Dev Log #3: Time Reapers, Visual Upgrades & Dev Process

With our Early Access release date now official (!!!), we wanted to take a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come — especially when it comes to one of the most important parts of the game’s identity:
The Time Reapers.

Let’s talk about what they are, how they’ve evolved, and the journey we’ve taken to get them looking and feeling just right.

[h2]🕳️ What Are Time Reapers?[/h2]In the world of Pizza Bandit, Time Reapers are the keepers of the space-time continuum. Every time Malik jumps into a mission through time travel, he’s breaking natural laws — and the longer he stays, the more Time Reapers start to manifest.

Originally imagined as higher alien entities protecting the universe from irresponsible time-travelers, Time Reapers evolved as our lore deepened. We began introducing the idea of zombified humans who were caught in fractured timelines — distorted humanoids partially entangled with metal.

Now, they serve as both gameplay threats and reminding you what you'll become if you get stuck in any of you rmissions.

[h2]🧰 How We Build: From Prototype to Personality[/h2]As an indie team working with limited resources, our development process has always been about building the gameplay first, then layering on visuals as we grow. And we are one of those studio with less luck on the art talents. Somehow in 2024, we were able to pull in a close friend in who's been nothing but amazing.

In the early stages, we used placeholder and store-bought assets to test mechanics and experiment quickly. It helped us focus on pacing, combat feel, and mission design while we defined the tone of the world. If you were at PAX West in 2023, you would've seen this build that we put together in four month.

Once those systems were in place, we gradually began replacing temporary elements with original art and models created in-house. One of the biggest areas of transformation?
→ The Time Reapers and our character model.

While not every single placeholder will be gone by Early Access, we’re committed to replacing them one by one. The work is ongoing, but we’re proud of how far we’ve already come — and we’re excited to show you what’s next.

[h2]💀 Reimagining the Time Reapers
[/h2]Here are some of the Time Reapers we’ve recently upgraded — and the thinking behind their designs:

[h3]Frankie (Type A & B)
[/h3]Fast. Fragile. Freaky. Frankies are the first Time Reapers you meet — and they come in two forms:
• Type A – Upright, frantic runners

• Type B – Crawlers that make it difficult to aim especially when they are dashing towards you. They used to be generic grunts. Now they look like malformed reanimates caught mid-snap from one timeline to another.
[h3]Ignifera
[/h3]Originally a basic enemy with fire range attack, we completely redesigned her to embody decay, molten energy, and otherworldly elegance. Her glowing veins and gas pipe connenting to each hand create a unique silhouette. [h3]Stipula[/h3]The original Stipula was little more than a turret disguised as a meat lump. Now, it’s a grotesque stationary showcasing exaggerated entanglement between meat, human form and metal.
[h3]Hemicraft
[/h3]You haven’t seen this one in action yet — but you will. Hemicraft is our first flying Reaper, and we wanted it to be both uncanny and irritating. Its new model now looks like something cobbled together in a lab and left to rot mid-air. My personal favorite in terms of visual, but I just know I'll hate this one the most when playing the game.

[h2]🧢 Character Model: Malik’s Evolution[/h2]
We’ve also given our protagonist the glow-up he deserves. Early builds of Malik were built from prototyping kits — but now he’s got personality, swagger, and gear that fits the tone of the world. We also added layers of customization to help players stand out in multiplayer, while still keeping Malik central to the story.

[h2]🔭 What’s Next[/h2]
As we roll into Early Access and toward 1.0 release, we will:
• Continued visual upgrades
• More original monster designs
• A steady replacement of any remaining placeholders

Thanks for sticking with us on this journey. We’ve come a long way from our first prototype, and it’s only getting better from here.

Want to see more or share your thoughts on Time Reapers? Join us on Discord — we’d love to hear what monsters you want to fight next 👹

– JofSoft Team