Devlog #0: First results.

Greetings friends, Max from Weird Stuff Studio here. Surrounded by a team of introverts, lol, so I’m lucky enough to be the one telling you how our game is doing, what our plans are, and where our slime is headed ^^

First results of Slimevania on Itch:

Recently, we released our first technical demo of Slimevania on Itch. This was our initial experience, so we were especially curious about the results we would achieve. To be honest, we didn’t have a clear plan or understanding of how promotion algorithms work, so we acted intuitively. Our primary goal was to gather feedback and recommendations on our core mechanics and overall impressions of Slimevania, and we received them. Thanks to the Itch community!

Here are the top web sources, including Itch, from which our players came. We even ended up on some news aggregators from various regions. I think these were automatically generated pages, and only a few people came from them, but it’s still nice.

But let’s get back to the main point – feedback. We received comments about the technical aspects of the demo, difficulties with understanding the mechanics, controls, and the acute need for a tutorial. Once again, thanks to everyone who, despite everything, tried the game, attempted to figure it out, and shared their thoughts and ideas in the comments and emails!

Based on the initial feedback, we’ve prepared a small technical patch. In this update, we focused on fixing critical bugs to ensure a stable build, allowing you to concentrate on gameplay. We also added some interface elements to make it easier to get acquainted with the game, such as a control and interface hint menu:

We’ve made quite a few changes, so I’ll leave a detailed patch note below. But for now, let’s discuss our next steps.

What’s next?

We’re aware of the need for sound adjustments, a tutorial, and balancing abilities and enemies. Right now, we’re focusing on deeper work on the demo. Our goal is to polish it as much as possible, enhance gameplay, improve the smoothness of the experience, and further refine the visuals. Additionally, we’ve brought on a sound designer – a volunteer – so you might not only see changes in the next patch but also hear them. We plan to spend about three weeks on the next iteration. The team is working hard, and each of your feedback provides even more motivation, so keep them coming!

Below is the list of changes in the new demo, which is now available for download.

ATTENTION! You will need to start the game from the beginning. Old saves may not work!

Patch Notes for the Current Update:

• Added a test version of the control hints screen. Access it with the F1 key or from the pause menu.
• Fixed geometry issues in the game world.
• Corrected location decorations.
• Added an item to the chest in the slime den.
• Changed the placement of enemies.
• Fixed the control settings menu.
• Fixed a bug where the sticky thread would break if paused in-flight using any method.
• Fixed a bug where switching from the sticky form to any other while on a wall or ceiling would cause the slime to get stuck in that orientation.
• Fixed quest state saving for "Knight’s Spirit".
• Fixed a bug where doors only saved their state after being fully opened.
• Improved AI for shooting flowers.
• Fixed a bug where mobs would change direction if the game was paused in any way.
• Changed the behavior of the "Mushroom" mob.
• Added a visual effect to falling platforms before they fall.
• Added new geometry.
• Second stage of decoration: grass decoration in the Dark Forest.
• Reduced the body damage collider size of the beetle's head.
• Added pressure plate saving.
• Reset jump timer after detaching.
• Added a check for stickability when changing surfaces.
• Added blind spots for input when dropping from platforms.
• Limited item inventory size. Added a check for item pickup possibility.
• Changed the font in dialogues.
• Removed the landing sound when hitting the ceiling and walls.
• In the UI, clicking on an empty space does not deselect the current item.
• Fixed decorator effect.
• Fixed water splash effect on death.
• Increased mushroom hitbox.
• Added blocking for radial menu while slime is "busy".
• Added "busy" state during direction selection.
• Added "busy" check for all abilities.
• Added "in action" flag check for fire breathing and water stream.

Please provide feedback and report any bugs. Also, if you enjoy the game, leave a comment. And don’t forget to have fun! Slime on, everyone!