April 2022, Week One (Alpha 1.3)
This was a week focused on making the player's experience fun and impactful. On top of retexturing some objects such as platforms and enemies like the troll boss, I added fluid animation.
Frame rates of several animations were increased, and I added a bit of cartoon flair, accentuated by squash and stretch, to the player and the troll boss.
Gameplay-wise, a lot changed. After deciding to prioritize platforming over combat (the combat system isn't very interesting), I implemented instant respawning and a new camera system, in a way mirroring the methods employed by the developers of Celeste to create a user-friendly experience when the player is faced with hard-as-nails platforming challenges.
In a similar light, spikes became a major focus as a way of insta killing the player, and fall damage was added to add a bit of tension to sections like the tutorial tower that has persisted since InDev. I also added saw-blades, smaller platforms and a host of other fun yet challenging obstacles.
