Posted June 01, 2025 by Seb Brain
#Devlog
This week was focused on UI enhancements and general polish for Re:Action to improve player experience and communicate gameplay systems more clearly.
Implemented UI icons to represent when the player can record (R) or spawn an echo (T).
The record icon highlights in red while recording is active.
The spawn icon only appears when a valid echo recording is available, and disappears again during recording or after spawning.
These icons help guide the player without cluttering the screen with text.
Added a TextMeshPro-based timer that shows the remaining time before a gate closes.
This timer activates when the player triggers a pressure plate, then disappears once the gate closes.
Helps players plan their movement better, especially in a hallway-style timed gate levels.
Adjusted the Cinemachine virtual camera framing for a more horizontal “hallway” feel for level 2.
Ensured compatibility with the Pixel Perfect Camera and itch.io to preserve crisp pixel art at all times.
Created consistent layout and scaling for all in-game UI elements.
Tweaked colors, anchor points, and visibility logic for clarity and responsiveness.
Ensured UI responsiveness across different resolutions and safe zones.
Created a main menu with options to start the game, view controls, or change settings.
Maintained a cohesive style across all UI screens for consistency.
Added animated cloud layers to the menu background for visual appeal.
This small touch brought a sense of motion and atmosphere, making the menus feel more polished and alive.
These UI additions significantly improved player understanding of Echo state and timing-based puzzles.
Using icons instead of text kept the screen clean and intuitive — playtesters immediately understood what was happening.
The polish pass made the game feel more responsive, readable, and intentional.
Begin final QA pass and documentation polish for submission.