Alpha.29: Sandy Desert, Fireflies and Atmosphere

Sandy Desert Gets 10 New Stages

The Sandy Desert zone just grew significantly. The team shipped 10 new stages this week, continuing to build out one of the game's most visually distinct areas.

Fireflies

This one was genuinely fun to make. Fireflies have no role in gameplay at all. They just fly around. But we wanted the environments to feel alive, and static scenes only go so far.

Each firefly is a small object with a pulsing light. Around it sits an invisible sphere. The team implemented two separate movement algorithms: one that makes the firefly orbit the sphere in smooth loops, and another that traces a figure-eight path. A clean transition between the two makes the movement read as random without actually being random. They are already in the Forest scenes and will spread to other zones gradually.

Atmosphere and Fog

A subtle fog layer sitting just in front of the camera was added alongside the fireflies. It is barely noticeable on its own. The difference in how the scenes feel is surprisingly large for such a small addition.

Visual and UI Updates

• New visual effect for block locks Steam post image

• Loot buttons now appear directly on the next stage popup Steam post image

• Ghost grid added to the Marsh scene transition into the Ruins zone

• New icons for this version's features

Fixes

• Skills you already own no longer appear in the loot roller

• Global volume profiles were missing from several stages. Fixed across the board.

Follow the Development

There is a free playable demo available on our Steam page. If you have tried it, we would love to hear your thoughts. The best place to reach us is our Discord server.