Dev Log 1 - Who Are You? What Is This?

Hello dolls!

Welcome to the first of a series of monthly developer logs we’re writing to keep you involved in the project while it’s cooking, and provide some more transparency on the development progress. For our first log, we thought we’d go over what PRISON OF HUSKS is trying to achieve and introduce the team.

CORE PILLARS OF PRISON OF HUSKS

The core design pillars of PRISON OF HUSKS are:

• Difficulty and Exploration

• Retro/Nostalgic Souls-Like vibes

• Quality > Quantity.

DIFFICULTY AND EXPLORATION

We noticed that there are as many souls veterans interested in the game as there are newcomers to the genre and we welcome you all! :) We want to note that whilst this is a souls-like, we recognize that a lot of players are giving our game a shot with no prior experience. To bring new players into the fold, the team is working hard to include in-game tools that will make the experience feel less punishing without compromising our vision for PRISON OF HUSKS.

Our advice to those wary of souls-likes and looking to play one, (maybe ours? *wink*), is to be curious and poke around for secrets. Exploration is likely to reward you with the tools you need to make the game more forgiving. PRISON OF HUSKS utilizes this approach maybe a little more than the average souls-like.

A note from the developer

RETRO/NOSTALGIC SOULS-LIKE VIBE

PRISON OF HUSKS is like a love letter to its inspirations. An ode to the Souls games, Team Ico’s work, the Silent Hill franchise, and the 5th and 6th generation of console gaming more generally. (Think PlayStation 2, GameCube, and the OG Xbox).

You can see a lot of this inspiration in the vertical design of the game that encourages you to explore vertically. The world of PRISON OF HUSKS is quite compact, but because of how dense it is, it will feel much bigger.

Combat in PRISON OF HUSKS will be reminiscent of the game-feel in the souls games with a few of its own innovative twists.

A note from the developer

QUALITY > QUANTITY

PRISON OF HUSKS is aiming for a more condensed scope than a traditional souls-like. That’s because we want to make the game world fun and detailed without spending 5 billion years on development. Thank you so much for supporting our team and helping us avoid crunch on a project we’re so passionate about!

WHO ARE YOU…

You might be wondering why I’ve been saying “We” so much. After all, isn’t this a solo project?

The answer is yeah! for the most part. All game design, level design, writing, programming, bug fixing, sound design, and the soundtrack are done by Tammy Morley (Hexosphere). Creating a detailed world is a labor of love!

Think of this care like a fourth design pillar, one we can only achieve with a focused scope.

So who else is involved?

Contracting Team

Sam Lamont (Moonskinned) is responsible for much of the concept art and illustrations of PRISON OF HUSKS. He has worked on IPs like Doctor Who and Warhammer as a concept artist and has excelled in nailing PRISON OF HUSKS distinct vibe. You may also know him as the winner of the VaatiVidya Bloodborne 2 competition back in 2021! Check out his work here, especially his project Three of Ghosts!

Steam post image A figure sits at a spinning wheel, concept art by Sam.

Apno Delgado (APNOIAC) is working on the bulk of 3D models, rigs and animation work for characters and enemies. Fans of SIGNALIS may recognize their wonderful animated fanart! They are also working on upcoming indie titles DEAD HEAT and Rogue Hunter! Follow them on BlueSky and YouTube

Steam post image One of the first prototype models of the protagonist created by APNO. This doll has come a long way!

Last, but certainly not least!! Community Manager Morgan, that’s me! I’m the one chatting to you in Discord, Steam Forums, noting feedback, sharing first looks at content on socials and planning exciting events for you in the near future! I’m also writing most of these dev logs (with a good deal of editing from Hexosphere to make sure I get the technical stuff right).

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions in the comments below and I’ll do my best to make sure you’re heard! 🫡

That’s right, YOU are the last member of the team. While PRISON OF HUSKS is Hexosphere’s labor of love, she is always listening to feedback to make the game something special.

THE FUTURE

Thanks for reading! There’s a lot of world to build, so we’ll get back to it :)

Stay tuned for next month where Hexosphere and APNOIAC will detail the process of perfecting game-feel within animation and coding!