Starting the Journey

Well, here we go.

After wrapping up a freelance contract, I’ve decided to take a year out to work full-time on a passion project: making a full Game Boy Color game.

The project is called Thru Hiker — a story-driven game about long-distance hiking, quiet moments, and personal discovery. I’ve had this idea in the back of my mind for a while, and now seemed like the right time to see if I can actually make it real.

I’ve been in game development for almost three decades, but this is my first time diving into retro handheld development and pixel art, so in many ways I feel like a beginner again.

🛠 Why the Game Boy Color?

Making a game for the GBC appeals to me for a few reasons:

• Constraints are freeing — limited palette, resolution, and hardware force focus.

• The nostalgia is real — there’s something deeply satisfying about seeing a game come to life on actual old hardware (or a good emulator).

• I want to hold the final game in my hands — ideally on a real cartridge.

⚙️ Why GB Studio?

While I have a lot of experience writing assembly (I’ve published three books on retrogamedev.com), I decided not to go the low-level route this time—despite the strong temptation to build everything from scratch.

Instead, I’m using GB Studio. It’s a tool that lets me focus on design and pixel art first, without getting lost in engine work. If I hit limitations down the road, I can always look into extending the engine or porting to custom assembly. But for now, this feels like the right foundation to actually finish something meaningful.

🥾 Early Design Thoughts

The core theme is loosely based on hiking the full 2,653 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. You play as a solo thru-hiker, trying to complete the journey while managing daily physical and emotional challenges using whatever limited resources you can carry.

The game will be top-down, Zelda-style, with a focus on exploration, pacing, and narrative rather than combat.

I’m currently planning three main environmental regions: desert, snowy mountains, and forest—each with their own hazards, pacing, and vibe.

Along the way, you’ll be able to stop in trail towns for supplies, rest, and optional side quests like sightseeing or unexpected detours. You’ll also meet other hikers, gradually building relationships and bonding by sharing stories on the trail.

The deeper personal story will unfold through interactive flashbacks, gradually revealing your character’s reasons for hiking—and the internal struggle that brought them here.

🗓 What to Expect

I’ll be posting weekly devlogs here to share my progress, thoughts, pixel art missteps, and occasional mild existential crises. These will likely include:

• Development insights

• Screenshots, videos, and tool experiments

• Design dilemmas and how I’m tackling them

• Hiking trivia if I get carried away

If you’ve found your way here and are curious about the project—or about making retro games in general—feel free to follow along. I’m figuring this out as I go, and I’ll be as transparent as I can about the process.

See you next week!
— Derek