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I’m doing the stairs going down into the dungeon. I like that they are narrow and go downward to give a feeling of tension as you go down (there will be torches on the wall since it will be dark).

In the second screenshot you can see how I placed the slanted ceiling, I tried to keep the same distance from the floor. I placed it a little quickly but it will be done more carefully when I put the models in.

The Green Knight is one of the strongest enemies in the game because of its high damage. This knight can be too strong to fight at the beginning, as will easily kill you in 1 -2 hits. However I will still have to reiterate on the enemy, movements are still a bit too predictable.

The level design of the castle is progressing quite fast, although it will take me all month. I’ve completed the left side of the castle, the garden area, where continuing will lead to a plaza where you’ll have the choice of climbing the walls or entering the dungeon.
Sometimes I waste a little too much time on the aesthetic details, I shouldn’t since it’s a greybox, there will be time for that when I put in the real environment.

I’m starting the level design of the castle, with the walls and the shortcut tower that takes you back to the bonfire.
As soon as the player starts the level, the castle is shown in the distance to give the player a clear objective. Weenies (in this case the castle) are little clues to tell the player where to go.

Fight against Soldier enemy. Strong attack and parry followed by a front stab. I love parries in action games, so I'm glad I included it in my game.

Fight combat against 2 Skeleton enemies. Destructibles can be useful as obstacles against enemies and be able to manage spaces better. In the future I'll have to do a pass on the destructibles in the boxes, they don't always shatter completely.

The greybox reiteration of the new level continues. I completed the lower part of the citadel, consisting of the town. The player, starting from the main gate in the lower area, must make his way through the city streets to reach the castle in the upper area. The next step is to create the castle rooms.

I’m currently focus on the spatial communication of the Citadel, iterating on how to motivate player movement.

For example within the market square, exits aren’t immediately visible due to the maze of market stalls obstructing the view. Players are forced to navigate the space actively, uncovering more information as they explore and mentally chart the area.

As they walk to the other side of the square, a clear exit is revealed. This different perspective allows for strategic planning, enemy spotting, and anticipation of rewards, making exploration less boring and giving a reason for exploration.

I’m iterating on a new greybox level, which will replace the testing greybox I’ve been using so far. It’s a citadel, so there’s town surrounded by the castle walls and there is the fortress at the top of the hill. For the design of the streets and squares as references I am taking inspiration from games such as Bloodborne, Dragon’s Dogma and Lies of P.

I am implementing the slippery puddle, a trap for enemies that appears if it rains. If an enemy runs over it, it goes into stagger. I’ll probably leave the testing blue mesh for now, as I have a lot of other prototypes to do (e.g. lightning falling on enemies).

First prototype of Weather System linked to Player Health. The lower the Player Health, the worse the weather (up to heavy clouds and rain). Next step will be to add lightning that can strike enemies and hazards dynamically created by rain.

I am implementing a new gameplay mechanic: the character’s health affects the weather conditions and will have an impact on enemies. The lower the player’s health, the worse the weather conditions will be. For example, the player will be able to use traps that would only work if it is raining, and lightning could fall on enemies. This introduces a risk-reward mechanic, so that the player could be pushed to stay low on health and take advantage of the weather.

In the inventory I added a description text on the highlighted item. In addition, the effect of consumables is briefly described (under Use Effect).

For now I am done with the UI, this week I will implement the last new mechanics of the game, it will be complicated but let’s see what comes out.

I am implementing the Player Inventory screen. It has 2 rows, one for usable items, and one for important items for quests. Under it I’ll have to put a window with the name and description of the highlighted item.

I implemented a small Dialogue Manager, when you talk to a character it shows the text of the current dialogue. During dialogue the controls are locked (as opposed to Souls-like where you can move the character freely), in first person in my opinion it’s preferable but I might change it. Initially I didn’t plan to implement any dialogues, but with the introduction of side quests it was almost obligatory (otherwise the player doesn’t understand what needs to be done).

I have implemented side quests, these are given by NPCs. Sometimes the side quest will be collecting items, other times it will be killing a particular enemy. The NPCs have a friendship system, which increases with the completion of the side quest. If the friendship is high enough, the NPC can help you during a boss fight.

In the Skill Tree UI screen, I added a window in the lower left corner with skill information when selecting a Skill Tree node. Each node has an Ability ID, so you can easily find all the info about the ability (e.g. text description and texture image).

I am implementing the Skill Tree UI screen, that features both passive and active abilities. Players can unlock abilities, but they must have enough Special Items to apply the ability. Each node enhances additional stats and grants various effects, such as increasing the maximum number of Potion uses, expanding the Possession ability and many more.

Linked the Player Stats UI screen to the Player Stats component, so that increased stats are saved in the Player. Also reiterated on the UI screen graphics (icons, text etc.). Next I need to implement the Player parameter level logic (so that if Vitality is at level 3 the player has more health).

I am continuing the implementation of the Upgrade Stats UI screen. I added buttons to increase parameters, various info about owned souls and costs, and animations to open and close the UI screen.

I am implementing the Level Up UI screen (in the screenshot still work in progress).

Level Up is available as an option while resting at the hub area. When leveling up, one spends accumulated souls to invest points into one of 5 stats. They can be increased up to a level of 3.

Operating the lever opens the elevator door. The door opens very slowly as the creature will come closer and closer to the player. I am implementing this mechanic to increase the tension before the end of the horror section of the game.

I tweaked the lighting to make the atomosphere more horror. The main mechanic works (creature chasing you and the player has to reach the elevator without getting caught). I’m trying to wrap up the prototype horror section as quickly as possible, but the temptation to add more stuff is always around the corner.

Layout of the small horror section, a simple go from point A to point B, where you have to pick up an object at point B and bring it back to point A. The creature will at some point appear in the middle of the level and follow the player. The goal is to activate the elevator to escape, without getting caught by the creature. Passing the level will unlock the shortcut.

The creature that will be featured in the horror section of the game.
To unlock the shortcut, the player will have to get past a small horror section where without weapons will need to escape from a creature. The horror section will be very much inspired by the scarier parts of games like Resident Evil and Dead Space.

I put in camera effects when you have possessed the enemy: zoom in to the enemy, color desaturation, and a green tint, to make it clear that you are in the Possession state.

For now I’m done with Possession, tomorrow I’ll start implementing a new mechanic taken from horror games.

Possession of the enemy Knight. In the screenshot while I was attacking a Soldier I am about to be hit from behind by a Skeleton enemy.

I am continuing the implementation of possession. I just finished the Soldier Spearman enemy, where with the Light Attack command you execute the stab and with the Heavy Attack command you execute a sweep.

Enabled possession for the Soldier Swordsman as well. Light attack triggers sword strike, while Heavy attack throws a bomb. Also disabled HUD items that are not needed/not used during possession (potions, stamina bar etc.).

Tweaked camera location for the enemy’s possession using a over-the-shoulder style. I think it’s the right camera if I want to use strafe movement, and visually the one closer to a first person camera, so that the transition between the main charater and the enemy is not too alienating.

Added Possession UI indicator in the lower left corner. Progress bar indicates how much time is left before Possession ends. The icons, like the rest of the HUD, are still work in progress.

Since last month, I've begun implementing new gameplay mechanics:

- Healing Mechanic:
  - I've introduced the use of healing, which restores approximately 1/3 of the player's health.
  - An UI indicator displays the number of healing potions available (starting with 3).
  - There's a startup animation before the healing takes effect.
  - Once potions are depleted, players can recharge them by executing a backstab or frontstab on an enemy.

- Enemy Stagger Mechanic:
  - Enemies can go into a stagger state before dying.
  - Attacking a staggered enemy automatically triggers a frontstab (or a backstab), useful for recharging potions.
  - The probability of causing an enemy to stagger is low (around 10%).
  - Enemies remain staggered for only a few seconds, and if not attacked during this time, they recover. This can add complexity to frontstab attempts when facing multiple enemies simultaneously.
  - Upgrades will  offer the chance to increase the likelihood of causing an enemy to stagger.

- Backstab and Frontstab Conditions:
  - Backstab and frontstab moves are executable only when the enemy's health is below 50%.
  - An icon appears next to the enemy's health bar to indicate its vulnerability to backstabbing.
  - This mechanic aims to mitigate the exploit of circling around an enemy and eliminating it with a single blow, encouraging more face-to-face combat.

- Invisibility Cloak:
  - I've implemented the Invisibility Cloak, rendering the player invisible to enemies.
  - The cloak is removed after 10 seconds, upon attacking an enemy, or sustaining damage.
  - The cloak can be recharged by killing enemies.
  - This mechanic offers the opportunity to stealthily attack and eliminate enemies or skip an area (in case an enemy is too strong).

There are still more mechanics I plan to implement, including Possession (already in progress), where the player can control possessed enemies and use their attacks against other foes. I hope to showcase updates on these new mechanics soon.

I am adding an animation for the possession ability. During the startup of the animation the player has to aim at the enemy to be possessed. Startup takes a while, so it can be risky to activate it while an enemy is attacking you.

I am adding a crosshair to be able to aim and cast the possession ability. The crosshair turns red when it is over an enemy. The crosshair contrasts poorly on light backgrounds, I’ll try adding shadow to the crosshair background.

I am implementing a new gameplay mechanic: possession, an ability that allows the player to merge corporeally with enemies and control them. During possession, the player can use the possessed enemy and use its attacks against other enemies. The possess lasts 10 seconds or if the host dies, and the player returns to the original body.

I am implementing a new ability: the Invisibility Cloak. This ability makes the character invisible to enemies. Invisibility is removed after 10 seconds or if the player attacks or is damaged. The skill can be recharged by killing enemies. I want to introduce this skill to give the player the opportunity to play in stealth, move to a more strategic location or decide to run away from enemies.

I am experimenting with a modification to the backstab mechanics: it is possible to backstab only if the enemy’s health is below 50%. When it is possible to backstab, an icon appears on the enemy’s health bar indicating that it is possible to execute a backstab on the enemy (this also applies to frontstab).

I am introducing this to decrease backstab abuse and increase face-to-face combat. Also, backstabs refill potions, so it’s something that should balance the potion refill mechanics.

I am implementing a new gameplay mechanic: the staggered and recharge healing items. There is a probability that the enemy, before dying, will go into a staggered state. During this state, the player can perform a frontstab to the enemy and recharge healing items if they are finished.

The probability of the enemy going into a staggered state is around 10%, but I would like to give the possibility to increase the staggered probability through upgrades.

Added potion icon to be used in the game HUD. I think it’s better than the placeholder I was using before, it’s clearer that it could be a healing item. I would like to fix the edge of the window box because is not very visible.

Added animation while using a healing item. I’ll have to put an item in the character’s hand, but I’ll do that later.