NIRAVASI Devlog (22/06/2021): The Time Approaches

Hey everyone,

Another week has passed, so let's talk more about NIRAVASI. Last week, I spoke a little bit about the current build of the game, as well as my plans to set up some donation pages/methods. This week, we're going to crack the safe open and let it all out. Without further ado, let's get straight into the meat of the project. But before we do that, there's a little something I'd like to show you first. If you haven't seen it already, here's a Trailer for Ishani Bazaar, Niravasi's 3rd Level:

Find Your Wares

If you didn't watch the video above, I made an announcement last Friday that I'll be releasing two demo builds for NIRAVASI on June 25th 2021 (This Friday). Here's what that will mean for you all:

• NIRAVASI (ISHANI BAZAAR Demo): This will be a Free-to-Play demo that will be accessible to all, but only feature a playable build of the most recent level in development (so in this case, Ishani Bazaar, NIRAVASI's 3rd level). Players will start off inside the Saferoom between Levels 2 and 3 and make their way towards the next Saferoom, which will take them to the game's 4th level. Once inside, the Demo will be complete and you'll be free to do whatever you wish next.
• NIRAVASI (COMPLETE Demo): This will be a full-release demo of the current development build and will only be accessible for those that pledged £5 or more to the game's Kickstarter, as well as those that donate £5 or more to the project. I'll updating the digital marketplaces where NIRAVASI is being hosted to better explain to the players how to gain access to this build of the game.

I should stress, however, that once you've downloaded a copy of a NIRAVASI demo to your System, you will own it (DRM-Free) forever. However, you will also need to understand that these demo copies will not reflect the full look and feel of the full-release. As such, all the current builds right now are subject to revision and/or changes. Examples of this include builds that don't have any significant changes to the core mechanics of the game, or narrative adjustments following your feedback. Also, as I complete a new level during the game's development, I'll be replacing the older demo builds with the newer ones, so you'll lose access to playtesting certain levels as the weeks pass. My hope with this method of demo distribution is that all of you will feel that you hold a great amount of agency in how you show your support for the project, but still come to the understanding that as this is a commercial release, there'll be some boundaries I have to put in place (I can't just give you a free copy of the full release, after all).

What To Expect

While not quite at a 50% completion margin, I estimate that the game is more or less 40% complete at this stage. My plan for NIRAVASI is to include 8 levels in total, which are:

• Tutorial Level: The Outskirts [COMPLETE]
• 1st Level: Old Hanirr [COMPLETE]
• 2nd Level: The Stepwell of Dhara Hanirr [COMPLETE]
• 3rd Level: Ishani Bazaar [COMPLETE]
• 4th Level: Lotulanda, The Grand Library
• 5th Level: [???]
• 6th Level: [???]
• 7th Level: [???]

Fear not, for not every level in NIRAVASI will be as big as Ishani Bazaar. Development on Lotulanda will take a relatively shorter amount of time than the previous levels I've created, but will required a more refined structure to its design and layout than that of the previous levels. After that, the last three levels of the game will be building towards the climax of the game, which will lead you down the horrifying truth of what happened within Niravasi (as well as coming to terms with Mura's troubled past). Once the next few weeks have passed and I've received feedback on Ishani Bazaar and the rest of the game's current build, I'll begin work on Lotulanda and show everyone just how beautiful some of NIRAVASI's landmarks could be.

A Better Product

It's suddenly occurred to me that this will be the first time players will get their hands on the game's demo with all of the new quality-of-life changes being implemented (like the Health System, Flashlight Drain, CALI Detection, etc). When I first announced NIRAVASI to the world, I never could've imagined just how ambitious and beautiful the game would turn out to be. With every day I work on this project, my excitement on the project only bolsters and I can definitely assure you that there will be more incredible set-pieces for you to explore. In fact, there's one in particular I'm absolutely dying to work on, but since that's the climax of the game's 5th level, there's still a long way to go until I get there. But let's just say that it'll be quite the tearjerker.

However, we can't talk about NIRAVASI without exploring the aspects of terror behind it. As I stated before, NIRAVASI is more of an Adventure game with elements of horror thrown in, making it more akin to games like Yume Nikki and Cat in the Box. The scares come more from the darker nature of the environments (as well as the occasional little spook moments I've been throwing in there), and that'll be more of the same as you continue through the game. What'll be really difficulty is maintaining that sense of unease throughout the game's different levels as it'll be hard to match the horror of a experimental facility to something simple as a library. But I have my ways as a writer and I'll do my best to keep things consistent narrative-wise. My hope is that with these next four levels, I'll be able to create the same sensations of tension and curiosity that players experienced in the previous two levels (and hopefully Ishani Bazaar).

That wraps it up for another Weekly Devlog for NIRAVASI. Hopefully by the time the next one rolls along, you'll have gotten your hands on one of the demos coming this Friday and gotten a good idea on how the game will be progressing this point forward. And remember, if you have any questions regarding the demo builds or anything else in general, feel free to contact me either through here or my other social media platforms. With that being said, I hope you all have a wonderful day and I look forward to seeing what you think of NIRAVASI's latest builds!

Kind regards,
Angus (Sangos)