Behind closed doors: Colin's origins

January 11, 2024

It all began in an inconspicuous silence. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt the need to start a small project at home. While drawing, I developed a sketchy style in which I then created a small, chaotic apartment from only a few screens. That’s how the apartment came about.

I quickly came up with the perfect basic idea for my project: how would a person deal with their own front door disappearing one morning?

It was obvious that this story needed a main character who suffered from inner conflicts and dissatisfaction. I invented Colin Walker, whose deep personality could provide enough material to fill the small apartment with a lot of content and memories.

It’s funny what a small stone can sometimes trigger when it starts rolling. Because what was initially planned as a little gimmick gradually developed into a complete game idea with a complex story.

I love it when video games give their players something. A lasting feeling or even some motivation that you carry with you into everyday life. And that’s what I want to create with the story of „Mindlock“!

The missing front door simply causes Colin to take the time to look at his own life instead of just blindly keeping it running. It may sound banal, but I think a moment of pause can help many people in all kinds of life situations. Too often, we are stuck in our routines without taking the time to question them consciously. The beauty is that „Mindlock“ is, at its core, a philosophical story for all people.

Next month I will take you deeper into the creation of the artwork and the new screenshots. Come with me on a journey through emotional highs and lows – represented in the form of a modern adventure game with great attention to detail, promising countless hours of fun.

„Mindlock – The Apartment“ will be released in November / December 2024 in cooperation with United Soft Media (USM). We gladly invite you to introduce the game to your friends.

Add „Mindlock – The Apartment“ to your Steam wishlist.

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Evolution diary

Follow the exciting development of Mindlock from the idea and the first sketches to the finished game.

Project Planning The development of Mindlock – The Apartment is divided into monthly milestones, delivered to my publisher, United Soft Media. These milestones form the chronological chapters of the game. Additional tasks include managing the Instagram channel, creating a demo, revisions, and promotional graphics. At the end of each month, I present the next month’s […]

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From Punk Band to Game Developer My personal journey has always been closely linked to punk. I spent years as the bassist and singer of the band PRANX. A little Easter egg in „Mindlock“: An EP cover of my band adorns Colin’s wall – a drawing by me that dates back seven years. My punk […]

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At the heart of „Mindlock – The Apartment“ is a story designed to captivate and surprise the player repeatedly. Other games, like „Return of the Obra Dinn“, focus their storytelling on gameplay mechanics. In contrast, „Mindlock“ prioritizes a compellingly narrated story to bring out the profound and humorous aspects of the game world, with unexpected […]

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