The Difficult Journey Crafting Len's Island | Indie Game Documentary

Gain Exclusive Access to Early Game Builds on Patreon: / flowstudio
Follow the development story of Len's Island, told by Daniel Ang.
Wishlist Len's Island on Steam: store.steampow...
Len's Island coming to Steam on PC and Mac, November 26th 2021.
Join the Discord: / discord
Follow Len's Island on Twitter: / lensisland
Build, fight, farm and explore. Experience your own path. Whether it's building the home of your dreams, tending to your crops and watching the sun go down; or explore the mysteries of the Island and the darkness underneath, but you may want to take a sword with you.
www.lensisland...
Created by Flow Studio
Produced by Daniel Ang

[@kevinball7687]

As you can probably appreciate, I am very proud of what Julian has achieved, being his Dad and all - and that is not just based on the richness of Len’s Island, it’s also how much value Julian has placed and embraced the community that surrounds the game. Having kept an eye on the comments over the years through his KZbin channel and the watching the doco with my wife on the big TV this week, it was hard not to be moved Julian’s journey and the achievements of the wider team at Flow Graphics. The joy and articulation of the team where clearly demonstrable in the doco and if you weren’t motivated before to check out Len’s Island, you would be crazy to not to check it out now. Anyway, tremendously proud of the achievements of Julian and the team and I will be up late tonight and will be playing the full version alongside of the rest - Cheers guys, Roach.

[@Kim-ft6cx]

Your son seems like a really good guy, and thankful for the people around him.

[@user-gs2sd7kx6l]

That is so wholesome…

[@BtHacha]

Julian's story is one of those things that lives rent free in my mind. I'm a senior full-stack web developer, and I've been strugling with my career path for the last couple of months, given that I never wanted to be a web developer but I'm kinda good at it so ended up stuck with it to, well, eat and stuff. But now I've a good life, a family, a lot of things that actually makes me happy but my job is like a happiness bottleneck. My dream since I started coding was to make games, I love thinking game ideas (and web apps ideas too, kinda why I ended up as a web developer lol) and I've thinking that maybe the time has come, and I shall start developing my own games. Following Len's Island devlogs is one those things that made me realize that maybe this is for me, and that I can love my job just as much as you guys do. Thank you for that

[@FlowStudio]

You can do it!!

[@BtHacha]

@@FlowStudio I really hope so! Learning everything from scratch will be fun, I guess hahah the joy is in the journey, they say!

[@pipingsoul]

Man Same story, I'm teaching myself WebDev so I can afford to support my family while I work on my game Ideas, But I would 100% rather be working full time on games.

[@paahdin]

You should totally start making games as a hobby and later making that your career. getting out of the comfort zone is also helpful to progress!

[@jamesmurtha2923]

Every now and then a game comes along that hits every nail on the head and Len's Island does just that!

[@user-vp2el2eb8y]

And the music of this game . Simplely PERFECTION.

[@janikcodes]

Man, I never knew you had those health problems.. Good to hear you recovered from that.. I've been here since day 1 and I am still here, wish u the best for the studio my guy

[@petrbohacek8885]

I wish you all the best for everyone involved in the development of the game. I played the game and it's amazing. The worst moment was when I came across this video, which describes Julian's suffering, and I realized that I had gone almost the same way. You work on something all your life and then you burn when you want to achieve something. I have it anyway, I'm a concept artist / 2D illustrator and I've absolutely burned out 4 times in my life that I even had to be in the hospital because I wanted to do what I enjoy and what I gave so much. I wish the entire Flow Studio all the best and good luck in the world with game.

[@Michal.mikhael]

"My parent are my biggest supporters/fans" Yeah without that people cant achieve anything. If the closest ppl to you put you down/blame/humiliate you its hard to make the simplest thing in your life. Thats what im trying to repair in my life, after that maybe i will be able to take on something big and awesome like he did with this game. Awesome job, I wish you big growth and success with your child Len's Island! :)

[@laflyingspartan3831]

What a wonderful Documentary, Hearing everythings the Dev's have faced and the way they interact and talk to eachother and comment towards eachother is a Lovely Relation to see. Seeing the hard work everyone has put forward over the last few years risking life (literally) and limb for this Project was a tough part to watch and of course we are all glad to hear that Julian is doing better. Even if you aren't quite perhaps sitting back as much as you should, Which is probably the extent of the torches and pitchforks will rise. We from the Community really appreciate you all for providing us with all with the Game and all this background information going to it. You've all gone above and beyond for the Community and we are pleased that we helped even a little. Thank you Flow Studio And give yourself a little more Credit Daniel, You did a great job here. Oh and Thank you for the Cameo, Made me a chuckle when i saw it there.

[@johnnyrox]

When you see two guys, now a few more, doing such great game, you realize that people are not working hard enough, because companies with big teams are not delivering the same quality as Julian and his team are doing. I will buy the game just because of the passion with it was created, and I bet I not wasting my money, because it looks fantastic. Congratulations to the whole team for doing such a great job!!

[@blakerunyon09]

Love this dude's story and I hope he fights back against the long hours of the gaming industry. There are many facets of life: mental health, physical health, emotional health. If you're not exercising , eating well, seeing friends, it's setting yourself and your loved ones up for concern. It happens too much in these high pressure industries. As they grow, I hope the devs who work for him don't live in an environment where their CEO is working 80 hours a week, or they'll never stop.

[@coreysonofander]

Me and my son have been following your games' progress for a while now and its been something that has made our father-son bond even moe special. Thank you for all your hard work and hardships. You and your team are an inspiration to many. I am looking forward to your success!

[@ExiledTraitor]

We need to get more people on this guys! They're riding on this and so are we 😭😭 give them all the support they can get.

[@PandaPowerable]

You never really think about what goes on behind the making of games and this is such an inspirational story and so heartwarming! I bought the game on Steam today and wish all you guys the greatest success!!

[@cloudbyte9951]

26th November will be a hyped day for everyone, well done Devs👍🤙

[@kylebanks]

Really inspirational stuff, I'm sure Len's Island is going to be a massive success and I can't wait to play the finished product. Wishing you guys all the best with the launch!

[@raymondschroeder6013]

Currently working on an update to an App that's been launched and thought I was stressed, but seeing all that goes into making a project like this work is inspirational and humbling thank you

[@LilBeannanas]

I'm loving this game already, I spend all my free time on it, it's amazing. I'm so sorry for all of Julian's struggles I hope he's feeling better seeing how much the community is enjoying the early versions, I'm so glad one of the streamers I watch played this and brung it to my attention!! 💕

[@vespirbelmont3131]

I actually had a similar situation happen to me in terms of physical health. In college I grinded hard to finally get recognition for code and game development. When I got it, I would drink 3-4 Monsters a day, coffee, work relentlessly; and often not sleep to pour my heart into the next project for class in hopes I could eventually get one on Steam. I also thought I could turn off after a couple years and some months of this. Had some friends over to my dorm to watch a movie, went to get a Dr. Pepper, came back from the vending machine; and I couldn't breathe. The anxiety had built up even more because I wasn't working on anything; and I almost had to go to the hospital. But, things turned out well and had to turn around the physical health. It's scary stuff that messes with you.

[@julianodbz]

Really amazing content you guys are making. I'm also a game dev and I've been working on my game for 3 years by now. Gonna give you guys a tip, take game development as the same of making a book. If you want a beautiful book it gonna take some time, some amazing books takes 10 years to make or more. triple A studios can't have that time to be creative and do whatever they want with their games, they need to pay salaries and because of that they need to launch one after another, this kills creativity and the community becomes more critic. We the indie dev community are not like that, and because of this we can make beautiful stuff, unique stuff! The downside of this is that we don't have the budget of big companies, at times we even don't have enough to keep it going but in the end it always pays out, if the game is really unique everyone wants to check it out, and here's another tip, be unique and avoid "generic triple A dev way". Good luck to you two. Can't wait to play your Art.

[@ManuelGraphFilms]

I was view 8008, when finishing watching the video was at 8052. I have been following for more than a year now. Keep it up. Remember there you have to take time off. Stay safe and healthy. I'd love to be doing the same thing as your!

[@GameArts1]

The startup of Julian's journey is relatable. He's a year a ahead of me with the ''I quit my job department''. In my case, I worked on creative stuff like AMV's speedruns, drawing etc during my college years. I tried to make a game during my work life, but noticed that it's too big - But kept the story in written form. Even though my full time job was rewarding (made vaccines such as, ebola and covid) my creative energy felt depleted when I was doing scientific stuff. After my dad passed away I called my boss and said I'd quit my job. Despite that my boss was awesome, my father learned me an important lesson, life is too short for ignoring your dreams (he couldn't, because in his time that would be even more ludicrous than today and of course he had a lot responsibility, he wanted to be architect). So I went to be a light novel writer. Worked on it during my work life and after my first year finally released the first volume. Am I successful? don't worry, not even close. We all need to start somewhere. More power to this guy and I hope he will achieve all his goals!

[@crowonthebanjo611]

I bet this game would be AWESOME multiplayer. Good job boys, looks great.

[@DevDennis]

Dude the game is probably going to be amazing, but I bet not as amazing as a world without you in it. It's not worth risking your life over. It's just a game, and if you kill yourself over a game, that means you can't make another game later. It's not a sprint :/ This makes me feel so sad. I wish you the best, your stories really touched me.

[@redbeardjunior]

You guys are my heroes ! More words I dont need at all, you have inspired me to bring my dream of 2015 back to life creating my own game I started in 2013 and stopped but I will start again.

[@Vistaster]

What a fantastic documentary! Gives you a very quick reality check into the tough hardships some studios go through to push out their passion projects. I'm glad Julian is recovering well and I'm excited for the release. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you guys!

[@kristin661]

I love the house-building mechanics sooo much 💗💗

[@user-vp2el2eb8y]

Oh indeed better then most honestly

[@sounakbera6579]

I have been following Len's Island for a long time. Waiting eagerly for the release!

[@jacobandrewart]

I was at the Animation and Game Dev Graduation show supporting my friends at JMC and I remember playing tension😊

[@DonDregon]

I reached this game through a random youtuber then realised there were a demo just on the last day so I was in a hurry to try it. It was quite relaxing, great visuals, great music and ambient and man... I just want to get it on release to enjoy the full package and recommend it to my friends. Also thanks for listening to the community and add the wasd controls, hugs from Spain :)

[@LotusCracker]

Wow, your story really touched my heart. I feel the stress and anxiety you went through and am glad the game release turned out well! Really inspiring and motivating to see other peopel having the same struggles fullfilling their dreams. Thanks for sharing. Going to buy the game now

[@takurotim3496]

Wow, thank you for making this. I had no idea… Best of luck for the future of the studio!

[@ramoncf7]

Julian your story is inspiring and I'm sure the game will be a success. Take care of yourself!

[@osejn]

i'm very excited to play this tomorrow; the art-style, farming and building mechanics got me-

[@RachelNitsche]

I love this game. It is great to see the people behind it and hear about them. Can't wait to see what the future holds for Len's Island and see the road map coming to live.

[@jexik1010101010]

What a story! I'm glad to hear how persistent you were in keeping the project alive. I will definitely buy it at launch. I'm very anxious. Hugs from Brazil!

[@Ken-yi1vv]

I can't wait to buy this game. Haven't been interested In any games lately until I saw this one 9 mouths ago and I've been waiting for this moment for its release date.

[@ReliableisHere]

I been watching you since you been doing graphic design you helped me for years and I’m so happy for man god blessed everyone who deserves it

[@Skeffles]

Brilliant to hear your full story. It's awesome to see this launching and I wish it good luck.

[@stevelastiwka3404]

I am legit looking forward to this release. First game in a long time I have been excited to play.

[@shmenzie223]

I love the production of this documentary, thank you for everything Flow Studio, looking forward to playing your wonderful game.

[@GrindThisGame]

Wonderful documentary and great game. It looks wonderful, sounds great and is very peaceful. The crossover of genres really sets it apart. Just started playing it yesterday and I'm hooked. Glad you made it through the health issues.

[@StephenNesbit]

This was a great video that gave me more insight into the team I already love. Please take care of yourselves, as much as we want the game, we want you healthy and alive Julian :)

[@lucaban]

this randomly popped in my feed. the game looks SO COOL!! I hope I can play it on console one day.

[@MMKnight_1]

Great video. I really think that Len's Island will do really well. It is such a good looking game, the sound and the gameplay are both great. I will definitely buy it when it launches.

[@AllyCarts]

can't believe this game is getting recommended to me a day before the release day, perfect timing

[@JwalinPandya]

This is beautiful, the cinematography is really good. Thanks for making this.

[@ezzelgendy9748]

I love how lead designer and team are ambitious and love their games 🥺💜 i bought the game today and i know i'm going to enjoy it

[@janinedelaughder4723]

I can't wait until I get my new gaming laptop. This will be my first game. It's absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much. 💓

[@UniverseAwake]

What a great personality of the developer. Can't wait to play. 1 hour left!

[@realystic1]

Amazing work, a real inspiration for other indie game devs like myself. Can't wait to play Len's Island. Good luck and take some time off once you get a chance to breath. The game looks and sounds beautiful!

[@YanAzazel]

I am waiting for this game, gonna buy it as soon as it comes out.

[@yzrdFPS]

I hope your okay Julian, I didn't know it effected you this much! I look forward to this game coming out, Flow Studios have done amazing work

[@sourdonkeyjuice]

I for one wouldn't be mad if you made a video titled "I Almost Died To Make This Video Game!" Keep up the great work but maybe a little less of the hard work! ;) Glad you're alive!!!

[@MageMater]

Glad I bought the game in the first part because I have enjoyed playing it, but now after watching this I'm glad to have helped you on your journey just a little. I wish you every future success with the studio and look forward to what comes next (just don't let it be at the expense of your health and your loved ones). You have created a great thing make sure you take some time to enjoy that..... and maybe add a free build mode so we can build without sacrificing our lives to grind ;)

[@golik133]

Hoping to able to play your game in future.....❤️🥰 My family is poor never even had a computer or laptop.. just exploring PC games through mobile on KZbin.....and your journey makes me happy and put smile in my face....iam not much good in English...From rural India.. it's hard for me to understand English properly

[@FutureChaosTV]

Your english is pretty good! I wish you all the best!

[@gscgold]

I just bought this game a couple of days ago on steam and I really have to say that I enjoy it a lot I look forward to what the game has to offer in the future. 👍

[@vascokiller]

I would love to see thr addition of dogs and/or horses, to help you travel and fight the monsters, specially now with the moon event

[@Afkboi-pe1cq]

Amazing! Lookig forward to play the game!

[@WarpedSpace]

Wishing you guys all the best for the release

[@trickpa80]

i gona buy 2 copys, one for me and one for my 7 years daughter .. great job guys

[@mimiayako]

Thank you guys for this!!

[@Szystedt]

Wait. WAIT! I remember watching some of his tutorials years ago! Shiiit!

[@AndersonMarquesss]

That was really inspiring, thanks for sharing with us.

[@user-vp2el2eb8y]

Ah what a hidden gem this game is. Hopefully you make many more sales so they can continue the game development.. sadly I keep hearing repeatedly that alot of people are waiting for co op to buy I thought of also holding off on it. But man ain't I glad I didn't wait love this game. Is there a way to help support the game financially? I'd be glad to do so

[@honordevs]

This is the first time I'm hearing about this game and it looks amazing! I love the amount of gaming elements you were able to [seemingly] seamlessly fit into this game. I'll definitely grab it when it comes out. Question: any plans for co-op (maybe up to 4 people)? my fiance and friends have been looking for a great game to play in our downtime. Something like Len's Island, that's light, but complex and just feels good to play. P.S. So damn glad you're alright, Julian. It's people like you that inspire the next generation of games. Your enthusiasm reminds me of the crew from World's Adrift; ahead of your time and just excited to make a game.

[@ZenevYT]

Hola!, que gran trabajo han hecho, el juego es realmente hermoso muy bello, y el juego lo conoci por el canal "El Escocés Gamer", soy suscriptor de el y ahora de ustedes, excelente trabajo, que esten bien, saludos desde Venezuela.

[@diversitycandle5708]

If any of you are thinking of playing/buying Len's Island on Steam, PLEASE do NOT wait for a "sale" or "discount". Buy the game at FULL price and give this team the money they deserve for their work. I for one have zero issues supporting smaller Indie companies and have slowly gravitated away from AAA game studios. Have fun on your island folks!

[@alir8zana635]

I hope and am confident your game will do great. Please do a video on your earnings from the game. Talking about the financial part of indie development is something we all need to understand better. Thank you for all your work

[@Halconyx]

Watching this while downloading the game

[@pabloainsworth4020]

im here counting the hs till i can buy your game. cant sleep of excitment cheers from Argentina!!!!!!

[@Draxev]

Amazing game. So hype for this game and wish you the best of luck on your journeys

[@scvpest]

Yeah best game... EVER..?

[@cloudbyte9951]

@@scvpest yeah, best game ever

[@UniverseAwake]

Time to play!

[@Shiddin]

I just picked this game up ! I am enjoying it very much ! I will be buying it for my friends 😁. For some odd reason I can see a dog for Len in this game 😄. Is there any plans for a map view ? More areas to explore ?

[@nikzr0475]

That is an inspiration!✨

[@aquawrld]

Can’t wait to stream this 🌟

[@StarAronjay]

I'm looking forward to this game! GG!

[@youcandoit6402]

I watched the whole video and wow inspirational

[@MrSpacepauls]

Inspiring.

[@eydian]

it does feel like a noclip documentary

[@twosquirrels6997]

I just bought the game I know you guys are working extremely hard but if you guys please try to make it controller friendly I’m just not good with a keyboard. It will sit in my library on steam lol thank you guys so much can’t wait to play it lol

[@twosquirrels6997]

Thank you guys

[@frydfish4934]

This game better make money for real

[@ChowDownStudio]

Yo. 1:11 I live on the same street as your old school. Small world

[@kriss12loverap]

Beatifull

[@davidquee8728]

I really love the game don't get me wrong but I would be more enticed to play it if they offered a third person perspective as well or maybe mod support so somebody can make it

[@golik133]

Sir plz also try smartphone platform also ......many people from developing countries cannot afford a decent pc or laptop..but they had a smartphone...plz sir plz may be a lite version of len's Island

[@fcfdeco]

Realy preety game! Good job, mates! Do you guys are thinking to bring this game to the consoles like PS4 and PS5? Or will be only for pc? Tks and success to you guys!

[@bombrman1994]

tell us how was the unity controversial change affecting your studio and are you considering to move to godot

[@mrfincher]

Is this tension game available somewhere? would love to try it

[@user-so4dp]

🥰

[@pitbullgamer8116]

I think the games going to have mixed reviews because of the controls it should be controller or the normal wasd not mouse

[@cloudbyte9951]

The game has WASD controls and Mouse movement, after release they'll add controller movements

[@kristin661]

You can choose WASD in the settings. ☺️

[@cloudbyte9951]

@@kristin661 ye

[@thehazanator]

such an inspiring story, I hope this game kills it

[@BonktYT]

Cringe video, and a completely soulless and pointless game ATM. IMO the developers are good and it is obviously visually well done. But the idea behind the game is deeply flawed. A small indie team needs a unique idea that stands out. Base building + dungeon crawling is NOT that. Without the unique idea they have to compete against much bigger teams on metrics like content and polish. And while the polish seams very good, the amount of content is laughably low. There is literally only one dungeon And base building. Not even a story? (Resource grinding is NOT content)

[@FaFaGamer]

The idea is cool, but I wouldn't play any game that isn't cooperative or multiplayer, 1 player games are already outdated even more.

[@laflyingspartan3831]

Multiplayer is a largely requested Feature for the game and Whilst not available on launch there are Plans for future Implementation.