Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
@malicedafirenze.bsky.social
Horse Game Consultant. Game Designer, Producer, Writer. Creator of @themanequest.com and doing marketing at @okomotive.ch and @thoglistudios.com
Based in Zurich, Switzerland http://aliceruppert.ch/ (she/her)
Based in Zurich, Switzerland http://aliceruppert.ch/ (she/her)
Pinned
✨NEW VIDEO ✨ Horse Games – History of a Neglected Genre and its Untapped Potential – Talk from Devcom 2024
Many thanks to @devcom.bsky.social 💕
www.themanequest.com/blog/2024/12...
Many thanks to @devcom.bsky.social 💕
www.themanequest.com/blog/2024/12...
Horse Games – History of a Neglected Genre and its Untapped Potential – Talk from Devcom 2024 — The Mane Quest
I was a speaker at Devcom 2024 in Cologne, giving a presentation on my horse game work. The recorded talk is now available on YouTube!
www.themanequest.com
HEY SO my horse game talk from devcom is now available to watch on YouTube and you should definitely watch it because several people told me it was their favorite talk of the whole conference and NOW IT CAN BE YOURS TOO 😇😇
Éloïse of Cozy Bee Games, whose game I've just been raving about in what might be the most positive review I've ever posted on The Mane Quest, announced a new game today and you should check it out, it's a casual simulation game where you make and sell plushies store.steampowered.com/app/3943690/...
November 17, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Éloïse of Cozy Bee Games, whose game I've just been raving about in what might be the most positive review I've ever posted on The Mane Quest, announced a new game today and you should check it out, it's a casual simulation game where you make and sell plushies store.steampowered.com/app/3943690/...
please enjoy this weekend's cat shenanigans in addition to this weekend's horse game shenanigans
Like I genuinely can‘t tell if he is entertained or stressed out. Probably a bit of both. But I can‘t deny it makes for amazing pictures
November 17, 2025 at 2:23 PM
please enjoy this weekend's cat shenanigans in addition to this weekend's horse game shenanigans
Hey so Anna is the wonderful illustrator and artist behind all the gorgeous Horses of Hoofprint Bay stuff I‘ve been posting and I think some of you should consider supporting her on Patreon for horse game reasons. And for other cute 2d art reasons.
As a celebration of completing my master's degree in Interactive Illustration & Games (the game demo below is my thesis), I'm giving you a special offer until end of this month: up to 80% off 1st month for all Patreon tiers with Code MASTER
You can see the entire backlog and also leave any time! 💚🦄
You can see the entire backlog and also leave any time! 💚🦄
New patreon post: Making of, art book, game design and narrative theory of "The forest game": The Search for the unicorn. 🌲🦄 playable demo and artbook (with lots of theoretical background) available as PDF in both German and English!
www.patreon.com/posts/143573... #indiedev #indiegame
www.patreon.com/posts/143573... #indiedev #indiegame
November 17, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Hey so Anna is the wonderful illustrator and artist behind all the gorgeous Horses of Hoofprint Bay stuff I‘ve been posting and I think some of you should consider supporting her on Patreon for horse game reasons. And for other cute 2d art reasons.
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
so many people ask "will the game be free?" and I'm sitting here lowkey like "why tf would it be free" 🙈 #indiedev
I gotta use that as a reply more often look how simple it can be 😇
November 17, 2025 at 1:04 PM
so many people ask "will the game be free?" and I'm sitting here lowkey like "why tf would it be free" 🙈 #indiedev
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
Did you know, even though our official announcement was only recently, our artist Anna has actually been sharing behind-the-scenes art insights from our game for months 🤫😇
Check this out! First iteration sketch visuals on the left, mostly final art on the right 🥰
Check this out! First iteration sketch visuals on the left, mostly final art on the right 🥰
before & after for taking care of your horse in our game 🥰 we're making some good progress to bring this game to you! 🐴 🐴 🐴 full process on my patreon #indiegame #cozygame #horse #indiegamedev #2dgame
November 17, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Did you know, even though our official announcement was only recently, our artist Anna has actually been sharing behind-the-scenes art insights from our game for months 🤫😇
Check this out! First iteration sketch visuals on the left, mostly final art on the right 🥰
Check this out! First iteration sketch visuals on the left, mostly final art on the right 🥰
had another strong day yesterday as the horse care video continues to gain views on tiktok, insta and twitter and ngl I LOVE working on a project where I can simply share these screenshots and talk about our numbers I love radical transparency in games marketing
November 17, 2025 at 11:16 AM
had another strong day yesterday as the horse care video continues to gain views on tiktok, insta and twitter and ngl I LOVE working on a project where I can simply share these screenshots and talk about our numbers I love radical transparency in games marketing
"I am excited and curious to see the ways in which this game’s success will inevitably shape the future of the horse game niche. I want to live in a world where The Ranch of Rivershine is the start of what Good Horse Games can look like, not the conclusion."
--> you should read my articles btw 😇
--> you should read my articles btw 😇
Review: The Ranch of Rivershine – An Almost Perfect Horse Game and What We can Learn from it — The Mane Quest
I have written about The Ranch of Rivershine on this site on various occasions over the years, but what’s been missing is an actual review of the game. The time for that has definitely come, so let’s ...
www.themanequest.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:13 AM
"I am excited and curious to see the ways in which this game’s success will inevitably shape the future of the horse game niche. I want to live in a world where The Ranch of Rivershine is the start of what Good Horse Games can look like, not the conclusion."
--> you should read my articles btw 😇
--> you should read my articles btw 😇
I gotta use that as a reply more often look how simple it can be 😇
November 17, 2025 at 10:07 AM
I gotta use that as a reply more often look how simple it can be 😇
Good news gang I finally finished my Rivershine review and it only took me half a year please have a look
😍NEW ARTICLE 😍Review: The Ranch of Rivershine – An Almost Perfect Horse Game and What We can Learn from it
www.themanequest.com/blog/2025/11...
www.themanequest.com/blog/2025/11...
Review: The Ranch of Rivershine – An Almost Perfect Horse Game and What We can Learn from it — The Mane Quest
I have written about The Ranch of Rivershine on this site on various occasions over the years, but what’s been missing is an actual review of the game. The time for that has definitely come, so let’s ...
www.themanequest.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Good news gang I finally finished my Rivershine review and it only took me half a year please have a look
good morning I love it when posting about our game works
November 16, 2025 at 9:21 AM
good morning I love it when posting about our game works
I just keep looking at these and laughing I cannot
Like I genuinely can‘t tell if he is entertained or stressed out. Probably a bit of both. But I can‘t deny it makes for amazing pictures
November 15, 2025 at 10:30 PM
I just keep looking at these and laughing I cannot
oh you did anatomy studies for the horse's pose did you? Cool so did that include looking up WHICH FUCKING WAY A HORSE'S FORELEG BEND sorry I know art is hard and this is super impressive in every other way but genuinely HOW IN THE FUCK do you miss this shit???? ?
November 15, 2025 at 8:34 PM
oh you did anatomy studies for the horse's pose did you? Cool so did that include looking up WHICH FUCKING WAY A HORSE'S FORELEG BEND sorry I know art is hard and this is super impressive in every other way but genuinely HOW IN THE FUCK do you miss this shit???? ?
Can someone who‘s good at cat body language help me interpret this I don‘t know if he‘s enjoying or hating it when I take him outdoors
November 15, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Can someone who‘s good at cat body language help me interpret this I don‘t know if he‘s enjoying or hating it when I take him outdoors
I was just once again considering whether I should finally drop twitter as a platform entirely but then posting this clip yesterday got >100k views somehow what
a lot of horse games either force the player to groom/brush their horses outright, or make it a completely optional bonus thing. In Horses of Hoofprint Bay, not brushing your horse before you ride it can lead to saddle sores, and not picking its hooves can lead to abscesses.
A longer look at horse care in our game! 😍
You use the curry comb to remove dirt, but this roughens up the coat. You then use the brush to smooth down the hair again. The game never forces you to clean your horse, but riding while dirty may cause saddle sores!
You use the curry comb to remove dirt, but this roughens up the coat. You then use the brush to smooth down the hair again. The game never forces you to clean your horse, but riding while dirty may cause saddle sores!
November 15, 2025 at 12:38 PM
I was just once again considering whether I should finally drop twitter as a platform entirely but then posting this clip yesterday got >100k views somehow what
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
a lot of horse games either force the player to groom/brush their horses outright, or make it a completely optional bonus thing. In Horses of Hoofprint Bay, not brushing your horse before you ride it can lead to saddle sores, and not picking its hooves can lead to abscesses.
A longer look at horse care in our game! 😍
You use the curry comb to remove dirt, but this roughens up the coat. You then use the brush to smooth down the hair again. The game never forces you to clean your horse, but riding while dirty may cause saddle sores!
You use the curry comb to remove dirt, but this roughens up the coat. You then use the brush to smooth down the hair again. The game never forces you to clean your horse, but riding while dirty may cause saddle sores!
November 14, 2025 at 1:12 PM
a lot of horse games either force the player to groom/brush their horses outright, or make it a completely optional bonus thing. In Horses of Hoofprint Bay, not brushing your horse before you ride it can lead to saddle sores, and not picking its hooves can lead to abscesses.
a lot of horse games either force the player to groom/brush their horses outright, or make it a completely optional bonus thing. In Horses of Hoofprint Bay, not brushing your horse before you ride it can lead to saddle sores, and not picking its hooves can lead to abscesses.
A longer look at horse care in our game! 😍
You use the curry comb to remove dirt, but this roughens up the coat. You then use the brush to smooth down the hair again. The game never forces you to clean your horse, but riding while dirty may cause saddle sores!
You use the curry comb to remove dirt, but this roughens up the coat. You then use the brush to smooth down the hair again. The game never forces you to clean your horse, but riding while dirty may cause saddle sores!
November 14, 2025 at 1:12 PM
a lot of horse games either force the player to groom/brush their horses outright, or make it a completely optional bonus thing. In Horses of Hoofprint Bay, not brushing your horse before you ride it can lead to saddle sores, and not picking its hooves can lead to abscesses.
they're making a calicorn plushy 🥹
🦬 Yes, you can pet the Calicorn! The beloved beast from the game Herdling is now available for preorder as a supremely fuzzy plush:
🧸 makeship.com/products/he...
🧸 makeship.com/products/he...
November 14, 2025 at 11:36 AM
they're making a calicorn plushy 🥹
when the wishlist curve goes up when I post 🥰🥰
when the wishlist curve goes down when I don't post 😠😠
when the wishlist curve goes down when I don't post 😠😠
November 14, 2025 at 10:39 AM
when the wishlist curve goes up when I post 🥰🥰
when the wishlist curve goes down when I don't post 😠😠
when the wishlist curve goes down when I don't post 😠😠
We got 4k wishlists within 2 weeks without any press, influencers or having a playable demo which I think is quite alright by any "newly founded 2 person studio's debut project" metrics and here I am salty about the fact that that number isn't breaking any records
me when it's been two weeks of posting and the horse game I just announced hasn't gone completely viral yet why are you looking at me like that I have very reasonable expectations of my own work performance
a cartoon of alice from alice in wonderland with her hand on her chin
Alt: a cartoon of alice from alice in wonderland with her hand on her chin
media.tenor.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:58 PM
We got 4k wishlists within 2 weeks without any press, influencers or having a playable demo which I think is quite alright by any "newly founded 2 person studio's debut project" metrics and here I am salty about the fact that that number isn't breaking any records
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
While some core screens and features in Horses of Hoofprint Bay already look close to final for the trailer, lots of the game is in a much more prototype-y and sketch-y stage! Here's a look at some work-in-progress of our horse trader/breeder, who you can visit in the nearby town 🥰
Another glimpse behind the scenes of making Horses of Hoofprint Bay: We're currently improving on the horse trader visuals. While parts of the game were polished for the announcement trailer, a lot of features currently still consist of sketches and placeholders! (see alt text for more info!)
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 AM
While some core screens and features in Horses of Hoofprint Bay already look close to final for the trailer, lots of the game is in a much more prototype-y and sketch-y stage! Here's a look at some work-in-progress of our horse trader/breeder, who you can visit in the nearby town 🥰
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
My horse game consulting work today involves explaining that a standing horse lifting one leg and staying like that actually has completely different implications for when it's a foreleg vs a hind leg, and only one of them is a good idle animation
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
November 12, 2025 at 9:37 AM
My horse game consulting work today involves explaining that a standing horse lifting one leg and staying like that actually has completely different implications for when it's a foreleg vs a hind leg, and only one of them is a good idle animation
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
Made a video with a bit of additional explanation and insight into what we're showing here pls enjoy and head over to tiktok to like and share and comment if you want to support our hand-drawn horse game endeavors 😇
www.tiktok.com/@themaneques...
www.tiktok.com/@themaneques...
November 12, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Made a video with a bit of additional explanation and insight into what we're showing here pls enjoy and head over to tiktok to like and share and comment if you want to support our hand-drawn horse game endeavors 😇
www.tiktok.com/@themaneques...
www.tiktok.com/@themaneques...
While some core screens and features in Horses of Hoofprint Bay already look close to final for the trailer, lots of the game is in a much more prototype-y and sketch-y stage! Here's a look at some work-in-progress of our horse trader/breeder, who you can visit in the nearby town 🥰
Another glimpse behind the scenes of making Horses of Hoofprint Bay: We're currently improving on the horse trader visuals. While parts of the game were polished for the announcement trailer, a lot of features currently still consist of sketches and placeholders! (see alt text for more info!)
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 AM
While some core screens and features in Horses of Hoofprint Bay already look close to final for the trailer, lots of the game is in a much more prototype-y and sketch-y stage! Here's a look at some work-in-progress of our horse trader/breeder, who you can visit in the nearby town 🥰
My horse game consulting work today involves explaining that a standing horse lifting one leg and staying like that actually has completely different implications for when it's a foreleg vs a hind leg, and only one of them is a good idle animation
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
November 12, 2025 at 9:37 AM
My horse game consulting work today involves explaining that a standing horse lifting one leg and staying like that actually has completely different implications for when it's a foreleg vs a hind leg, and only one of them is a good idle animation
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
I'll give you a sec to guess why/what that means.
anyway here's my game pls enjoy
Is #pitchyagame a thing over here?
Let me (once again) introduce Horses of Hoofprint Bay:
🏡2D Stable Management
🐴Horse care, training & breeding
🏆Ride in competitions for prizes
🎨100% hand-drawn and made by horse girls
Let me (once again) introduce Horses of Hoofprint Bay:
🏡2D Stable Management
🐴Horse care, training & breeding
🏆Ride in competitions for prizes
🎨100% hand-drawn and made by horse girls
November 11, 2025 at 9:52 PM
anyway here's my game pls enjoy