About & Contact
Written in the style of an AMA (Ask Me Anything)
Who are you?
I often ask myself this question, lol! But no, seriously, I'm an old Englishman living most of his life in Japan, playing video games when not teaching English. The "29" in my profile name comes from the Japanese "ni" (2) and "kyuu" (9), which sounds like how my name, Nick, is pronounced in Japanese.
What games do you enjoy?
I like games from a bunch of different genres, but mostly metroidvanias, sokoban block-pushing puzzles, automation games, cleaning simulators, solitaire, and the occasional risqué visual novel. You can see my list of recommended games here.
Why did you make Shisensho Solitaire?
Shisensho was a real passion project. My wife and I used to play an old version of the game together - the only video game she's ever played with me. Later on, I put a different version of it on the family iPad, and even my mother-in-law got into that one.
In 2019, I started tinkering with GameMaker Studio, and Shisensho seemed like a simple first project to recreate. As it grew, I realised there wasn't a version on Steam, so I polished it up and uploaded it. It was far from a hit, but a handful of people absolutely loved it.
Will you make another game?
No, I don't think so. It takes an awful lot of work for very little reward. I have a full time-job, and when I'm not working I'd rather play games instead. Sometimes I think I should update Shisensho, but I lost all the graphics when my hard drive died, and GameMaker Studio has changed so much that my old code no longer runs.
What's the point of this blog?
It's just a place for me to ramble about video games, and since I made the site myself, I can tinker with PHP and make improvements here and there. It's a fun little hobby.
I'm a developer. Can you review my game?
Sure! I'm happy to help out indie developers, so long as your game is from a genre I like. Please understand that I'll include both positive and negative aspects in my review. I'll try to be fair and understanding, though.
How can I contact you?
You can send me a message on X/Twitter, reach me via my Steam profile, or use the contact form below. The answer to the anti-spam question is 2019.