Hi everyone here! 

I am a solo 3d game maker already made two games and now decide to touch my favorite game style: Fromsoftware's Souls games.

I really wanted to capture the essence of Fromsoftware's Souls games. Alhough I think it is impossible to do it alone, I still want to try by focusing my main efforts on map/level design.  

This new game will be Space Fantasy theme instead of Medieval Fantasy because I think Sci-Fi models are easier to access and can give me different inspirations on level arts. The story will take place on a spaceship/station*mostly indoor scenes.  

*I see this game as a Fromsoftware fan game*

I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a comment and provide feedback if you are interested in it!!

The first level I want to replicate is the Prison level, which I mean are levels similar to DemonSoul Latria Prison of hope, Bloodborne Research Hall and DarkSouls Duke Archives. Something with that kind of atmosphere. I even create a sketch to show why I think those levels are so good complex. I am making a 3d level map inspired by them in following days. It will be the first level of the game.

...

I came up with 4 prototypes for my first level today. I think one or two of them might be good.

The souls-like action part, specifically player control, is more complicated than I thought. There might be some delay, might not be. 

I am using Mixamo animations, and because they don’t have a root bone and I don’t want to add one, I am manually adding timeline nodes to control actions' taste. Bytheway I think FromSoftware is manually adjusting it in their animations directly.

My development tool is UE4 because the Blueprint system is awesome to me. And since there’s no budget for this game, there are no fancy models. I’m trying to use free assets well.    (..`  ω `..)

The playable demo isn't ready yet, it will take much more time than I thought... but I feel like I need to share something today. 

Please note that all images are not the final presentation, they are just what is currently in development.

The first level of our story : Cryo-Hall. 

It will be a complex, multi-layered structure with at least three floors. (Part of one layer below)

And here is the background of our story : a huge Dynamic Solar-Earth stage setting.

Players will have this epic view in the central area. Please note again, it is just what is currently (totally haven't finished yet)

I haven't used any paid fancy assets (can't afford them), so just basic materials and free models for now. I'll credit the asset creators when the game released.

See you next month!

it's beautiful, but it's buggy...  LOL

Okay, I think I haven’t updated in a while… to be honest, it’s been super cold lately, so I’ve been sleeping a lot. I haven’t worked on it much each day, so progress has been slow ,,,,,, LMAO,,,

I can show a quick look at the current... paths or ... what should we call them??..  It’s a bit like a maze, I’m excited, this is the atmosphere I want. I’m sure I’ll be making changes, so it’s just a draft. Don't worry.

Honestly, working on and tweaking the enemy AI has been pretty brain-draining, so things have been moving slower. I’ve been thinking about not just one enemy but a bunch of them, and how to write the Blueprints in a way that’s less effort for multiple enemies. 

I’m aiming to have something more complete to show everyone by Chinese/Lunar New Year. So see you next month!

Not prepared for demo playing yet.

Can't believe the last update was 2 months ago...  I think I am slow, compared to others. I am updating some gifs about what the game is like now: death effects, pickups, the level art vibes, and so on ( but I don't think it actually has any LEVEL ART because I lack level art practice, and this is currently the best I can do for my game. I am not a professional at all).

⬇ death effect looks like souls vibe, maybe need the particles to do something that is more fancy.. not sure.

⬇ pickups, the item is also some particle stuff. I think I love particles in UE4, I am going to widely use it in all my flowing games.

⬇ level, I put items that you can see it but you have to take a detour to get there ( yes, enemies must waiting for you on your way).

Mostly, the level is using very simple planes with sci-fi looks materials to make the taste (I mean, trying to make taste... ) but the lighting is a bit strange, as you can see, so I still need to adjust it while learning.

As for the combat system and its performance, I don't really have a confident showcase. It needs adjusting. There is a chance that I might attend a local Anime Fes in April, and I might want to test my combat offline first. *It is so simplified, I am not sure. I only wrote blueprints that I can write since I need to understand what is going on in my game, so then I can modify it anytime by myself, by my willings (so I did not use any plugins or market-sourcing codes).

Now the game is full of bugs and features that are not completed, and bugs... need clear all highest priority bugs to maintain a basic game experience.

So see you next time!

Hi Gnsolo! Love the updates and progress you've made so far! Super excited to see where things go from here. I've taken the time to update my profile on here, so there's a few contact options whenever you think you'll be moving towards integrating sound :) I'm excited!

A very small demo playtest (zip) is in preparation, mainly to test the core gameplay (enemy interactions).  I'm not sure if it's enough for a *game* yet, but I regret not sharing it earlier — I should have released core playtest at least half a year ago, back in 2024 because I just realized uploading games here is way simple. I should have started testing way sooner... ...

...,  Ah whatever, pretend I was on a half-year break. ===But honestly, break worked - since in those months, a new theme/concept has emerged just right for the next game. *however*, progress is getting slower and slower, yet the list of things I want to make keeps growing and growing...

https://gnsolo.itch.io/spacesouls     [α Test Opened] 

This is a demo for testing enemy interactions—NOT a level test.

A side-project opened, too.
   endless souls jump??
This is just for fun * not tend to do any narrative in it  [means main project will contain a lot of narrative.]