Glimmer Chain

Glimmer Chain is a skill-based 2D platformer where you control a robot powered by a hook and chain. Jump and use the chain to complete levels.

The project started in June 2022 and was released on April 9, 2024. It was developed using a custom engine that I built from scratch in C++, and the team consisted of three people: an artist, a composer and myself.

I had the following roles in the development:

• Gameplay programmer.
• Programmer of the entire game engine
• Programmer of the level editor and development tools.
• Team lead: Managing the work of the artist and the composer.
• Game designer.
• Created all the sound effects.

I'm also the owner and handled all the marketing, although that wasn't part of the development process.

People often ask me: Why didn't you use an existing game engine?
Part of it is because I really enjoy it and wanted to have a finished and polished product made from scratch in my Portfolio. I wanted to face all the challenges head-on and learn from them to be better prepared for larger projects in the future.

There are also practical reasons:

• Full control over what the user's computer is running and how memory is managed.
• The tools and engine adapt to the project, rather than the other way around.
• For a simple game, you don't need many of the features other engines provide.
• Most of the core features are reusable for other projects.
• No licensing issues.