Defend from Candyland!: A Tale of Development, Marketing Hurdles, and Leaderboard Dreams

Today is Suicide Prevention Day, and while I don’t always keep track of these awareness days, suicide prevention is something deeply important to me. I’ve known people who have tragically taken their own lives, others who have attempted it, and in moments of darkness, I’ve come close to that edge myself. I live with daily migraines, memory problems, and chronic pain. It’s not something I talk about often because I don’t want to burden others. My past also holds its share of difficult memories—having been hurt by people I once cared about. A few years ago, when things felt overwhelming, I found myself in a moment I’ll never forget. I was commuting home from work in London, heading back to Corringham. As I reached West Ham station, I felt absent, detached from everything. When I snapped back, I was walking toward the train tracks. A second longer, and I might not be here today. That evening, I went home and broke down in tears, unsure of what was wrong—a mix of everything weighing on me. I’m in a much better place now, and I’m lucky to have an incredible partner who loves and supports me. When I’m struggling, she’s there for me, and we help each other. We’re a team. But I know not everyone has someone like that. Not everyone feels they have someone to turn to, and sometimes, people avoid sharing their struggles with friends or family for fear of being a burden. That’s why I always make it clear: if you’re struggling, feeling low, or just need someone to talk to, I’m here. Whether I know you or not, I’m here to listen. I’ve been through my own battles, and if I can help—whether by listening or just being present for a rant—I will. I even created a "Support-Corner" channel on the MI Pixel Discord server, a safe space for anyone to vent, ask for help, or simply be heard. I’m often around, and I’m happy to jump on a call if you need someone to talk to. Just remember—you’re never alone. Always here, Michael “MI Pixel” Ingram Also, here are some different support numbers if you or someone you know is in need: United Kingdom (Samaritans): Call 116 123 United States (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline): Call 988 Canada (Crisis Services Canada): Call 1-833-456-4566 Australia (Lifeline Australia): Call 13 11 14 Ireland (Samaritans Ireland): Call 116 123 New Zealand (Lifeline New Zealand): Call 0800 543 354 India (Snehi India): Call +91-22-2772 6771 South Africa (Suicide Crisis Helpline): Call 0800 567 567 Germany (Telefonseelsorge): Call 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222 These organizations are available 24/7 to provide immediate support.

Hey everyone, Michael here! I was hoping to get this blog post out a few days ago, but I’ve been a bit under the weather. Sorry for the delay! Anyway, I’m super excited to share all the work I’ve been doing on Defend from Candyland! I’ve got a huge update coming your way in the next few weeks. Ready for some spoilers? First off, check this out:

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a bit about my weekend with you. I was showcasing Defend from Candyland! at the Medway Gaming Festival at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham. It was my third time exhibiting the game, but my first time at the Medway Gaming Festival. Big shoutout to Stuart De Ville for all his help and for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Indie Showcase. The festival was spread over two days, and I met so many awesome people. I got to chat with other game developers, and met loads of folks who were there to enjoy the festival. I received some fantastic feedback on Defend from Candyland!, and I’ve already started making changes based on what I heard. One bit of feedback was about the enemy waves board and title being too big and too high up. As you can see below, I’ve resized and repositioned it, and it’ll be included in the next update!

In today's blog, I’m excited to introduce you to a new character in *Defend from Candyland!*: Iasmin the Language Tree! The creation of Iasmin the Language Tree started with a spontaneous moment on Twitter/X. I came across a tweet from a generous young woman named Iasmin Egidio, who was offering to translate games into Brazilian-Portuguese. I decided to reach out and ask if she would be interested in translating Defend from Candyland! . To my delight, she agreed! I quickly got to work, compiling a document with all the text from the game. It turned out to be quite a task – there was a lot more text than I initially realized! Once the document was ready, I sent it over to Iasmin. As a token of appreciation for her willingness to help, I decided to create a special character for her in the game: Iasmin the Language Tree. I designed the tree based on the existing characters in Defend from Candyland! and a picture of Iasmin from her website. She was thrilled with the character, and in no time, she sent back the translated text. With the translations in hand, I dove into Unity to implement them. This was my first time working with Unity's localization tools, but I had recently learned about them, so I felt prepared. I added all the translations, set up the localization features, and incorporated Iasmin the Language Tree with her language options.

Hello everyone, It's been a while since I last wrote a blog post, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things and do this more regularly. We'll see how it goes! Today's post is about my Discord server! Some of you might remember the "Defend from Candyland!" Discord server where fans could chat about the game, share their let's plays, and give feedback. Unfortunately, I didn't do much to promote or even use that server, so it’s been mostly dormant for the past year. But now, I’ve decided to give it another go. I’ve revamped the server and transformed it into the **MI Pixel Discord server**. My vision is to create a vibrant community where gamers, developers, artists, and other creatives can come together and chat. "Defend from Candyland!" is still there, but it's now just one part of a larger, more dynamic community hub. Here’s a quick overview of the main channels in the MI Pixel server: General This is the place for everyone to hang out, chat, and have fun. Drop in and say hello! Retro Corner For those of us who love nostalgia, this is the spot to talk about old games, consoles, and all things retro. Creative Works This channel is for creatives to share their projects or seek help with their work. As the server grows, it might even become a place where people can find contract work! Support Corner We all have bad days, and sometimes it helps to have a place to vent or ask for support. This is a safe space for anyone who needs to talk or seek help. The server has only been up for a day, but we’ve already had new members join and great conversations start. Seeing this activity brings me a lot of joy, and I’m excited about the potential for this community to grow and thrive. So why not come and join us? I look forward to seeing and chatting with all of you there. Discord. Have fun, everyone! Michael “MI Pixel” Ingram

Hello everyone, Michael here, and I'm thrilled to bring you an exciting update! In the world of Defend from Candyland!, there have been some behind-the-scenes developments, and I'm excited to share them with you. I recently had the privilege of collaborating with a talented artist named Millie Elsdon-James. You know how I've always been enthusiastic about game development, but when it comes to creating intricate artwork for larger images, I must admit, it's not my strong suit. That's where Millie stepped in to save the day. But before we dive into the artistry, I want to give a huge shoutout to Millie and her incredible skills. You can explore all her work through this Linktree link: Millie's Linktree . If you're in need of artistic expertise, don't hesitate to reach out to her! Now, let's talk about the fantastic journey we embarked on together. Millie was an absolute gem throughout the entire process. We had a seamless flow of ideas and concepts, making this collaboration a breeze. First, Millie presented me with four initial concepts to choose from. Each one had its unique charm, but ultimately, one stood out as the perfect fit for Defend from Candyland!

Hey everyone, It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you've all been doing well. I've been caught up in a whirlwind of events, work, and the ups and downs of life. But I wanted to take a moment to catch you up on what's been happening in my world. First, let's dive into some exciting news. I recently completed the Launch-it creative-tech accelerator program, and what an incredible journey it was. I've learned so much about running my own business, made valuable connections, and even secured a few potential job opportunities along the way. At the program's conclusion, we had a big networking event where some of us pitched our ideas. I was fortunate enough to take second place, earning myself a Touchscreen laptop from Basildon Council. I'm thrilled about this because it's helping me create new pixel art sprites directly on the computer using Aseprite. It's a bit of a learning curve, but I'm enjoying every moment of it! If you're curious about the accelerator program and the networking event, check out this video with some of the highlights:

Hello everyone! I've been putting in some serious work lately. A while back, I had a bunch of folks express interest in an art pack for Defend from Candyland! To be honest, I never really saw this coming. Between my not-so-confident art skills and a personal preference against making DLC, I was initially hesitant. But hey, these folks enjoy Defend from Candyland! and they asked, so why not deliver, right? After some contemplation, I settled on creating a Halloween-themed art pack. My original idea was to revamp the characters' looks, giving them spiffy Halloween costumes. But as my creative juices flowed, I decided to sprinkle in a bit of retro charm, drawing inspiration from old-school games and classic movies. And I'm thrilled to show you how a few of them turned out!

Hello everyone! Kirsty and I just celebrated our wonderful four-year journey together, and for this enchanting anniversary, we chose a truly magical destination: the Warner Bros Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter. While I had visited this captivating place once before, many years ago when it was a novelty with tickets priced around £30, Kirsty had never experienced it and had always dreamt of doing so. We stumbled upon a fantastic deal that included a three-day, two-night hotel stay with breakfast, early entrance tickets to the tour at 10 am, and free parking both at the hotel and the WB Studio. All of this was just £424, quite a steal. As we embarked on our drive from Essex to Hatfield on a Monday, excitement buzzed in the air. Typical us, we arrived at the hotel well before check-in time, around 11 am, so we decided to explore the Galleria shopping centre. A spontaneous detour led us to a TK Maxx, where Halloween decor quickly caught our attention – it’s just normal home decor for us, isn’t it? However, I did have a comical encounter with those pesky Flying Saucers…