About

Locomalito is a personal project

Picture of a Maldita Castilla cabinet at Arcade Vintage

A child's dream

I grew up in the Spain of the 80s and 90s while devouring adventure, sci-fi and mythology stories. Back in the day it was easy to find arcade cabinets in coffee shops and restaurants, and I was fascinated with their colours, their sounds and their restless action.

I rarely had money to spend into cabinets, so I used to stay around watching others play and without realizing it, I spent years observing the details of my favourite games. I thought and sketched a lot of ideas for my own titles, even though I was convinced that it was an impossible dream for someone like me.

Picture of a notebook

An escape route

As an adult I found myself trapped in a swirl of stress and detachment caused by a world where everything was urgent and ephemeral. To cheer up myself I took my skull back into pixel art, chip sounds and arcade action.

I found joy in learning and experimenting under the calm of (almost) dead media. Since then I spend the nights creating my own collection of traditional video games. Over a low flame, in my free time and with my own resources.

Picture of a workspace

A creative routine

I plan and draw ideas in a notebook that I keep on my nightstand, just before I turn off the light. The next day, after work, chores and family time, I turn on the computer to shape the things I put on paper. Meanwhile, I listen to music, I play short arcade games and I let the improvisation flow.

I develop my projects with GameMaker since 2005, it's a friendly tool and I'm really used to its GML language. For graphics I used to work with Iconomaker, an icon editor for Windows XP that for some strange reason has everything I need, but since 2020 I'm using Aseprite, which is more versatile for more complex projects. For the covers and printable extras I use the same Adobe tools that I use at my day job. Lastly, I have the wiporium: the custom workspace that I've been building over the years and that has become my little temple.

Picture of various games in their boxes

Something to share

Although I may sound like a solo dev, with me are Gryzor87, a close friend and a composer who I admire, Marek Barej and Jacobo García, who contribute their illustrations for covers, manuals and other extras, and since 2016 Abylight Studios, who has been porting and publishing some of my games on the big platforms.

But none of this would be possible without the support of my ♡ Canoug and all the people who believe in this project.

So what can you find in my games?

Lo-res art

If you like the usual mix of pixel art and chip sounds of the 80s and 90s, you may like the art style of some of my games.

Immediacy

More fun, less entertainment. All the content is conscientiously squeezed in the shortest possible game length.

Challenge

Every game is a challenge, with a difficulty curve that rises and falls according to each situation, but always in a fair and consistent way.

Gameplay

I study the DNA of the classics to extract the good and the bad. I try to create games with old charm but fresh gameplay.

Secrets

There are rewards for the experienced, curious and crazy players. Open your eyes, not everything is in plain sight.

Extras

Covers, manuals, posters, arcade cabinets… Extras are also part of the experience, so don't forget to take a look at them.