Ben Hickling // MNKY
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benhickling.bsky.social
Ben Hickling // MNKY
@benhickling.bsky.social
Artist / Game Dev / Current project: Ex-Zodiac (out in early access now!) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1249480/ExZodiac/
Reposted by Ben Hickling // MNKY
@rittzler.bsky.social (creator of Pseudoregalia), has had their Discord and email hacked and is linking to a virus in disguise. If you see anything linking to a game called "Furfall", DO NOT engage with it. It's not made by Rittz and isn't a real game (it's a Remote Access Trojan) DO NOT CLICK IT.
December 28, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Finally got an ADHD assessment this Saturday, will be interesting to see how that goes
December 23, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The stages of Ex-Zodiac levels so far
December 23, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Ben Hickling // MNKY
New stage, new themes!

Aethereal
soundcloud.com/plrusek-chan...

(and the boss theme, Glyphbreaker: soundcloud.com/plrusek-chan...)
December 18, 2025 at 8:19 PM
There were far more delays than I would have liked, but the latest level Ethuna is finally playable in the latest update to #exzodiac!

The game is also currently 60% off in the Steam Winter sale - store.steampowered.com/app/1249480/...
December 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
I might moan about Godot from time to time, but what we have now is infinitely better than what I first tried using back in 2014 😂
New vid on how to install and use Godot 1.0! Thanks to @akien.bsky.social for making it possible to use the first version of the #GodotEngine again, and to my girlfriend for making the video's thumbnail :) youtu.be/HsVLwCKGoWs?... #Godot #gamedev #indiedev
Is Game Development too Easy?! Install Godot 1.0!!
YouTube video by Maxfield
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 10:20 AM
I dream of the day when Godot's bezier animation editor is functional
November 23, 2025 at 11:28 PM
At least Bluesky is still working lol
November 18, 2025 at 2:12 PM
This is how the 15fps mode works in Ex-Zodiac
November 10, 2025 at 12:36 PM
My favourite thing about game development is getting part way through developing a boss, deciding it's shite, and then starting a new one. Then doing that multiple times
November 2, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Ben Hickling // MNKY
CANDY RANGERS IS OUT EVERYWHERE
youtu.be/xDVBrPUXr78
Candy Rangers Launch Trailer
YouTube video by Mechano
youtu.be
October 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Sorry for the lack of updates, I'm still chipping away at the latest level for Ex-Zodiac. I've been caught up with other life stuff like looking for a new job after my previous position came to an end. Anyhoo, I should have something to show soon, hopefully!
July 28, 2025 at 1:19 PM
The issue with the mac build was due to the custom build I was using. The only reason I was using a custom build was because the devs removed the rotation_degrees property and all of my animations used it, so I had to create a custom build where that property was still available
May 8, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Good news, she fixed the MacOS build, so now all 2.3% of you can finally enjoy the latest stage update! 🐒

store.steampowered.com/app/1249480/...
May 7, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by Ben Hickling // MNKY
the new stage's theme:
Steam Stampede

Boss track also available on SoundCloud (and Steam OST release)
April 25, 2025 at 4:43 PM
It's that time again, and Kyuu's found herself back on the bike chasing a runaway armoured train in the latest stage - Mirage!

Now is a great time to grab the game, as it's currently on sale at it's lowest discount yet (55%!)

store.steampowered.com/app/1249480/...

(MacOS version soon, hopefully)
April 25, 2025 at 4:14 PM
My favourite thing about doing an update for Ex-Zodiac is finding out the mac build doesn't work and having no idea why. I completely understand why other games don't bother 😬
April 25, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Almost there...
Ex-Zodiac has been on a long colorful journey for years, and it wont stop until it's the foxiest modern rail shooter you've ever played :)

Next major update is coming right up - keep an eye out: store.steampowered.com/app/1249480/...

Thanks to @benhickling.bsky.social for his dedication!
April 15, 2025 at 3:29 PM
It's getting harder and harder to come up with interesting & fun bosses for my game. It's like I've exhausted the possibilities, which I obviously haven't, but it often feels like it. Also a lot of times an idea seems great in my head, but just doesn't work out in reality. That always sucks.
April 9, 2025 at 11:22 PM
I'm pretty sure I have ADHD. This graph represents my productivity as I approach a deadline. I've tried and tried again, but no matter what I cannot seem to shake the way I work
March 20, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Brain: you should add a Panzer Dragoon style level

Me:
a woman 's face is visible in a tik tok video
ALT: a woman 's face is visible in a tik tok video
media.tenor.com
March 8, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Releasing a demo will not hurt your game's sales, maybe a bad demo, but that's a different story
February 3, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Well, it didn't break my game, but using the editor kept crashing randomly, so back to 4.3 for now
Compiling Godot 4.4 Beta 1, let's see if this breaks my game..!
January 26, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Compiling Godot 4.4 Beta 1, let's see if this breaks my game..!
January 21, 2025 at 12:01 PM