Creating games was once the preserve of long-established companies or start-ups with a wealth of investment behind them.

But with the advent of the iPod touch and iPhone, independent developers had the means to make and test out the titles they’d always dreamed of. Takeo Fujita embarked on a journey to do just that, quitting his job to focus full-time on creating games.

Fast-forward to today, and Mr Fujita is CEO of Game Start (whose name is a play on the “start game” wording that often appears when you launch a game), a developer of fun, pixel-art games.

Working in collaboration with Cocosola, the developer behind The Witch’s Isle, Mr Fujita now spends his days creating games with a small team. Learn more about Game Start’s current – and future – titles below.

Tiny Pixel Farm arrived on the App Store in 2018. It’s a relaxed farming sim that tasks players with building a ranch, raising livestock and producing and selling a range of products, including wool, meat and eggs.

It’s a whole load of wholesome fun and the popularity of the game’s pixel art style inspired the artistic direction of Game Start’s future releases.

“We aimed for a simple system that limited what you could do, and released it as an easy farm game that could be played on a single screen,” says Mr Fujita.

In management sim Food Truck Pup: Cooking Chef, players run a crêpe shop from a food truck with the aim of gradually building their business.

As you expand, you can hire a part-time Shiba Inu pooch who eases the workload. But don’t neglect your other puppy employees – they need to be fed, bathed and well cared for in between shifts.

And be sure to check out the shop’s customisable decorations. “I don’t think there are many games that allow you to rearrange furniture in single dot units, so I hope that people enjoy that aspect of the game,” says Mr Fujita.

While busy developing a game about country life, Mr Fujita was “overtaken by an urge to create a completely different game”. And so Tiny Island Survival was born. It’s an adventure game in which players explore an island, collect materials and weapons and fend off enemies.

Mr Fujita created this game in one go with the goal of releasing it quickly, so that people who were waiting for the country-life game had something else to enjoy in the meantime.

After Tiny Island Survival’s release, Mr Fujita received lots of requests for updates, and he is committed to continuing to make the game even more fun to play.

The game that was in development while Mr Fujita created and released Tiny Island Survival is, at the time of writing, still being refined. The goal is to create a game “where one could experience life in the Japanese countryside”, Mr Fujita explains.

Set in a particular region of Japan, the story is about connecting with nature and interacting with local residents while enjoying seasonal changes and traditional events, such as New Year’s visits and summer festivals. Sounds fun, right?!

While we wait to try out this new game, we’ll be keeping ourselves entertained with Game Start’s other brilliant titles. Join us and fire them up today!