Nearly there

I can almost taste the freedom—finally, the finish line is in sight. Soon, I'll have my evenings back, sprawled on the couch watching absolute TV nonsense without that persistent whisper in the back of my mind: “Shouldn’t you be working on that?”

"The Game"—which at this point has simply become "it" in whispered tones and slightly dramatic eye rolls—is nearly done. Just a few fuzzy edges and mysteries left to untangle. But hey, we’re nearly there, and that alone feels like a mini celebration... except this quote keeps prodding my unconscious mind..

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So, what have I been up to since I last wrote? (Absolutely no one asked—but I’ll tell you anyway.)

Last week, I dipped my toes into the wild world of Steam Next Fest. Now, some might label it a flop, but honestly, I’m choosing to see it as one big learning curve in disguise. Plus, my wishlist count crept up, so let’s chalk that up as a quiet little win.

Now, about “it”—yes, still calling it that—I’ve made heaps of progress! We've now got a full set of 12 “periods” in the Care Centre, a more expansive Ward level that can stretch on for as long as your patience allows, and a free play mode packed with all the mini games, plus the option to replay both the Care Centre and Ward levels.

I even added a choice in how you want to play: take the lead as a budget-savvy manager, or just kick back and play for the fun of it. I did have to rein in a few ambitious ideas (it was all starting to spiral into a never-ending development saga), but hey—there’s always the next update.

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Honestly, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—massive, heartfelt respect to anyone who does this game dev thing really well. It’s been a marathon of a project, layered on top of the day job, and let me tell you… it’s been exhausting.

But despite the late nights, the hair-pulling bugs, and the endless tweaking, I’m still proud of what I’ve built. Budget Guardian: Health Realm is nearly ready to take its first steps into the world. The countdown is officially on—30 days to go (give or take a nervous breakdown or two).

Long live the guardian of budgets and health.