Howdy and welcome to the second Above Snakes devlog of 2023! As usual, we are very transparent about our progress and we aim to continue doing exactly that. With that said, we are thrilled to say that we've finished the game feature-wise and entered the stage of final polish and bug fixing. Make sure to stay tuned and read the whole devlog, because we will talk about next steps and the release!
[h2]Announcing the Above Snakes: Prologue[/h2]
This month, we will launch the Above Snakes: Prologue on Steam! The prologue covers about the first hour of Above Snakes gameplay and is meant for people to be introduced to the game for free and to provide any feedback regarding basic mechanics before release. Feel free to play it and share your feedback so we know where to improve.
We intentionally planned for there to be some time in between the Above Snakes: Prologue and the release of the full game. This will allow us time to consider any last minute feedback so that you can enjoy the game to its fullest! We encourage you to wishlist the Above Snakes: Prologue so you don't miss out on the launch! By the way, the save file will carry over to the full game, so you can continue where you left off.
Wishlist Above Snakes: Prologue:https://store.steampowered.com/app/2209150/Above_Snakes_Prologue/
[h2]Final Polish[/h2]
As stated in the intro, we are happy to announce that we finished the game! You can now play through the whole main story from the first intro quest up until the credits! That means that we've closed our development process for any new features or ideas and are now focusing on polishing the game and making it the best version of itself as possible. Next to fixing lots of bugs, we are also revisiting UI/UX, lighting, effects, and the overall performance of the game. Here is a recent example of improvements we've made to lighting:
[h2]Character Model[/h2]
The feedback we received after Devlog #5 regarding the low-poly, more blocky character model has certainly not been forgotten. As promised, we worked on it and are happy to share the improvements we were able to make. In our last update, we revealed the release art work with Aiyana's updated clothing and props. We incorporated those into the in-game character model. We also took time working on her face and making it much more detailed and less blocky.
[h2]Stone Buildings[/h2]
We also added another building style towards the ending of the game: stone buildings. Upgrade and fortify your beautiful cabin with sturdy stone walls and rain-proof shingle roofs.
[h2]Will the Beta Be Updated?[/h2]
We have been asked this question a couple of times and want to give an "official" reply. Short answer - no. We won't update the Beta anymore. The reasoning for this is to avoid spoilers prior to the game's release. Just to give an idea, the full game contains about the final third (33%) of content when compared to the Beta, including Corpse Creek and the main story ending.
[h2]The Game is Finished. Now What?[/h2]
As we mentioned, we are working hard on polishing Above Snakes. We are true believers in the idea that it's better to release a stronger game than launching it prematurely. We're taking our time with this and will do it right. We want people to enjoy the game from the first day on (and hopefully avoid any critical day 1 patch). We are also very happy that we're able to confirm that we stuck to our initial roadmap that had been shared during the Kickstarter!
We have internally decided on a release date and will communicate it to you all with the next update.
[h2]Closed Play Test[/h2]
We will conduct a final closed play test before release! We have not yet decided on a final timing and sizing of the test. If you want to be a part of it, make sure you're subscribed to our e-mail list to receive an invitation.
[h2]PAX East[/h2]
We’re incredibly excited to participate in PAX East on March 23rd - March 26th in Boston! You will be able to play a demo of Above Snakes at the Crytivo booth! If you are there, make sure to say "hi" to our publisher, Crytivo!
That's it for this update! We sincerely hope that you're happy with the progress we've made and hope that you're looking forward to the release of Above Snakes. Since we recently finished the game, we think that this is a good opportunity to thank everybody involved, especially our community that has supported us on this incredible journey.
Cheers,
Tobi
