Hello everyone, been a while hasn’t it?
Yes, Shoot Trip Die has turned 1 Year old today! It’s crazy how time flies, it doesn’t feel like that much time has passed. This game has changed so much in a year, I’ve changed so much in a year! It’s crazy really!
Shoot Trip Die is such a personal piece for me, not only was it just me making my first commercial attempt at a game, but it was also me trying to capture my feelings and interest in a weird and experimental piece of art. For many, it’s just a simple shoot 'em-up rogue-lite in a sea of games with the same description, but for me, it feels like random pages ripped and cobbled together from the story of my life.
Shoot Trip Die was being made during a weird transitional period for me. It was a time between me understanding the trauma from childhood, and the fear of who I was becoming. A story of anger, regret, addiction, and isolation masqueraded behind a simplistic SHMUP with bright graphics and immature humor. This game is a part not only of me, but the culture I grew up around, and I hope I represented in a way those who get it, feel seen.
Leading up to the release of Shoot Trip Die, I held hope that maybe this would be my chance at making it big. But alas, it was not. Shoot Trip Die is still very much underground in not just the rogue-lite scene, but the indie game scene as a whole. But for everyone who believed in this project, who believed in me, through the ups and downs, changes and fixes, I thank you. For a game with no budget, a single developer, a shotty vision, and a rag-tag team of artists and musicians, it was a modest success! But as an adult and artist, it is hard for me not to compare myself to others who have taken similar roads to my own, feelings of inadequacy and embarrassment were par for the course when the flame for the game burned out quicker than expected. But as time went on, as I got better, as the game got better I realized that this was just the first step on the journey of my creative story. If younger me saw what I had done, I don’t think he would have believed it. I hope younger me is proud of me, I hope younger me knows I’m proud of him.
So, what now? Well, Shoot Trip Die is going to be getting more updates! In fact, a VERY BIG update is in the works right now! We tried to get it out for the 1 year anniversary but there were some bumps in the road that prevented that. I also say ‘We’ because folks from the STD and Newgrounds Community have stepped in to help on this next update, like I said, this will be a pretty big update that will not only enhance the game, but also usher in a new wave of fans! I hope you’re excited about that! Along with upcoming STD updates, I’m working on a new game! It’s still very early in development, but I’m working on a movement-heavy, retro platformer! A demo for the game came out in early 2023 and development has started on expanding the demo into a full game, can’t promise a release date yet, but I’ll let y’all know when a Steam Page is available for the game! ;)
If you are at all interested in keeping up with STD updates, or updates on this new platformer game, I strongly urge you to join my Discord Server or follow me on twitter, these are the best places to stay up-to-date!
Again, thank you EVERYONE who believed, played, and helped Shoot Trip Die. Lots of love from me, and Chester BoDean! <3
-Levi Ramirez