Inayah - Life after Gods News

[h3]We’re excited to announce that INAYAH will be released on March 27! [/h3]

While we wait for the release together, you can play the demo during Steam Next Fest! This is your chance to dive into the exciting world of INAYAH, face dangerous bosses, and enjoy an engaging and flexible combat system.

We’d love to hear your feedback on the demo! Share your thoughts on our Discord server or in the Steam community.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Try the INAYAH demo during the festival and don’t forget to add the game to your wishlist to stay updated on important news!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3199390/INAYAH__Life_after_Gods/

We’re excited to announce that the INAYAH demo is now available for everyone!



In this new demo, you’ll get to explore two biomes, challenge 3 bosses, and experience the combat system, character progression, and various upgrades.

We’d love to hear your feedback! Share your thoughts on our Discord server or in the Steam community.


Don’t forget to add INAYAH to your wishlist so you don’t miss the release date announcement!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3199390/INAYAH__Life_after_Gods/

At ExoGenesis Studios, we believe that cutscenes are more than just visually impressive moments — they are a vital storytelling tool. They allow players to immerse themselves in the world, feel its atmosphere, and experience key moments of the story. We put as much care and passion into our cutscenes as we do into every other aspect of the game.

[h2]Storyboards, Layouts, and Animatics [/h2]

The creation of a cutscene begins with a storyboard — a series of key frames that help define the composition and sequence of events.



Next comes the animatic, a rough version of the cutscene with basic timing for movements. This step lets us test the scene's rhythm, ensure that the animation feels natural, and make adjustments before moving on to detailed work.



The next step is layouts, which feature key character poses and detailed backgrounds. Layouts establish the scene’s composition and highlight visual focal points.



[h2]The Animation Process[/h2]

Once the animatic is approved, our animators start working on the scene. Depending on the cutscene’s complexity, we use different animation techniques:

• Frame-by-frame animation – Each frame is drawn individually to achieve ultra-smooth motion. We use this method for key emotional scenes.
  
• A mix of frame-by-frame and cutout animation – This approach reduces workload without sacrificing quality. For example, Quillback was animated this way to ensure expressive movements without unnecessary complexity.
  

[h2]Polishing the Scene: Highlights, Shadows, and Effects [/h2]

Once the core animation is complete, we move on to polishing. This stage involves adding highlights, shadows, effects, and texture refinements to make the scene feel more alive and realistic. Lighting accents help guide the player's focus, while special effects enhance the atmosphere.



If the cutscene involves camera movement, the animator separates the background into multiple layers to create a parallax effect, adding depth to the image.

[h2]Environments as a Storytelling Tool [/h2]

Cutscene creation is often more challenging than standard animation because we animate not only characters but also the environment. Sometimes, background animation plays just as big a role in conveying emotions as character movements.

For complex cutscenes, like Drone, the assembly process happens in multiple stages. Each segment is crafted and edited to form a small but impactful story, where every frame carries meaning.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


We’re continuing our developer blog series to give you a deeper look into INAYAH’s development. If you missed our previous post on VFX, you can check it out here:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3199390/view/785412209072145498

Follow us and add INAYAH to your wishlist to stay updated on our latest news!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3199390/INAYAH__Life_after_Gods/

We’re excited to announce that INAYAH – Life After Gods will be part of Steam Next Fest starting February 24! Get ready to explore a beautifully hand-drawn world and battle fearsome enemies in our new exclusive demo.

What’s in the Demo?

• Three Boss Fights – Test your skills against powerful foes, each with unique mechanics.
  
• Two Biomes to Explore – Journey through breathtaking environments filled with mystery and danger.
  
• Three Weapon Forms – Switch between Blades, Fists, and a Flail, each with unique abilities, combos and an individual progression tree.
  
• Upgrades for your character – find enhancements for your injector and implant system to improve your abilities.
  

Press & Content Creators

Press and content creators can get access to the new demo right now! If you’d like to try INAYAH before Steam Next Fest, contact us at [email protected] for access.

Join the Community!

We’d love to hear your feedback! Share your thoughts and connect with other players in our Discord.

Don’t miss your chance to experience INAYAH during Steam Next Fest. Add the game to your wishlist and don’t miss the demo on February 24!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/3199390/INAYAH__Life_after_Gods/

At ExoGenesis Studios, we put our hearts and souls into every visual detail, making sure that each one adds to the enchantment of the world we’re building.



[h2]Frame-by-Frame Animation[/h2]

We focus a lot on frame-by-frame animation, only using procedural effects like particles and distortion when absolutely necessary. Most of our VFX are meticulously hand-drawn on "ones" — an animation technique where every single frame is created from scratch without reusing duplicates.

Stages of Creating 2D Smoke VFX for Altar Save Points:



While this approach is more time-consuming and demanding, the payoff is undeniable: ultra-smooth, fluid animations that players frequently describe as "incredibly smooth" in online discussions.



[h2]The Art of Loops and Tiles*[/h2]

Creating 2D VFX for a game comes with unique challenges. Many of our effects need to loop seamlessly, but an even greater challenge lies in designing tileable environmental animations — like electric beams, water surfaces, or rain.

These not only need to loop perfectly but must also transition smoothly at the edges of the tiles. It’s a complex and time-intensive process, but the result is worth it: immersive, visually striking effects that truly bring the game to life.

(*note: tile is a repeating image element that can be placed next to itself without visible seams. In gamedev, tiles are often used to create backgrounds, textures, or animations.)

There are two things you can watch forever: smoke and the waterfall in INAYAH

[h2]Attack Animations & Lore of the Enemies[/h2]

Although this Devlog focuses on VFX, we thought you might enjoy a deeper look into the game’s lore. Below, you'll find a short entry about some of INAYAH’s enemies, along with examples of their attacks in battle:

The ancient gods are long dead, but their iron servants still walk the world. It is said they played a role in their masters' downfall—and now, they seek to wipe out humanity as well. The scorching heat of the Scorched Lands forced people underground, but it does nothing to deter the iron servants. They prowl the sands and ruins, hunting for prey. The relentless heat has only melted their armored shells, making them appear even more monstrous.



Humans fear the iron servants, and fear breeds superstition. The Sand Marauders, desert raiders who stalk travelers, believe that the Many-Faced, One-of-Many can protect them from their iron brethren… if they offer him sacrifices. Whispers speak of a massive altar, built somewhere near his domain.



The iron servants exist only to hunt, driven by an insatiable thirst for blood. Yet, some have begun to act… strangely. They wear the clothes of the fallen. One deranged wanderer swore he had seen an entire village of iron servants, ruled by a Chieftain wielding a gleaming hammer.




We’re excited to keep sharing more about the development of INAYAH. Stay tuned for future articles where we’ll dive into how we create music, trailers, cutscenes, and much more. Follow us and add the game to your wishlist to make sure you don’t miss any exciting updates!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3199390/INAYAH__Life_after_Gods/