Rebirth / No Clean Start – Dev Update #3

Hi everyone, in this update we want to share a new enemy type we’ve been working on over the past days, and how it fits into the broader light/dark gameplay systems.

As with most of our recent work, the focus is not just on adding variety, but on reinforcing consistency across systems and making player decisions more readable.

A new light-dependent enemy: the Ayles

We’ve introduced a new enemy type called Ayles (literally, “the eyeless”).

Unlike the Shambler, which is primarily active in dark environments, and the Ranged enemies that tend to avoid darkness, the Ayles behaves in a complementary way: it only appears in runs where certain areas are powered and illuminated.

If a player activates lighting systems during a run, subsequent runs may feature this enemy in those same areas. In this sense, it is indirectly tied to the player’s previous actions, reinforcing the idea that the world evolves in response to how it is used.

Presence and environmental cues

When the area is unpowered, the Ayles is not present. Instead, the player may notice a set of small vertical structures scattered in the environment.

These resemble short, organic pedestals or stools, roughly around 40–60 cm in height. They are not interactive, but they act as a visual hint: if the area becomes powered in a future run, these positions are likely to be occupied.

This allows the player to anticipate potential threats without relying on explicit UI or markers.

Behavior

The Ayles is blind and relies entirely on sound.

When idle, it remains perched on its elevated position, largely inactive. In this state, it is not immediately dangerous, as long as the player moves carefully and avoids generating noise.

However, any significant sound event will trigger a response:

• running nearby

• firing a weapon

• colliding with objects

Once alerted, the Ayles becomes aggressive and actively engages the player.

This creates a different kind of pressure compared to other enemies. Instead of reacting to visibility, the player must manage movement and noise more deliberately, especially in lit areas that would otherwise feel safer.

Design intent

The goal with this enemy is to add a layer of tension that is not strictly visual.

Light, in Rebirth, is not inherently positive or negative. It reveals information, but it also introduces new risks. The Ayles is part of that balance: a system that rewards awareness, but punishes careless behavior.

It also contributes to long-term learning. Seeing these structures in dark runs, and later encountering the enemy in lit ones, helps build a mental model of how the world changes across runs.

Current state

The Ayles is currently functional and integrated into the main loop. We are focusing on:

• tuning its sensitivity to sound

• refining reaction timing

• ensuring consistency with other AI systems

Playable build

Alongside these updates, we are continuing internal testing on a playable build of the game.

The core loop is now stable enough to support longer sessions, and we are spending most of our time refining interactions, balance, and overall readability. It’s also the first time we can consistently play the game in conditions that are close to what players will experience.

There is still work to do, but we are getting close. If things continue in this direction, it should not take long before we can share this build more broadly.

We are looking forward to letting players try it for themselves.