January 2026 Update

Development Update – Verticality, Violence & Feedback

It’s been a long road so far — and there’s still plenty ahead. This update is partly me documenting the journey, but also a look behind the curtain at how Shadow of Nyx is evolving.

This month: Climbing Combat Revamp Game Feel & Audio

Climbing System – No Jumping Allowed

Erebion cannot jump. And that’s intentional.

Free jumping sounds simple, but it breaks level boundaries, exploration flow, and design control. I don’t want players “Skyrim-ing” their way up Olympus. But since the game is set in a mountainous, fictional Greece, flat levels weren’t an option either.

So the solution: a deliberate, puzzle-like climbing system.

Instead of climbing anywhere, you climb where it makes sense. Each climb is designed, not accidental. I took inspiration from older Assassin’s Creed titles — where you read the environment and choose your path upward.

Under the hood:

• Fixed distances between climb points to reduce animation overhead

• Cardinal + diagonal movement support

• A custom Climb Path Tool to rapidly build routes

• Auto-traversal that smoothly positions the player before climbing

• Clean state transitions using Unity’s Mecanim

Climbing adds verticality, visual breaks, and suspense — you don’t know what’s waiting at the top.

This is Version 1, but it already feels solid.

Combat Revamp – Stun, States & Executions

Combat has gone through multiple rewrites. It was ambitious at the start — maybe too ambitious. But it’s finally becoming what I envisioned.

New Stun System

Every attack now builds hidden stun damage:

• Small hits cause flinches

• More pressure leads to staggers

• Fill the bar → enemy becomes stunned

When stunned, enemies are vulnerable to executions.

The Cyclops execution animation has existed for years — now there’s finally a real system behind it. Executions:

• Can trigger from multiple states

• Smoothly blend in and out of combat

• Temporarily make the player invulnerable

• Use synced animations and cinematic cameras

Speaking of cameras — this was a battle on its own. Matching gameplay camera offsets with cinematic shots nearly drove me insane… until I split the final execution animation into a separate “Execution to Idle” state. Sometimes the simplest fix wins.

Game Feel – Heavier, Sharper, More Responsive

Game feel is everything.

I’ve expanded combat feedback systems so every hit feels intentional:

• Improved hit reactions

• Scalable event-based feedback

• Camera shake refactored for flexibility

• Steam Deck vibration support (basic for now, but extensible)

Enemy reactions now scale with recent stun damage, so fights feel more dynamic instead of repetitive.

Audio – Enter FMOD

I’ve started integrating FMOD for dynamic audio control.

Current implementation includes:

• Ambient test tracks

• Dynamic attack swings & impact sounds

• Reactive footsteps based on surface type

• Wind that changes indoors vs outdoors

Audio is still early, but the foundation is now flexible and expandable.

What’s Next?

Right now I’m tightening the combat loop and improving enemy reactions — essential for delivering a strong demo.

Next month:

• Visual rework of the Hoplite enemy

• Rig upgrades (including inverse IK chains for better executions)

• Further combat polish

Thanks to everyone following the journey. Every bit of support pushes this project forward.

More soon.