It is hard, no doubt. If you have a team with the right skill set, one with game programming, a level designer, a game designer, writer, 3D modeler, 2D artist, then its easier. In a small team, it is often expected that some one will have to do more than one key development work, The game designer could be the writer as well.Sounds like an interesting process and a real learning curve.
I am trying to be all. LOL, so I need to learn a lot.
But I will hired help along the way, package works, buy existing asserts if need(yes you can buy royalty free 3D models just like photos), at the moment, I am pondering buying a flower packages. 180 flowers for 60 bucks or something. It will save me plenty of time to model them myself.
. Also, I try not to be ambitious & keep game area small (a house & its immediate surrounding, not unlike gone home), no CG cutscene (use instead slideshow), not even character animation (first person view with no NPC). Plot& story will be revealed by mainly clues found in the house, documents, paintings, & simple slideshow hand drawn cutscenes. There will be puzzled but nothing complicated. I have in fact post 2 of my puzzles here before.
If the game is successful, I may go full time, & maybe hire some stuff, but I do not want to get to ahead of myself.