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Fatal Claw - Dev Sketch #1

[p][/p][p]Hello everyone!🙂[/p][p][/p][p]Today, we're excited to hold our first-ever Dev Sketch session.[/p][p]In this series, we'll be sharing a variety of early-stage concept art, character ideas, and behind-the-scenes development insights.[/p][p]And the first character to receive our spotlight is... Sommar![/p][p]
[/p][h3]🎨 Sketches of the Day: [/h3][p]Here’s a look at the concept sketches of Sommar, showing how his original design evolved into what you’ll see in-game.[/p][p]In the world of Fatal Claw, the Owl Tribe is a mysterious and intelligent faction serving the royal feline family for generations.[/p][p]Curious to learn more about how this character was created?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]💬 Dev's Comment:[/h3][p]Sommar is an enigmatic and wise guardian of the royal family. Many Owl Tribesmen held prestigious roles in the royal court, thanks to their expertise in magic and technology.[/p][p]This gave us the challenge of where to begin.[/p][p]
[/p][p]While exploring ideas, we took account of owls' mystique, stealth, and beguiling charm perceived by many cultures. We believed these traits aligned perfectly with what we envisioned for Sommar.[/p][p]Some key concepts of Sommar include: #not-so-owlish, #mysterious, #intelligent, #wisdom, #archmage, and so on. With those in mind, we were able to define our early design.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]What did you think of Sommar’s design journey?[/p][p]
We'd love to know what comes to your mind when you finally face this boss. More stories of this strigine boss will be revealed in the game, so don't miss it![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]We'll continue to deliver the world of Fatal Claw—from characters to systems and maps—through future sketch sessions. Every session will be filled with interesting behind-the-scenes stories, so watch this space![/p][p][/p][p]🔥 Last but not least, don't forget to let us know about what you enjoyed from this session and what you're looking forward to next![/p][p][/p][p]Thank you.[/p]

Fatal Claw Dev Notes #03

[p][/p][p]Hello, everyone![/p][p]We’re back with the third round of our developer’s notes for Fatal Claw, the Metroidvania adventure we’re currently developing.[/p][p][/p][p]In our first and second dev notes, we shared details about our feline protagonist, Kisha, and the world of Fatal Claw. This time, we’re diving into something just as exciting—the survivors and monsters that live in the underground world of the game, and the thought process behind designing them.[/p][p]
[/p][h3]Characters of Fatal Claw[/h3][p]Fatal Claw tells the story of Kisha, a demi-beast cat on a bold journey.[/p][p]From the very beginning, we’ve put a lot of thought into making every character in the game—whether monsters or NPCs—feel alive and captivating.[/p][p][/p][p]We wanted each character to have a distinct animal identity, original design, and color palette that reflected their personality. Even if we couldn’t tell every backstory within the game, we made sure that every character had one. These small details help us shape them into characters players can truly care about.[/p][p][/p][p]In the massive underground world, you'll encounter Ancients from the restored Elord civilization, Commoners who once studied them, and their descendants—each living out a story of their own. From a passionate fennec fox, a chatty gator, a timid lion, to a simplehearted rhino—these survivors all carry hope even in the darkest of times.[/p][p][/p][p]Curious yet? Let’s introduce just a few of them![/p][p]

[/p][h3]Nia[/h3][p]A fragile but cheerful young girl[/p][p]“My big bro promised me to catch him. So I won’t give it away for now!”[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Mark[/h3][p]A crocodile running the hardware shop Gatorware in the survivor village[/p][p]“I’m Mark, the third-generation owner of Gatorware and the best underground inventor. This business’s been around for over 100 years!”[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Lara[/h3][p]A bright and bubbly Commoner[/p][p]“Hey, just the paw-son I was looking for. Look, the water’s boiling. Means the power is back!”[/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][h3]Masa[/h3][p]A radiant Ancient who survived the plague[/p][p]“Ah, you’re lucky to be here, little wanderer! Come take a look at this!”[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]In Fatal Claw, each region has its own unique monsters with distinct looks and patterns. But these monsters aren’t just enemies—they each have their own personalities and backstories, explaining why they’ve become hostile to the player.[/p][p][/p][p]Ever wondered what turned them into monsters? Or what kind of lives they lived before? Let’s meet a few of them.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Satin[/h3][p]It appears to be the strongest infected in the area... Could it be the one that caused the spikes to grow on the collectors’ bodies?[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Mirkam[/h3][p]An infected rhinoceros clad in sturdy armor, found in the Drilling Site Control Room. Whatever the reason, it seems he’s been stuck here for a long time.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Irbes[/h3][p]Swift and elusive, this one moves through the shadows. What could’ve caused its infection?[/p][p]
[/p][p]We’ve got even more survivors and monsters coming your way, each with individual backstories. Stay tuned for more updates from the world of Fatal Claw![/p][p]See you next time![/p][p][/p][p]
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Fatal Claw Dev Notes #02



Hello, everyone!
We're back with the second round of our dev notes on Fatal Claw.

As a quick recap of the first dev notes, we shared the inspiration behind Kisha, our choice of the Metroidvania genre, and character design concepts.
This time, we will shed light on how the in-game world was built and how each part of the world was designed with your gameplay experience in mind.


[h3]The Beginning[/h3]

Set in a dark zootopia-like world, the journey begins with the dazzling magic civilization of the ancient Elord Kingdom and its powerful relic at the center—the Stone of Immortality.

This stone could record and restore everything—objects, knowledge, life, even time. But its overwhelming power came with a cost. Twisted creatures began to emerge, corrupted by the stone’s backlash.

To contain the curse, the Elord Kingdom forged a pair of mystical claws. But after a mysterious catastrophe, the kingdom collapsed, and everything was lost, saved only as records inside the Stone of Immortality.

Now, in the present, Kisha awakens alone in an underground lab. From there, his journey begins, uncovering the secrets of the Stone and saving the underground world with its residents.

We spent a lot of time shaping Fatal Claw’s narrative and imagining how we wanted the game to feel.

Though it’s a 2D game, we wanted to bring life to every character and backdrop.

In addition, we wanted to give you the feeling of having just watched an animated film by the time you finish. That’s why we put so much effort into every detail of the world.

Each region has its own theme and vibe—not just visually, but in gameplay too. We designed every area to keep things feeling fresh as you explore.




[h3]Origin Laboratory[/h3]



This is where the game begins, with Kisha waking up here. There’s a life support device that kept him alive, and the sealed doors hint that this lab has been shut off from the outside world for a long time.




[h3]Moss Cave[/h3]



A natural underground cave, untouched and serene. Crystal-clear water and lush plant life give it a mysterious, beautiful vibe.
But be careful—infected plants and unknown creatures lurk within.




[h3]Aurora Village[/h3]



This village was formed by survivors after an unknown event. As the safest area in the game, you can buy items, gather info, and meet new characters here. It's a hub for expanding the story through conversations.




[h3]Kannir Drilling Site[/h3]



A long-abandoned drilling facility set up by someone, though it’s unclear who. What exactly were they trying to extract here?
Idle equipment and leaking gas only deepen the mystery.



When designing new regions, we always try to keep things feeling fresh—If you’ve just seen something natural, the next spot might feel artificial.
After a blue-toned area, you might enter somewhere red. Wide-open spaces are followed by tight, narrow ones. Even just visually, we wanted every area to spark curiosity.

Of course, it’s not just about looks. We’re blending events, combat, and character growth to make sure the game is fun in every way.

< Elord Castle >

< Quarry >

That's all for these dev notes. Keep your ear to the ground as we will continue to share what will be coming in store!

Fatal Claw Dev Notes #01



Greetings from NDEV GAMES!

We are pleased to share the first developer's notes for Fatal Claw!
Through these dev logs, we want to share our direction, determination, and key ideas that helped shape the game into what it is now.
Furthermore, we will talk about why we chose the Metroidvania genre, what important aspects we considered when designing Kisha as a feline character, as well as his weapons and costumes.
Here is the first part of our journey:

[h3]Fatal Claw - A Metroidvania Game[/h3]
First of all, the Metroidvania genre is inarguably the one we love. All of us have been playing games from this genre regardless of platforms.
We have been discussing each game's strengths and weaknesses, taking those into account in our own development to create a game we can truly enjoy.
While our game may also have key strengths and areas for improvement, we are enjoying every aspect of the game design process—from creating new ideas to making tweaks—committed to deliver a thrilling Metroidvania-style experience for everyone.

[h3]Kisha the Cat[/h3]
In Fatal Claw, a mysterious adventure unfolds as Kisha returns from death and explores the underground world in his own way, all the while fighting off the infected and joining forces with survivors in a search for the solution to reach the surface.
We aim to present this seemingly dark and serious narrative in a way that feels bright, hopeful, and appealing.
Through countless brainstorming sessions, we settled on the concept of a demi-beast world with a feline protagonist.
(Although everyone is a fan of the Metroidvania genre, all of them must be adoring cats themselves... In fact, most of the team are cat owners. 😉)



[h3]Weapons[/h3]
When we envisioned a cat character, we imagined it should be cute, dignified, nimble, adorable... Virtually every positive trait we could think of.
So instead of getting lost in too many ideas, we adhered to a cat's "default" weapon: claws.

Initially, we came up with clawed gauntlets, but that meant they had to be quite large in order to visually stand out in-game.
This could have made our character look somewhat slow and bulky, unintentionally increasing the character's hitbox size.




So we focused on the idea of a magic cape with claws attached, which was one of many early sketches.
As a result, we managed to come up with a unique and interesting design. With this, we were able to define Kisha's intended hitbox size, visibly convey the character's speed, and add an ability to express the character's emotions.




[h3]Basic Costume[/h3]
We aimed to make Kisha visibly stand out by setting the overall game background in a darker tone.
We also focused on expressing the character's identity and preventing the character design from hindering gameplay, rather than focusing on cool design alone.
Some keywords are:

good-heart, rightfulness, bravery, nobility

To incorporate this idea, we adopted a white/yellow/blue color scheme, with strong contrast between black and white to make the character stand out against any background.
We used blue and yellow as accent colors.
Honestly, we still believe the black cat's blue pupils are the key visual here.




While some Costumes are visually stunning as cosmetics, we wanted them to be obtainable items through a Costume system as players follow the game's narrative.
Even if the Costumes are complex and flashy, we believe players will be well-acquainted with the gameplay mechanics by the time they acquire them.




When designing Kisha, we made sure to prioritize gameplay functionality, not just his compelling design.

That's all for our first dev notes. We will continue to share more updates on what's in the pipeline, so stay tuned!

Watch out for Scam Websites!

Hello, this is NDEV GAMES.

Recently, we received reports of the unauthorized use of Fatal Claw's gameplay footage and image resources to seize user information, which may lead to potential damage. Please note that we have filed an appeal to shut down the scam website in order to prevent further exploitation.

The playable demo of Fatal Claw has never been released on the web. We officially distribute our game only through Steam, and as soon as we are ready, we plan to announce our test schedule via the Steam community.

Keep in mind that the name "Brutal Claw" appearing on the scam website is not related to our Fatal Claw at all.

To get the latest news from us in a safe way, please follow us and add Fatal Claw to your wishlist on Steam!

Thank you.