Posted January 16, 2024 by Dreamnoid
Hello everyone!
This new update for Silent Paradise is a big one.
The first thing you may notice if you played the game before is that the controls to pass through one-way platforms have changed. It's a feedback I got from the jam. Previously, it was only bound to holding the down direction, which prevented you from crouching and sliding on those platforms. It wasn't too much of an issue in my previous games, but Silent Paradise has a lot of one-way platforms. So it now requires to hold both Down + Jump.
Second big change is the addition of dialogs. At some key points in the game, various characters will now talk about the current situation. It was a way to both introduce those key players before you actually meet them, build some tension and also reinforce the lore told through the codex entries.
I also tweaked quite a few "puzzles" through the game. The Grappling Hook now has a proper "tutorial room" that requires you use your newfound ability to leave. Some Energy Tanks have been split in four quarters that you need to collect before it grants you that extra health. This way I could reward exploration more, especially in the early game. New yellow doors will sometimes block your progression, which means you should be on the lookout for a switch to open them. I also fixed a couple of uninteresting sequence breaks, but don't worry, I've added new ones to compensate! ;)
I also added what I call "challenge rooms", rooms where you're locked-in with a bunch of enemies you need to defeat in order to progress. They're not exactly bosses, but they should spice up your exploration a bit!
And that's it for today!
Complete changelog:
The post-jam postmortem should be just around the corner, so if game development is of interest to you, keep an eye out for it.
I hope you will enjoy this (big!) update. If you've played earlier versions (especially the very first jam version), I encourage you to create a new save and rediscover the submerged station of Paradise! ;)
See ya!