itch.io

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a proper devlog about where Late Night Manifest currently stands, what I’ve been building so far, and the design philosophy behind it. This is a small indie project, and I’m developing it step by step, trying to make sure every system feels meaningful and intentional.

1. World Structure: Levels, Environments, Regions

The game is built on a Level -> Environment -> Region hierarchy.

For example:

• A Level might be City
• Inside that level, there are multiple Environments like:
  • Gas Station
  • House
  • Sewer
• Each Environment is divided into Regions, such as:
  • Gas Station Entrance
  • Back of the Gas Station
  • Interior Rooms, etc.

Every region has:

• A cameraPoint
• A collider that defines its area

When the player enters a region, the camera instantly moves to that region’s cameraPoint, setting both its position and rotation. The game continues like this, with the camera dynamically adapting to where the player is. This system gives me very precise control over framing, atmosphere, and tension, very much inspired by classic survival horror games such as old Resident Evil.

2. Character Movement & Controls

The story and mechanics are not 100% locked yet, but the first and most critical system I focused on was character movement.

Classic Resident Evil games used what we call tank controls:

• You rotate the character using left/right.
• You move forward or backward based on the direction the character is facing.
• The character always moves “forward” relative to itself, not the camera.

This design had an important side effect: Even when the camera changed, the player wouldn’t suddenly walk in an unintended direction. It kept the experience consistent and deliberate.

In Late Night Manifest, I wanted to preserve that retro PSX-era feeling. Players can absolutely play the game in this classic tank-control style using a gamepad.

However, modern players often prefer 360-degree analog movement with a joystick.

So I decided to support both.

This required writing a few extra scripts and rethinking parts of the input system, but in the end, I managed to make it work:

• You can play with classic tank controls.
• You can also play with modern 360° joystick movement.
• The game feels natural in both modes.

This way, old-school fans can relive that nostalgic control style, while new players can jump in without friction.

3. Assets & Visual Direction

Around 80–90% of the assets I’m using come from Elbolilloduro -> https://elbolilloduro.itch.io

These assets are incredibly close to the world I want to create. They match the mood, scale, and PSX-inspired aesthetic perfectly.

What’s even better is that they sparked new ideas.

For example, I originally had no plan for an underground mine area. But after browsing Elbolilloduro’s assets, I suddenly wanted to build one. That’s how some of the world started to expand organically through visual inspiration.

4. Game Design Philosophy: Exploration First

At its core, Late Night Manifest is built around exploration, mystery and horror.

• Players will decide how to progress.
• Levels will have multiple paths.
• There will be branching routes and optional areas.
• I’m trying to keep these paths as flexible as possible.

My goal is for players to:

• Slowly uncover the story.
• Find easter-egg-like details.
• Create their own routes through the world.
• Feel like they are discovering something personal.

Instead of being pushed down a single corridor, I want players to wander, get lost, and piece things together in their own way.

5. Current State & Road Ahead

Right now, the project is about 10% complete.

I’m not in a rush to release it.

I want:

• The game to feel right to me.
• The design and story to have a unique flavor.
• Players to experience something memorable and different.

On social media, I’m sharing short videos every 2–3 days. The goal is to show the game to as many people as possible and slowly build awareness.

If you have any feedback, thoughts, or ideas, feel free to leave a comment. I’m always open to hearing what you think.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next devlog. 🌙

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a proper devlog about where Late Night Manifest currently stands, what I’ve been building so far, and the design philosophy behind it. This is a small indie project, and I’m developing it step by step, trying to make sure every system feels meaningful and intentional.

1. World Structure: Levels, Environments, Regions

The game is built on a Level -> Environment -> Region hierarchy.

For example:

• A Level might be City

• Inside that level, there are multiple Environments like:

  • Gas Station

  • House

  • Sewer

• Each Environment is divided into Regions, such as:

  • Gas Station Entrance

  • Back of the Gas Station

  • Interior Rooms, etc.

Every region has:

• A cameraPoint

• A collider that defines its area

When the player enters a region, the camera instantly moves to that region’s cameraPoint, setting both its position and rotation. The game continues like this, with the camera dynamically adapting to where the player is. This system gives me very precise control over framing, atmosphere, and tension, very much inspired by classic survival horror games such as old Resident Evil.

2. Character Movement & Controls

The story and mechanics are not 100% locked yet, but the first and most critical system I focused on was character movement.

Classic Resident Evil games used what we call tank controls:

• You rotate the character using left/right.

• You move forward or backward based on the direction the character is facing.

• The character always moves “forward” relative to itself, not the camera.

This design had an important side effect:
Even when the camera changed, the player wouldn’t suddenly walk in an unintended direction. It kept the experience consistent and deliberate.

In Late Night Manifest, I wanted to preserve that retro PSX-era feeling. Players can absolutely play the game in this classic tank-control style using a gamepad.

However, modern players often prefer 360-degree analog movement with a joystick.

So I decided to support both.

This required writing a few extra scripts and rethinking parts of the input system, but in the end, I managed to make it work:

• You can play with classic tank controls.

• You can also play with modern 360° joystick movement.

• The game feels natural in both modes.

This way, old-school fans can relive that nostalgic control style, while new players can jump in without friction.

3. Assets & Visual Direction

Around 80–90% of the assets I’m using come from
Elbolilloduro -> https://elbolilloduro.itch.io

These assets are incredibly close to the world I want to create. They match the mood, scale, and PSX-inspired aesthetic perfectly.

What’s even better is that they sparked new ideas.

For example, I originally had no plan for an underground mine area. But after browsing Elbolilloduro’s assets, I suddenly wanted to build one. That’s how some of the world started to expand organically through visual inspiration.

4. Game Design Philosophy: Exploration First

At its core, Late Night Manifest is built around exploration, mystery and horror.

• Players will decide how to progress.

• Levels will have multiple paths.

• There will be branching routes and optional areas.

• I’m trying to keep these paths as flexible as possible.

My goal is for players to:

• Slowly uncover the story.

• Find easter-egg-like details.

• Create their own routes through the world.

• Feel like they are discovering something personal.

Instead of being pushed down a single corridor, I want players to wander, get lost, and piece things together in their own way.

5. Current State & Road Ahead

Right now, the project is about 10% complete.

I’m not in a rush to release it.

I want:

• The game to feel right to me.

• The design and story to have a unique flavor.

• Players to experience something memorable and different.

On social media, I’m sharing short videos every 2–3 days. The goal is to show the game to as many people as possible and slowly build awareness.

If you have any feedback, thoughts, or ideas, feel free to leave a comment.
I’m always open to hearing what you think.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next devlog. 🌙

Late Night Manifest is a solo-developed project I've been working on with a very specific feeling in mind.

Story-wise, you play as Marco, a small mobile foot stall owner who finds himself pulled into a post-apocalyptic world due to reasons I deliberately don't want to spoil. What matters is this: Marco is one of the few people who remain unaffected, mentally intact, in a world that clearly isn't.

Post-apocalyptic settings have always fascinated me, but especially the idea of radio communication. Static voices, broken signals, half-heard messages… Radios in these worlds feel both comforting and deeply unsettling at the same time. That atmosphere plays an important role in how the world of Late Night Manifest is built and experienced.

From a design perspective, the game is still in a draft / experimental phase, but it already contains several mechanics I'd consider unique or at least unconventional. A lot of systems are being tested, reworked, or intentionally left rough until they "feel right."

One of the biggest self-imposed challenges I gave myself is the camera system.

Late Night Manifest is a retro PSX-style fixed camera game and I mean that very literally. The camera never moves, never rotates, never zooms. This was a conscious design challenge I chose early on, and the entire game is built around that limitation. Every scene, puzzle and encounter has to work within that constraint.

Visually, the project relies heavily on existing low-poly assets. Around 60% of the models used in the game come from elbolilloduro's asset packs (https://elbolilloduro.itch.io/), which I absolutely love for their PSX authenticity.

Throughout development, I regularly share work in progress scenes and clips on social media. Not as marketing beats, but more as a way to document the journey, get feedback, and slowly build something alongside other developers and players who enjoy this kind of game.

In terms of feeling, what I want to deliver is very clear to me:

Late Night Manifest aims to recreate the old Resident Evil–like atmosphere, the tension, the awkwardness, the quiet dread. The kind of game where movement feels deliberate and space matters. I'm even considering adding an optional Tank Controls mode for players who truly miss that era.

Gameplay-wise, the game follows a "choices matter" approach. Exploration is a core pillar. Levels can be completed in multiple ways, and players are free to choose their own paths rather than being pushed into a single correct solution. There are also plenty of hidden, easter-egg–like details and mysterious interactions for players who like to look closer.

There's no fixed release date yet. My current goal is to have a playable demo ready for June 2026, ideally in time for Next Fest.

On a more personal note: one of my main goals this year is to build a community. Not just around this game, but around game development itself. I want to share the parts I'm strongest at, ideation and mechanic development, and grow something together with people who enjoy creating, breaking, and rethinking games.

Late Night Manifest is as much a game as it is a process and you're more than welcome to be part of it.

https://alininavcisi.itch.io/late-night-manifest

Hey, let me share a strategy:

Just kill all zombies, go all in. When you killed enough zombies, you will gain an extra skill, choose dont spawn zombie at once. So go all in to car repair. Repeat it till the end.

I think your strategy is WORST.  You are just going straight and trying to kill zombies while repairing car, which is SUCKS. ABSOLUTELY FOOL BrAINed StraTEGY :)))))

time speed increases whole speed but it should only affect the crew.

thank you for super valuable comment 😁

Hello. We coder and composer want a 3d artist for our game. you can add me on discord : strauss#3782

Loved that game. Please add mouse sensitivity bar when player start, otherwise too hard to play in macosx.

Thanks for your valuable comment!

Thank you for that video. I am glad for that you escaped from zombies ;))

Thank you :) You can look my youtube channel also https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHoJg51D3UD_u05n5ZRsVmg

Thank you very much for your comment. My highscore is 140 :)

Thanks for your comment!

Thank you for your comment.

Thank you for your comment.

Thank you so much!

Thank you for valuable comment!

It's game mechanic. When you move, time is normal, when you stand, time is slower. You can play on mac or windows build for better performance.