Bare Knuckle Development is an independent video game studio based in Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. They are creators of the ‘easy to play hard to master space blaster’, Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo, on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One & Steam(Win/Lin/macOS) and its smaller sibling Super Mega Space Blaster Special on Steam(Win/Lin/macOS). They are currently working on the action adventure game that’s set in a brutal cat world, The Flawless: Art’s Tale, for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam (Win/Lin/macOS) .
The BKD Team:
We are a small but skilled team, between us we cover all the bases needed to make amazing games.
Ste Wilson – director, programmer, artist, developer:
With a background in coding, app development, web design, and sound recording Ste has a wide and varied skill-set that allows him to work on all elements of the indie games we produce. He is an obsessive perfectionist who works without rest to create amazing gameplay experiences and worlds for you to lose yourselves in. Ste is an avid gamer and has been since a child, he puts his knowledge and passion of all things ‘video game’ to work on every game he makes. Ste is also a musician and music maker under the name of Electric Fan Death. He has written and recorded a number of albums and is now bringing his music to the world of indie games. When not making or playing games Ste can be found at the gym, ‘feeling zee pump’, or scuba diving with some colourful fish.
Tony Leavy – director, writer, designer, social-media manager:
Tony has Masters degree in Education and a degree in creative writing. She has a love for script-writing, visual poetry, and inclusive gaming. She spends her days in fictional worlds developing endearing, complicated characters, and writing mind-bending twists for the stories in our games. Tony is a keen photographer and uses here knowledge of composition to give the scenes in our games a lived in look that’s intriguing and interesting to the eye. When out of the studio Tony can be found working out at the gym, volunteering with disabled children, or chilling with a cocktail.
Our Games:
Released Titles:
Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo (coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4 & Steam(Win/Lin/Mac) on 14th Jan 2020) – Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo is an addictive, fast-paced, easy to pick-up hard to master space blaster with bullet hell elements, loads of unlockables, and leaderboards to climb. The ‘Turbo’ edition of Super Mega Space Blaster Special is the definitive edition giving you more ships, more game modes, more unlockables, more challenges, and more space blasting fun than ever before. #SMSBSp
Super Mega Space Blaster Special – A modern take on the retro space shooter. Mixing retro mechanics from games of yesteryear like Super Fantasy Zone, Asteroids, and The Galactic Plague with modern shoot ’em up gameplay. The game is a feature-packed romp of a sci-fi blaster whether played alone or with a friend in local multiplayer. Released on Steam (Win/Lin/Mac). #SMSBSp
Titles in Development:
The Flawless: Art’s Tale – A metroidvania action-RPG in development for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam (Win/Lin/Mac). Join our young hero, Art, for some epic hack ‘n’ shoot battles, an endearing cast of characters, an unforgettable coming of age story, and a gorgeous hand-drawn art style. You take control of Art; a twelve year old boy who awakens to find himself alone in a brutal and monochrome world of cats. He is catapulted into an extraordinary adventure where he must save his pet cat ‘Mr Dirty Paws’ and bring colour back to the surreal feline world. Check it out on Steam. #FlawlessTheGame
The Last Pilot – A pre-apocalyptic cyberpunk sh’mup/top-down-shooter featuring cats that fly planes and shoot massive guns in an attempt to save feline kind. The player can walk around huge air bases solving puzzles and shooting enemies and then jump into their plane and without transition take off and blast down aerial enemies and huge bosses. This game is on hold until The Flawless: Art’s Tale is released. #TheLastPilot
Collaborative Titles:
Maybot Run – Made in collaboration with Bloodline Games, Maybot Run is a satirical infinite runner with loads of upgrades and unlockable characters. The game received some good press and was featured on TV on the BBC in the UK. The game is available on Steam(Win/Lin/macOS). #MaybotRun
Interviews:
Interview with Review Fix – Ste chats to Patrick Hickey Jr. in a Review Fix Exclusive Interview: Inside ‘The Flawless: Art’s Tale’.
Indie Gaming Podcast Interview – Ste chats to Aden from the Indie Gaming Podcast about all things BKD and game dev.
Old School Gamer Magazine Interview – Ste answers questions about the retro inspiration behind Super Mega Space Blaster Special.
The Gaming Ground (TGG) Interview – Ste does a Q & A interview with Kenay Peterson from TGG about The Flawless: Art’s Tale and all things indie development related.
Bit-Pulse Podcast Interview – Ste and Tony are interviewed by Hans Hedstrom from Bit-Pulse about The Flawless: Art’s Tale, gaming , travelling, and indie dev life.