The art skills, programming and engine work I picked up on the side.”
Thanks toEnter the Gungeon, Bossniak developed a pixel art habit during the pandemic.
A couple of years later, he was experimenting with several small game projects in the open sourceGodot.
“Modern day engines are all pretty easy to use, even for newcomers,” he says.
A 90s-style shooter made sense - a 3D format which Bossniak could fill with flat pixel art.
“The first things I did were sprites for enemies and non-player characters,” he says.
“I think I did one month of only art before I actually started programming.”
Before long, his Eastern European Studies began to filter into the game too.
Bossniak has mixed feelings about the place of the region and its history in videogames.
Hes both fond and critical of theCommand & Conquer: Red Alertgames, with their Soviet-trained squids and psi-corps.
“Obviously there its meant for comedic effect,” he says.
He takes issue less with the silliness and more with the common conflation of the USSR with Russia.
“It was a multi-ethnic state, and I think thats seldom depicted,” Bossniak says.
Thats evident from character creation in Sonar Shock.
Once aboard the sub, youll rub up against side characters from Armenia, Georgia and Lithuania.
“you’re free to only cram so much into a first-person shooter game,” Bossniak says.
“But that was one thing I wanted to do.”
“Its a typical Russian mythological character.”
Beyond the survivors and monsters who populate its corridors, Sonar Shocks submarine literally pulls from Eastern European architecture.
Its a goofy idea that ensures the sub is never short on visual variety.
“They are oftentimes very samey looking with a lot of grey, metallic corridors.”
“Is it an office for somebody, or an engine room, or a storage room?
Whats the purpose of it?”
Many players have been captivated as a result.
Bossniak expected to make three or four thousand bucks from his hobby game.
“For me, Sonar Shock is an outstanding success,” he says.
“I dont want to say exactly, but its sold decently well.
It definitely overshot my expectations and the critical response has been pretty good as well.”
“I tried a lot to fix that,” Bossniak says.
“But I think it’s a problem with the engine.”
The volume of feedback was daunting in the beginning.
“Sadly, feedback is oftentimes not phrased very nicely.
It was a surprising mental load for me suddenly.”
But gradually, Sonar Shock has required less and less attention.
As we speak, the developer is working on a New Game Plus mode.
“Its not a lot of hard work to do right now.”
Many developers dream of establishing a foothold in the indie immersive sim scene the way Bossniak has.
But a taste of success hasnt altered his view of where games fit into his life.
“I’m still very invested in foreign journalism,” he says.
“Because for me its very rewarding.
Developing games is also very rewarding.
But I think, still, thats actually the thing I prefer.”
