We've been going back and revamping old artwork now that the art style of our #indiegame is locked in. These young men are also specific characters now rather than nameless mooks!

Brackeys Game Jam 2025 was really cool this year! Check out this showcase of some of the best entries! (not counting OUR epic entry state;NOMINAL obviously) www.youtube.com/watch?si=uAR...

Ashvinder is upset with you... WHAT DID YOU DO?? #indiegamedev

trying to avoid sony showcase spoilers until we have time to watch it 💀 also go check out the #MadeInNZ steam event it has lots of cool games on it. such as ours

For our second #MadeInNZ spotlight of the day, check out How Was Your Day? by Mad Carnival! This one really feels authentically kiwi. Just watching the trailer makes me want to go to the dairy for a pie, and maybe solve a mystery while I'm at it... store.steampowered.com/app/3235570/...

We'll be highlighting some of our favourite games in the #MadeInNZ Steam event. Go check out ShelfLife: Art School Detective by @fnifegames.bsky.social 👏 Between you and me, I'm very jealous of their awesome sprite + 3D art style 👀😤

Check out the Made In NZ Steam Event! Try our The Siege of Jeomdo demo or download HipWitch! 🎮 #IndieGameDev

The MADE IN NEW ZEALAND Steam Event is live! 🇳🇿 Try the demo for our upcoming VN The Siege of Jeomdo and wishlist the full game! ⚔ For a cute narrative adventure, try HipWitch! You can own it now completely free 🧙‍♀️ And check out all the other NZ games while you're at it ❤️ #indiedevs

Sonic when he has to go through Green Hill Zone AGAIN #SonicTheHedgehog

Back on the writing horse. ... The horse that writes scripts (can someone pls lend me some better idioms)🐴✍️ #IndieGameDev

This guy's looking for work btw! Hire this crafter of fish NOW 🐟

YOOOO #NintendoDirect news is actually real What are we thinking boys New Mario? Fire Emblem??

Today's spotlight is on your scouting squad! To defend a territory, you need to know the lay of the land. Wishlist on Steam! (link in replies!) #IndieDev #indiegame #TheSiegeOfJeomdo

Obviously, it was goated...

I promise this chicken-scratch will look like a proper piece of art at some point 😅 #IndieGameDevs

What did you guys think of the #SonicRacingCrossWorlds beta? Our team is battling internally - Sonic fanatics VS Sonic haters... ⚔️

Today's spotlight is on Ji ho, master of ceramic art! You may find his skills surprisingly useful in the war effort... 🫖👀 Wishlist The Siege of Jeomdo on Steam! #IndieDevs #visualnovel

Busy working on our branching story! Who knew writing is harder than it looks? 😅😭✍️ #TheSiegeOfJeomdo #visualnovel #articydraft

Wow! Our artist @rjducats.bsky.social is a finalist in The Rookies Monthly Art Challenge: The Market! His 3D skills are seriously out of this world these days. Check out his entry in the replies!

Which racer are you guys more excited for? 🚗🌠 (Just saying, only one of these games features Hatsune Miku...)

Been animating my Dragon Ball #Xenoverse character again :)

Sakurai really knows how it is :(

Wisely managing your village's Resolve stat is paramount if you're to have a chance in battle. A weak force with no morale will surely perish. #indiegame #TheSiegeOfJeomdo

sometimes you just have one of those days

Now that we've got most of our core mechanics, art, and plot outline together... we're kind of just barrelling forward into scary uncharted territory. We spent so much time polishing that it's surreal to be working on content and story beats it felt like we'd never get to!

It always feels good to be able to add a new background to our #indiegame. With each drawing, our setting becomes less of a vague concept and more of a tangible place our characters live. Creating a world is one of the most rewarding parts of game dev!

Just make it exist first, you can make it good later! I'm pretty proud at how this Visual Novel illustration has progressed...✏️ #TheSiegeOfJeomdo #indiegames

Ow! Experiencing chest pains!! 🥺 (This definitely isn't a WIP of something much more violent. Don't worry about it) #indiegamedev #TheSiegeOfJeomdo

Often a drawing takes multiple passes to figure out, at least for me. If a sketch doesn't turn out how you wanted, try using the bones of it for another attempt! ✏️ #IndieGameDev #digitalart

Someone has to stay behind and cover your army's retreat. Who do you trust to make an impossible stand? #indiegame #TheSiegeOfJeomdo

slow work day today... how do you guys muscle through a rut?? #IndieGameDev

How good are you at taking bad news? 😨😨 #indiegame #TheSiegeOfJeomdo

Each day opens with the Requisition screen. Send your scouts on expeditions around the island, research new technologies, train your militia and more! #TheSiegeOfJeomdo

Experimenting with some less grounded/realistic illustrations for Narrative Battles. Almost looks like a movie poster, no?

This a pet checkpoint. PLS SHOW US PICTURES OF YOUR PETS i dont have a pet, so here's this random cat i met on the street - Brett

A representative of the empire is at your doorstep. He wants to parley. Do you take your spear-toting bodyguard into the meeting for security? Or would you rather go it alone to avoid offending your powerful would-be invader? #TheSiegeOfJeomdo #indiegame

Need to visit another part of Jeomdo? It's as easy as visiting the Island Map! 🗺️ #TheSiegeofJeomdo #indiegame

What game did you most recently finish? (Playing, not making😅)

One of many unused concept designs for the main character of our #indiegame The Siege of Jeomdo. This one is a little too "really chill hippy teacher" for the character 😂

In early concept art, the enemy faction in The Siege of Jeomdo was going to be a bit more Japanese-inspired as opposed to the Mongolian influence we gave them in the end. I still think these guys look pretty cool. Perhaps they are out there somewhere in our world! #indiedev

Concept drawing for a scene in our indie game. What do you think is going on here...? #TheSiegeOfJeomdo #IndieGameDev

We ended up going with a different character design for the old farmer, sadly... Who thinks we should still find space for this lovely hairy-eared man and his dog?? WHO IS WITH ME?? #IndieGameDev

You will love our indie game if you enjoyed: - Citizen Sleeper - Roadwarden - Yes, Your Grace - The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante

Note to self: Make sure placeholder dialogue doesn't make it into the retail game #IndieGameDev #VisualNovel

Heinrich is our genius programmer from Germany! 🧠🇩🇪 Who knew that a random referral from a mutual friend would lead to such an awesome partnership?❤️ Not only is he our sole programmer, but he has a sharp mind for weighing in on every aspect of development. #IndieDevs

unfortunately our characters probably aren't recognizable enough for this simplification trend 😭

Saylor is the real mover and shaker of Studio Hip Sword. He manages the whole team, sets our goals, handles opportunities & business logistics... Oh, and he writes our story scripts. And designs most of the gameplay. We'd be lost without him. (dont tell him tho, he's bad at taking compliments)

So uh, I'm Brett btw! I may run this account and talk in the videos, but I'm certainly not a solo dev. We're a worldwide creative team spanning New Zealand to Germany! Mostly, I'm the lead (visual) artist. I draw assets, set the overall art style, and design the UI. #IndieDevs

Yo, artists! Anyone doing #artfight this year? Our lead artist @lunchbillion.bsky.social is participating in case anyone wants to trade drawings 😃 artfight.net/~Lunchbillion

When war comes to a peaceful village, hunters are a natural first starting point to build your makeshift militia. Quietly navigating diverse terrain and knowing the perfect moment to loose an arrow are useful skills indeed... #TheSiegeOfJeomdo