What is a knight without its kingdom or a community without its people? At the end of the day, these are just representations of their own groups reflected back onto them. And while I had a little chat with the team behind Good Knight, truer words have never been spoken.
Who is Team Good Knight?
Team Good Knight is an indie game dev group or collective based in Baguio that initially started out of frustration between friends sometime in the early 2010s. The name stemmed from the team’s first title, Good Knight—a one-button, butt-clenching bullet hell that utilized unique gameplay mechanics, inspired visuals, and a killer soundtrack.
Comprised of multiple rotating members, the group that joined me for a fun little chat included Baguio-based Alex Valdez, Lead Developer and Co-creator; Iraqi with honorary Filipino status Zaid Al-Shaheed, Lead Artist and Co-creator; as well as Quezon City resident with honorary Baguio status, Ramon Nario, the team’s Lead Composer.
Humble Beginnings
As for how the studio actually started, it began with one of Google’s Indie Game Accelerator programs. While reminiscing about the studio’s beginnings, Alex exclaimed how it wasn’t even that established of a program yet—starting out as a simple Google Form. While it may not have gone in the direction you’d think, this “failure” led to the start of their rise in the Filipino indie game dev scene. A fun little tidbit: this also led to the members of the group becoming involved in multiple different projects.
What Makes a Good Knight?
On the topic of what differentiates the group from other game devs, there was an emphasis on grassroots operations, community, and passion. Staying in a field as challenging as game development for as long as Team Good Knight has is a feat in itself, but what keeps things fresh for them is how the core team operates.
While the team collaborates on joint projects like Good Knight, they also keep busy with their own projects and even help out with other game development efforts. For instance, Alex has an intriguing project called PP Invasion that he shared, which I hope gets released publicly soon, along with six other projects in the pipeline. Zaid has his own fair share of projects as well, including Carnage Mansion, a spiritual successor to Splatterhouse. As for Ramon, a featured artist in OSU! and even on Spotify, he’s honing his craft by working on string quartets, expanding his repertoire, and creating video game remixes.
They aren’t just focused on game development—they’re also deeply involved with the community, aiming to inspire aspiring game devs and create a better future for the local industry.
Community
Community plays a big role in what drives Team Good Knight. In fact, due to their involvement in the Manila game dev scene, they’ve even been mistaken for Manila residents despite being Baguio-based. It’s easy to get lost in the chaos of game development—tight deadlines, feature creep, funding issues, and more—but Team Good Knight had some nuggets of wisdom they wanted to share with aspiring game devs.
▪️ Struggles shared are struggles halved, but success together is success multiplied. That’s why they emphasize networking. Making friends is hard, but if you already have a common interest in game development, it’s a great starting point.
▪️Be a part of your local game dev scene and work your way up. Being nice is cool, so network and collaborate!
▪️Don’t just focus on making games for the Philippines—consider the global audience too. Participate in game jams, learn all that you can, but stay goal-oriented.
▪️Take opportunities when they come. There are plenty of resources available to help you achieve your goals, including government-backed initiatives like the Young Creatives Challenge. Who knows? You might just win!
The Future
As our fun little chat came to an end, I asked the team what’s next for them. Apart from being excited about upcoming games like the Hunter x Hunter fighting game, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and the next Shinobi or Ninja Gaiden series, they’re also busy working on their own projects. Alex has PP Invasion, which I’m eager to see; Zaid is working on Intervallum (pictured below); and Ramon is continuously refining his musical skills.
There’s a lot to be said about this team, but at the end of the day, it’s a Good Knight.
Check out their links below:
🔗 Facebook
🔗 X (Twitter)
🔗 BlueSky
🔗 Spotify
🔗 Steam
