Thinky Games

An interview with José Hernández, creator of Sokobond Express

Hira, 19 March 2024

José Hernández is the designer behind recently released track-laying puzzler Sokobond Express, published by Draknek & Friends. I've had the opportunity to ask José a few questions, getting a glimpse into his world and some of the backstory behind the game's development.

Tell us more about yourself, and how you became a game designer. What are some puzzle games you enjoy?

I'm José Hernández – a programmer turned game developer living in Caracas, Venezuela. I started making games while I was at university, and as I was finishing my studies I felt the need to choose a career in computer science – but none of the available options felt creative enough for me. So after graduation, I just kept making games on my own, and thankfully around 4 months after that I started making enough money to support myself while working on more games.

The latest puzzle game I'm playing is Unpacking. I find it intriguing how they manage to gamify neatness and how its levels support multiple solutions — both aspects look so simple on the outside, but have so many layers underneath. I guess I enjoy games that try out new stuff (be it mechanics, systems, narrative) that I haven't experienced before and I just dug in to find out more!

To give our readers a sense of what to expect from Sokobond Express, how would you describe it in one sentence?

No-previous-knowledge-required chemistry game on rails.

You've designed Sokobond Express around the theme of chemical bonds, like the original Sokobond — were the chemistry themes always present in this project?

Well, the game is based on another game I made a few years back called Subatomic Wire — which at first was going to be a demake of SpaceChem, but the more I worked on it the more alike it looked to the original Sokobond but on rails.

Currently Sokobond Express is a refinement of this idea, so the chemistry theme was always present.

At what point did you start chatting with Draknek & Friends about turning Subatomic Wire into a mash-up of Sokobond and Cosmic Express?

After about a week or two after making the game public, Alan sent me a DM on Twitter about my future plans for Subatomic Wire — we talked about the details for its further development, then we signed a contract, and now here we are!

What elements of Sokobond and Cosmic Express have influenced the design of your game?

From Sokobond, I adapted the process of molecules bonding — as more atoms are bonded, there are less ways the atoms to bond and move around. Therefore, arriving at a solution is a bit more obvious than that of classic Sokoban.

As for Cosmic Express, I adapted the path building mechanic — players have to build rail paths while being mindful that you can't step on the same square more than once. Often the solution is a path that is optimized for carry capacity.

We've had a great time with the game! Anything we can look forward to from you in the future?

I hope so! :) I don't have a plan for my next project after Sokobond Express, but I do plan on making games for the long haul, so if you like games with a weird mix of mechanics you can follow my work!

This interview has been edited for clarity. You can find José on Twitter, and Sokobond Express is available nowon Steam.


  • Developer: José Hernández, Draknek and Friends

  • Publisher: Draknek & Friends

  • Platforms:Steam

  • Availability: Out now

Disclaimer: Thinky Games is part of the Carina Initiatives and may have professional relationships with individuals and businesses related to the subject of this article. Please see our Editorial Policy for details.

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