Dev update #1

Introducing our first dev update blog. We'll be doing these every month or so to give you an inside look at what we're working on. 👀

Firstly, and something we're super excited to announce...

The Duskfade Demo is coming to Gamescom!

We've never had a playable demo before so this is HUGE for us. If you're headed to Gamescom this year, you'll be able to find us at the Indie Arena Booth to get hands-on with Duskfade! Attendees will be able to play through to the first boss fight and explore the first locations of the game. Nerve-racking - but we can't wait.

Let's take a look at some new gameplay...

We haven't shown this footage anywhere else yet, but we wanted to share some clips from the second area of Duskfade. While this is all still a work in progress, we're pretty happy with how it's coming along!

Swing through the treetops

Grapple, flip, jump, dash - we want to make getting from A to B as fun as possible. Soaring through the trees is something we've had a great time working on. We're always open to suggestions though, and if there's something you think would make navigating through the world of Duskfade even more satisfying, please do let us know!

A whole lotta water

There's a fair bit of water in the second area of Duskfade. Not only are there waterfalls, but also a submerged village (see screenshot below). With the world suffering from the threat of eternal darkness, the tides are out of tune - If only there was someone who could save the day? 😉

Concept art: Where Zirian's journey began!

We love looking back and seeing how far we've come since the early days of Duskfade. So, what better way to kickstart this throwback series than by taking a look at the initial sketches for our protagonist, Zirian. We'll hand the mic over to our wonderful artist, Marta, for this one. (Fun fact: Zirian was inspired by Jim Hawkins from Treasure Planet!)

"When I design a character, it's very important for me to read the script and understand the character, their story, how they act, because that way I can imagine what they would be like, what kind of clothes they would wear, how they interact with their environment, and try to include those little details in their design."

"With Zirian, I extracted the characteristic elements from the original design and used them as a base to create the redesigns so they would feel more “clockpunk,” while also adding small details that reflect his personality. I wanted the clothing to evoke the silhouette of an hourglass, (like with Zirian's jacket), and I also added a more obvious hourglass on his back."

We've got a question!

Before we dash, we've got a question we'd love to hear your opinions on. Out of the three main PlayStation 2 inspirations behind Duskfade, which would you say is your favourite?

Thanks for reading! We'll catch up with you soon for more Duskfade-goodness.

Weird Beluga x