That Rings A Bell! | Devlog #8

[p][/p][p]Hey there Escapists![/p][p][/p][p]CCG is finally back! We are pleased to announce that the holiday break went very smoothly, and the whole crew is ready to knock it out of the park with Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School this year.[/p][p]But, you didn’t click on this blog to catch up. (although if you did, we’re very flattered! Join our Discord if you wanna chat, or even just show off that holiday gift haul 😉)[/p][p][/p][p]Today’s blog post is about the centerpiece of the Academy itself, and one of the most iconic buildings in the history of the school:[/p][p][/p][p]Many of you are already familiar with the exterior of the clocktower - the beautiful clock face looking down at the rest of the students at the Academy. But today, we’re looking at what the clocktower has to offer on the inside…[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]*Punny level names may be subject to change before release![/p][p][/p][p]In this high-stakes escape room, you’ll get to take part in one of the Academy’s rites of passage: the Clocktower Exam. Created by founder R■■■■ W■■, this second-year test at the Academy is bound to put everything you’ve learned to the test. Requiring precision, perspective, patience, and perseverance, these are no paltry puzzles.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This is one of the very first puzzles you’ll run into in this level - how would you approach it?[/p][p]You’ll have 30 minutes to ascend from the bottom to the top, and once you’re there, you must ring the bells in the right order to prove yourself as a worthy 2nd-year Escapist.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you can’t do it, don’t worry. The Academy never runs short on memory gas 💛💜.[/p][p][/p][p]This level was a blast to make, and we’re still working on getting it up to the proper standard for release. When making this level, we wanted to draw on inspiration from constellations, as well as the mechanically-inspired themes that naturally come with designing a level on the inside of a giant clocktower. [/p][p][/p][p]Given the visual uniqueness of this space, there’s plenty of opportunity to blend gears, glass, and brass in a space that gives way to some very creative puzzles.[/p][p]Seen above is an early concept sketch of TOW - shoutouts to the art team![/p][p][/p][p]Alongside the smell of old wood and dusty storage, the 2nd floor is painted with soft sunlight, juxtaposed by an enormous pendulum swinging back and forth by the brass supports. (You can’t see the pendulum here, but if you check that GIF above, you’ll see why we’re excited to show off this level!)[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you’ve played Escape Academy 1, you’ll be familiar with the pinning system. This lets you look at papers that you pick up such that it can stay on your screen while solving puzzles, or maybe even just for comfort. But, every good Escapist will have something in their back pocket when the situation gets tense. Expect more from us in the future regarding tools, and let us know what tools you’d like to use to become a better Escapist 👀[/p][p][/p][p]Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this first look at Codename TOW (“That Rings A Bell!”). Did you enjoy this format? Let us know in the comments! We have a lot more sneak peeks like this queued up, and there’s plenty more that we think you’ll be very excited to dig into once Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School is closer to release.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll see you in the next one! Make sure to follow our socials for stuff you won’t find on Steam, and as always…[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]See you next time, Escapist![/p][p]Much love,[/p][p]Coin Crew Games💛💜[/p]