We have a lovely feature today with the developer of Deadly Heart Gambit! One of the games we got to try during the Hungry Ghost Festival 2025.
Thank you for supporting this developer interview series thus far, Please welcome Blink Hydrate and check out their games on Steam!
1. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this interview! Could we get an introduction to you?
I am a solo developer. My name is a reminder for eye resting and staying hydrated. Deadly Heart Gambit is my most recent game. It is a very wholesome game inspired by Buckshot Roulette! I also made a fan game for Neuro-sama Birthday Game Jam!
2. What inspires you to create games?
I enjoy reading stories. I wanted to be a writer. I ended up making story-driven games. Anime also inspires me a lot. My favorite anime are Mob Psycho 100, Bocchi The Rock, Attack on Titan. I like to use VRoid Studio to create cute anime characters!
3. What games do you enjoy in your free time? And did any have an influence on the games you created?
My favorite games are To the Moon, Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC), Undertale, and Omori. The iconic line Alice Forever is a direct inspiration from Just Monika in DDLC. I would recommend To the Moon to everyone. It influenced me so much that I want to create games that make people cry.
4. As an indie developer, what does your day to day life look like?
Procrastination! And also, I’m too busy with my day job. I wish I had more time for my games.
5. Deadly Heart Gambit requires the player to balance risk and reward. Do you enjoy games with risk-taking and are you a risk-taking person yourself?
I don’t think I am a risk-taking person. I play games with risk-taking to understand more about game design. Deadly Heart Gambit is inspired by Buckshot Roulette with risk-taking as a core mechanic. I believe risks add fun to a game.
6. What game engine is Deadly Heart Gambit designed on and why?
Deadly Heart Gambit is a game from GMTK Game Jam 2024. The game jam version was made in 96 hours. Unity Engine was used for 3D support and assets. I’d like to use Godot Engine for my future games.
7. Your previous game, Push the Cat with WASD, featured some characteristics of wall-breaking. Is this something you like including in your games?
Yes. I believe there are some ideas that can only be better expressed through the medium of games, and fourth-wall breaking is a great example of that.
8. Can you tell us more about your upcoming game?
It is a game inspired by my favorite games. I want to create something profound. Something meaningful and powerful. It will be a game that explores ideas such as Existential Dread, Absurdism, and The Burnout Society.
Here is an original song for the game! Please have a listen!
9. What advice do you have for players trying to complete Deadly heart Gambit?
The most satisfying part of the game is predicting the Joker.
Since the value of the Joker is 14, you can try playing higher cards (10, J, Q, K).
The cards won’t rotate when the next card is higher, so these higher cards can better indicate where the Joker is.
For example:
If J, Q, and K are drawn, you can play 10, and if it does not rotate, the next card will be the Joker.
10. Where can we subscribe to the progress and news about your games?
Follow me on X, Bluesky, and Youtube!
Please share my games with your friends!
Also, you can send messages to Alice-sama’s Marshmallow inbox.
Thank you so much Blink Hydrate for the interview! I’ll be looking forward to the next one! Thank you dear readers for supporting this series thus far, are there any other games you’d like to see featured? Leave a comment or email himetokki@gmail.com if you would like to see how we can work together!