A newcomer to game development recently took online to share an inspiring story about how he went from not knowing how to code to having a game reach the front page of Steam, all in a span of just three years. His experience went viral on social media earlier today, further feeding into his ongoing success on Steam.
Following the recent conclusion of the Steam Spring Sale 2023, the front page of Valve's storefront has once again reverted to its typical setup that's less curated and more algorithm-driven. Anyone with a game that's popular enough can hence reach the front page of Steam, which is exactly what one Lasse Zacho Malver from Denmark has now managed to achieve with an auto battler called Mage and Monsters.
Mage and Monsters is currently available at 25% off, or $2.96, with that limited-time sale even ending up in the Special Offers section on the front page of Steam on April 26. In a subsequent Reddit post, Malver revealed that he found this turn of events to be an incredible achievement, not least because he didn't even know how to code just three years ago. Since then, however, he took up making games in Unity using C#, eventually learning enough to put together a number of fantasy titles across a variety of genres.
Though many indie developers transition to making games from technical roles, Malver himself was completely self-taught, saying how he started his game development path with YouTube tutorials. His academic background wasn't of much help on this quest, with the Danish developer revealing he majored in philosophy and English, but persevered by ensuring he completed "a little work every day." Those habits weren't always there, either, as Malver admitted that Dota was once the main obstacle to getting things done in his life.
Following a free-to-play co-op RPG Calturin and Clone and a shoot-em-up Calturin, Malver released Mage and Monsters in October 2022. The auto battler proved to be his biggest success yet, amassing hundreds of positive reviews in its first few months on the market even before managing to land a spot on the front page of Steam. Based on its current crop of player impressions, many Steam users found it to offer a compelling mix of strategy and RPG elements, whereas most complaints appear centered on the fact that it's a bit too easy for a roguelike. That notwithstanding, easy roguelike games are a niche with a decent following.
Anyone interested in grabbing Mage and Monsters on the cheap can currently buy it at its reduced price until May 2. This indie success is also among the thousands of Steam Deck-compatible games, with its roguelike nature and a fairly short gameplay loop making it quite suitable for gaming on the go, as per its existing player reviews.
Mage and Monsters is available now on PC.
Source: Steam