This week I focused on creating a new level. I want to find out how fast I can create a single level so I can make my planning more efficient. So far it seems like I need three weeks: one to design and implement it and make some art, one to do all the story and make some art, and the last one for more art. Yeah, art takes the longest. No surprise there.

I focused on fixing up various things this week to prepare for level creation. I also worked on different "interactables" for Viola: Donkey Kong Country inspired "launchers". I've also changed Viola's movement a little bit, making her walljumps and movement a lot more natural.

Click 'Read more' to get the dropdown on the changes.

This week, I worked on creating a "Chain Attack": a massive attack on an enemy with all characters. I wanted all characters work together during the ending, so I've implemented all animations into a single spell for Viola to use. It's named the "Symphonic Ensemble" in-game.

Click the "Read more" line below to see a little more info on the thought process of the chain attack.

Some of the feedback I've gotten from more senior game designers is that there's lot you have to learn right away in the vertical slice. Attacking, defending, all sorts of spells, items, on top of all the platforming. So it's high-time to show how exactly I plan on introducing the mechanics one by one.

​Click 'Read more' to read more about the tutorials!

I believe it was Miyamoto who said that the first level you create should always be the second level. That way, you know exactly how to introduce the mechanics of your game in the first level. I've followed that advice by making the vertical slice a fitting "second level", which means that now, I have to create the first level.

Click 'Read more' to find out a bit more about the first level.

There isn't much to talk about this week. I took one day to submit Viola to a "stimulation fund", looking for a cultural subsidy to fund Viola with. After that, I worked on getting spell animations to work, complete with sound and particle effects. Most of my time was spent actually getting things to work, with only two spells being actually implemented: Viola's.

Crescendos are powerful spells that use their own Crescendo Points, rather than the standard Ability Points used for spells. You gain Crescendo Points by taking damage. The system is based off of Lufia's "Rage" system, combined with the flair of super moves from fighting games.

Battle animations and player feedback is in! The things still missing are animations for spells, as well as their visual and sound effects.

Click 'Read more' to read more about the animations and some of the choices I've made for the battles.

This week, equipment! Since Viola has a lot of characters to recruit, I wanted interchangeable equipment that allowed for a lot of customization. So I've created "Gems", stones any character can equip to raise and lower any stat, like Strength, or Magic. This way, every character can match the way you enjoy playing the game!

Read more about Gems by clicking the "Read more" button.

Games often use enemies to keep the game filled with conflicts for the player to engage with. Obviously, Viola is the same. So, this week, I put some extra love into the enemies you see in the game, and I added a fight against one of Viola's antagonists: Justice.

Click 'Read more' to read more about Justice and the other enemies in Viola.

This video showcases the narrative design possibilities in Viola. By combining gameplay and linear storytelling, the player can feel directly involved with Viola's story.

Click 'Read more' to read a little more about this story!