The version I called “Legacy” of Doryoku Way was quite well received, so I started sending the project to publishers at the time.

After several rejections, in the summer of 2015 the now-defunct Badland Games gave me the opportunity to publish the game on the platforms of that era. A dream come true.

I began working on Doryoku Way: Conflict, improving the interface, adding new game modes, and making the scoring and combo systems more visually engaging. I introduced new ships and assistants, and kept expanding the content — including a Boss Battle mode where you could face all bosses and combinations of them. I also reworked the Arcade mode, adding new routes, pattern variations, shortening some sections, and more. It was a lot of work, but I put my heart into it.

In 2015, the game was showcased at Madrid Games Week, at a large Badland Games booth, where I shared space with other great studios (and also got to enjoy major titles like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Dark Souls III, among others).

Unfortunately, this kind of game doesn’t resonate the same way at a general audience event as it does within niche communities. The initial excitement started to fade. When I discussed it with people at the publisher, they suggested making a more commercial and accessible version — less hardcore, less niche (in hindsight, that was a mistake).

Instead of polishing the many issues the game still had (overly difficult and sometimes illogical patterns, general fixes, original graphics, etc.), we shifted toward adding new systems: loot mechanics, restructuring the overall game flow, constantly reworking and replacing content without a clear direction from either side.

In the end, development fell into an endless loop of iterations, constant crunch on my side, and an overall inability to find the right direction. This led to the cancellation of the project at the end of 2017, after nearly 3 years of development — for a game that, honestly, could have been completed in just over a year.

The version uploaded here is the one I brought to Madrid Games Week 2015 (around 6 months of development in total, including the Legacy version). It’s the last version I consider stable. Looking back, despite the many aspects that needed improvement, I believe that with a few more months of polish, fixes, and visual upgrades, it might have worked well within its niche. The content was there, the technical foundation was in place — it just needed time, iteration, and focus.

In the end, I prefer to keep the good memories: the many experiences, the amazing people I met, and how much I enjoyed the journey. It was tough, yes — but I still smile when I think about those times.

Maybe one day I’ll come back to it… or maybe not. Who knows? :)