currently: shipping Tactus, wrestling zombies

Apps and games, built solo, on evenings and weekends.

I'm Jon — a casual developer making things I actually want to use. Sometimes that's a metronome. Sometimes it's a city full of zombies that judges me from my second monitor. casual.fridays is where it all lands.

See the apps → Read the devlog

Firstlight on iPad — placing worlds in the habitable zone of a star

Firstlight on iPad — a new star forms: Let there be light

Firstlight on iPad — a civilisation shoots down incoming rocks

Firstlight on iPad — two star systems at war

Firstlight on iPad — a civilisation builds a Dyson swarm

New · iPhone, iPad & web

FirstlightVoid to Life

You're a god in an empty void. Smash specks of stardust together to make stars, worlds and — eventually — life. Then that life notices you.

21 creations to discover, from hydrogen to Dyson swarms
Fling matter into orbit and place worlds where life can begin
Civilisations grow shields, deflect your throws, and fight back
Tip the balance of their wars — or earn their trust
No ads, no in-app purchases — try the free demo in your browser

App Store — coming soon Play the free demo →

Shipped · iOS & Apple Watch

Tactus

Free · No ads · No IAP

A precision metronome, tuner, and stage monitor for musicians who take practice seriously. Started as something I built for myself — grew into something I'm genuinely proud of.

High-precision metronome, 40–240 BPM, 9 time signatures
Auto-detect BPM by holding your phone near live music
Play-along drift meter — see if you're rushing or dragging
FFT chromatic tuner, 11 presets, reliable low-string detection
Stage monitor: mic passthrough with 3-band EQ
Full Apple Watch companion with haptic beat feedback

Get it on the App Store Read the full writeup

In development · Unity (previously Unreal) ● Actively being poked at

Safe Zone

A Frostpunk/Banished-inspired survival city-builder, in development on and off since 2020 — mostly off, if we're being honest. Build farms, houses, walls and watchtowers, manage happiness and resources, research new tech, and try not to lose everyone to the horde outside.

Started in Unreal Engine 5, now built in Unity — after one too many nights losing to Blueprints instead of making progress, I ported the whole thing over. Best decision I made on this project. Full story in the devlog →

It has a full loop now — including a proper way to lose. Last playtest: 23 days survived, just under 9 hours played, died with 4,121 wood and zero food. Poetic, in its own way.

Zero art pass. All placeholder geometry. Systems before shine — it's the only way I've ever actually finished anything.