Are you ready to be inspired?
This week’s game spotlight pick is Bob’s Mansion by Moland Websystem & Joyride Apps. Developed using Buildbox 3, this interactive 3D adventure game lets players explore a creepy mansion, solve brain-teasing puzzles, and fulfill strange missions all in the pursuit of fun.
So let’s take a closer look at Bob’s Mansion by Moland Websystem & Joyride Apps!
Bob’s Mansion: Welcome to Your Scary New Crib
In Bob’s Mansion, your favorite software engineer from “Hide from Heather” returns for a new thrilling adventure. This time, it takes place outside of the office, when Bob suddenly inherits an old mansion with an urban legend from his late uncle. With a letter containing instructions, Bob must complete a jigsaw puzzle within the mansion to unlock its secrets. It’s up to you to help Bob discover them all.
But first, you must find a way to enter your new home. Players get to search the spooky property grounds to find the key that will unlock the access gate. Once inside, you’ll need to complete various tasks to solve the puzzles and advance to the next room. While exploring the mansion, you may come across helpful items such as tools and keys that you can take with you and use to your advantage.
With stunning 3D graphics and mind-boggling puzzles, you’ll find yourself addicted to unraveling the mysteries of Bob’s Mansion.
Bob’s Mansion is now available for download on iOS and Android!
“When Buildbox 3 launched, a new world opened for me, and I haven’t looked back.” – Haavard Moland / Moland Websystem & Joyride Apps
Game Developer Insights With Haarvard Moland from Joyride Apps
Recently, we had the chance to speak with Haarvard Moland from Moland Websystem & Joyride Apps about Bob’s Mansion and his journey into game development.
Buildbox: Please share a little about yourself, Moland Websystem/Joyride Apps, and why you started making games.
Haarvard Moland: My name is Haavard. I am 48 years old (yikes!) I live in Bodø (north of the Polar Circle) in Norway. I am married and have three kids. I created my company (Moland Websystem) many years ago while doing web development, web design, etc. I started making apps around ten years ago. After a while, I started “making” games by outsourcing the work since I could not code at all. For some reason, I called my Android side of the development Joyride Apps, and it has just stuck ever since. I have always loved playing games since the mid-80s with Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.
Before I discovered Buildbox, I tried other game development programs, but none hit me the way Buildbox did. I realized how easily I could create small games, and I made my first game, “Grind City,” in Buildbox; I did it almost all by myself; I didn’t need to outsource anything. When Buildbox 3 launched, a new world opened for me, and I haven’t looked back.
Buildbox: Bob’s Mansion is such a cool concept and so much fun to play. What was the inspiration behind the game?
Haarvard Moland: I wanted to create something similar to a classic adventure game with an inventory system and some elements of horror and humor. I have always been a fan of adventure games like Monkey Island etc., and after the creation of “Hide from Heather,” I felt that Buildbox could easily handle this type of gameplay. Since there is not much action, it would play well on most mobile devices.
Also, I wanted to create some jump-scares and scary stuff, as I’d never done that before. I needed some help to create some of the features in this game, as it needed custom coding, and Ivan from IndyM Software (https://www.indymsw.com/) made some great stuff for me.
Buildbox: How did you monetize Bob’s Mansion, and what’s your strategy for generating revenue from your Buildbox games?
Haarvard Moland: I primarily use Admob from Google, but I also have a few with only Adbox. Most of my games have a banner ad, interstitial ads between levels, or when failing a level.
In Bob’s Mansion, I have a banner ad at the bottom of the screen, which I initially wasn’t sure about but kept since some of the levels are quite big, and you have no way of dying. I felt the interstitial banner alone wasn’t enough to monetize effectively. So, I added an option to remove the ads for a small fee.
There’s also an option for the user to watch a rewarded ad to get a hint if they are stuck, but this option only works in the iOS version (for now). So the hint option is not yet available in the Android version.
Buildbox: Any tips or advice for other creators interested in making their own games and earning extra money on the side?
Haarvard Moland: Quite a lot of developers try to replicate other hit games in some way and follow trends, which probably works for some. I always create things that I think are enjoyable to play. If I enjoy playing it, surely others must feel the same. I always have 5-10 new game ideas in my head, so the only thing stopping me from pushing out games all the time is that game development is only a hobby for me, and I have a limited time each week I can spend in front of my PC.
I have tried different strategies throughout the years to launch new games, and it seems no single approach is better than the others. I created one of my early games (not made in Buildbox) as a test project before I had plans to make a Movie Quiz-type game. This test project was a Norway-based food quiz app to test out the gameplay and see its performance on different devices. Surprisingly, this test game became a hit in Norway, reaching the top of the App Store for two weeks. The problem was that it was riddled with bugs, as it was just a prototype for an upcoming Movie Quiz. I did zero marketing for this app; it rose organically, showing that luck is needed in this business.
The chances of creating a hit game are slim because the competition is insane. Don’t spend much time making websites for each game; don’t spend much money on ASO; if your game does not become popular, don’t give up. Just move on to the next project. Think outside the box, create something unique, and perhaps you will have the next big thing.
Buildbox.com: Wow, great advice! Thanks so much for sharing your insights.
We hope today’s spotlight has inspired you to kickstart your game development journey!
Will Your Game Be Next?
If you’d like to be our next spotlight just send us a link to your Buildbox game. We’ll check it out! We’re constantly on the lookout for new BB games on the horizon. All you have to do is post a tweet that mentions us @buildbox and add a link to your game to show us your app. We’re also on the hunt for new games in our official Buildbox forum and Discord channel in the Game Showcase section.
Dream big and keep on developing!
