Meet the producer of The Fifth Gate

Meet Alena, the producer behind The Fifth Gate! Alena gathered seeds of ideas, plowed story plots, smacked pesky bugs, and grew The Fifth Gate into the lush time management game it is today. All her friends blame her for getting them addicted to the game, something that she's happy to be the cause of!

What can people look forward to in The Fifth Gate?

There are million ways to play and win and it’s really up to the player which strategy to follow. You can plant many flowers that will give you a bigger harvest at the price of water and the time you spend managing them. Alternatively, you can plant less flowers that will give you less harvest, but you'll need fewer resources to take care of them. Your choice!

What do you love about being a game producer?

Almost everything. I am rarely bored and that’s very important to me. There is always something that needs to be done so I rarely follow my plan for the day (not that I have one, it’s more like a sketch for the day). There are almost always fires to be put out or something that needs to be done yesterday, and you are the only one who can do it. It just feels good.

What challenges did you encounter making this game?

Oh, many! The story was rewritten multiple times, level balancing was a huge challenge, and coming up with all the helper plants.

Do you have any funny stories from making this game?

Quite honestly, the whole production is a blur... I remember laughing at one of the sketches of Morgana (back then her name was Dandelion and she was a "good" character). She was supposed to climb over a fence with an umbrella in her hand, all while looking like Cinderella’s god-mother! Imagine your favorite middle-aged aunt doing such mischief!

If you could be a plant from the game, which one would you be?

Hmm, probably the power plant – it makes everything quick and easy.

What’s your favorite trick to playing this game?

I buy 2 magnet plants to fight the bugs so I never need to actually click on those nasty pests! Unless, of course, I want to earn extra few coins. That's when I hunt for the "spying" pests that give me triple coins.

What’s your favorite part of the game?

I'm very attached to the first garden. I don’t know how many times I've played it -- hundreds or thousands -- but even now when I need a break, I start The Fifth Gate and play my favorite garden.

Do you have any questions for Alena? What's your favorite garden? Tell us in the comments!

Interviewed by: Applesun
Games in this post: The Fifth Gate