Knitewings News

Hello everyone!
Today I can finally share something I’ve been waiting for for a very long time:

Knitewings™ now runs perfectly on Steam Deck.
And that means only one thing: S2Engine™ is officially compatible with Steam Deck. 🎉

For me, this is a huge milestone — both as the developer of the game and of the engine behind it.

[h2]🎥 Full Video[/h2]
In the video below, I showcase:

• real gameplay running on Steam Deck
• 60 FPS
• an overview of the “Earth” level
• new mechanics coming in the next Playtest Update
• two complete boss fights
• and a full run… finished with only 5 HP left! 😅

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI8UkUy60zY
(Some parts were recorded with my phone, but most of the footage comes from Steam Remote Play.
The quality is still very good and accurately shows real performance.)

[h2]🔥 What’s new in the video[/h2]

• Intro cutscenes
At the start of the level and before the final boss, to add a bit of lore.

• Contextual tips
They can be enabled or disabled from the menu and help new players during key moments.

• New melee mechanic
With a visual indicator that shows the exact moment to strike.

• Improved dodge
Temporary invulnerability, new sounds, and a clearer recharge bar.

• Divine Strike and Divine Parry
Special rewards earned with perfect timing.

• Visual warnings for meteors
Now the meteor damage area is clearly visible.

• Fully customizable camera
For players who prefer smoother or less acrobatic camera movement.

[h2]⚙️ Steam Deck Performance[/h2]

Even I was surprised:
Knitewings™ targets 60 FPS during gameplay.

These were my settings on Steam Deck:
• FXAA enabled (TAA disabled because the image looks sharper without it)
• 4x anisotropic filtering
• painterly filter
• full lighting
• music and sound effects

And despite all that…
no noticeable frame drops.

[h2]🚀 Next Playtest Update[/h2]

Everything you saw in the video will be included in the upcoming Playtest update, along with various balance improvements and fixes I’m finishing these days.

The update will be released very soon!

[h2]🙏 Thank you so much[/h2]

Thank you all for your support, feedback, constructive criticism, private messages, and above all — your patience.

Knitewings™ is growing thanks to you.
See you soon with the new update! ❤️

— Fabio, solo developer of Knitewings™

Hello everyone!
Fabio here — the solo developer behind Knitewings™.

Today I want to share something very special:
for the first time, I’ve composed an original soundtrack for the game myself.
No AI, no outsourcing. Just… me, my computer, and FL Studio.



This article is a behind-the-scenes look at how (and why) I decided to do it.

[hr][/hr]

[h2]🎼 Why I decided to make the music myself[/h2]

As many of you know, the music I’ve been using for Knitewings so far was generated with AI.
This approach has some advantages: it’s cheap, fast, and the quality is often surprisingly good.
But there are also big limitations:

• you don’t have full control over the final composition
• it’s hard to match the exact mood of a scene
• and there’s a general distrust toward AI-generated assets

On the other hand, hiring a professional composer is simply too expensive for a solo developer like me — and even then, explaining the exact musical idea in my head to someone else is a whole different challenge.

So I decided to do something that at first felt impossible — almost a bit crazy:

I would compose the soundtrack myself.

[hr][/hr]

[h2]🎧 Learning everything from scratch[/h2]

To make this happen, I armed myself with:

• patience
• enthusiasm
• and a lot of passion

The ideas were there.
The motivation was there.
I just needed to learn how to actually make music.

First step: understanding the tools.
I tried several DAWs, and FL Studio instantly felt like home. So I chose it.

Then I dusted off some very old memories from when I wanted to become a rock star 😄
and started studying the basics again:

• chords
• scales
• rhythm
• composition
• and how Japanese arcade / shmup soundtracks are typically built

I downloaded every free instrument and plugin I could find, experimented for days, and listened to tons of retro arcade soundtracks to understand:

• which scales they use
• which chord progressions
• which synths
• which guitar tones
• which BPM ranges
• and how everything is mixed together

Once I understood the direction, I bought the FL Studio entry version and continued my learning journey through tutorials and experiments.

[hr][/hr]

[h2]🎹 The hardest part: mixing[/h2]

Composing the melody was already challenging, but mixing…
Mixing was a whole different beast.

Choosing the right instruments (all free!), blending guitars with synths, finding the right balance, avoiding muddy frequencies — that was the real struggle.

It’s what makes the difference between:

• a track that sounds like it was recorded in a garage
and
• a track that sounds like it belongs in an actual game soundtrack

But after many attempts, experiments, failures, and new ideas…
I finally found the right combination:

✨ the instruments
✨ the melody
✨ the mix
✨ and the identity

And for the first time ever, I can present the first original Knitewings soundtrack, fully composed and produced by me.

[hr][/hr]

[h2]🎥 Here is the track: “Wings of War”[/h2]

https://youtu.be/ul12w9Jr7SQ?si=Jt5-itX6Gtnhr9sg

[center]I truly hope you’ll enjoy it![/center]

[hr][/hr]

[h2]🎶 A personal milestone[/h2]

This track isn’t perfect — I’m not a trained musician —
but for me it represents something incredibly important.

It’s proof that even as a solo developer, with limited resources and no musical background, I can still create something original and meaningful. This piece is a milestone, a small but real step on the road toward releasing Knitewings.

My long-term goal is to replace every AI placeholder track with original compositions of mine. I already have many ideas, some of them half-formed melodies sitting in my FL Studio projects, and now that I’ve found my own style, instruments, and workflow, I feel confident I can carry this through.

Your support is what makes all this possible.
Thank you, truly.
💙 Fabio — Profenix Studio

Hello everyone!
You may have noticed that the Knitewings™ cover art has changed over the past few days.

I wanted to take a moment to explain why I updated it and how I created it, since many of you have already asked me about the process.

[h2]Why a new cover?[/h2]

As development progressed, I felt the need for a cover that better represented the current style of the game:

• modern anime inspiration
  
• vibrant colors and bright atmospheres
  
• an epic yet light tone
  
• a stronger focus on the main characters
  

The previous cover was a temporary placeholder.
This new artwork reflects the artistic direction Knitewings™ is truly aiming for.

[h2]Want to know how I made it?[/h2]

Here are the main steps:

1. Character posing in Blender
I set up the pose for Michela and the other characters in Blender, aiming for a balance between dynamism and readability — even at small sizes, such as Steam capsules.


2. Custom shading in Blender
To achieve a look consistent with the in-game style, I applied a custom shading setup inspired by the cel-shading used inside Knitewings™.


3. Background created in S2Engine™
The background comes from the “Paradiso” level, rendered directly in-engine with my painterly filter enabled.
This allows the cover to maintain strong stylistic coherence with the actual game visuals.


4. Final compositing and logo placement
Once I had both the characters and the background, I composed the final image and applied the logo — completing the cover you see today.


[h2]What’s next?[/h2]

This new cover is just the first step in a series of important updates coming in the next few days.
I’m working on new features, content, and improvements that I can’t wait to share with you.

Thank you so much for your support! ❤️
— Fabio, solo developer of Knitewings™

Hi everyone,
I’m Fabio, the solo developer of Knitewings™.

Over the last few days, I’ve received a very high number of Playtest requests.
For this reason, I’m starting the final batch of approvals for this first phase of the Playtest.

If you want to join, now is the time: available slots are limited and may run out very soon!

If you don’t make it into this batch, don’t worry:
I’m already considering a second wave of access based on feedback, collected data, and the stability of the next builds.

[h2]📌 Recent improvements[/h2]
• First pass of the Japanese language
• New “Camera Distance” video option
• Several bug fixes (Upgrade panel, Repeat button, menu input, debug keys removed)
• Overall stability improvements

[h2]🎮 How to request access[/h2]
You can request access directly from the Steam page.
If you see the “Request Access” button, click it to join the waiting list.

Thank you so much for the incredible interest shown in these days.
Every piece of feedback and every gameplay data file helps me improve Knitewings™ step by step.

See you soon with new updates! 🚀✨
Fabio
(Solo Developer – Profenix Studio)

Hi everyone!
I’m Fabio, solo developer of Knitewings™.

A new Knitewings™ Playtest build is now available, bringing several fixes and one very important new feature.

✨ Main highlight: Japanese language support
I’ve added a first version of the Japanese translation.
This is an important step to bring the game closer to Japanese players.


Since I’m a solo dev, right now my budget doesn’t allow for fully professional translations:
this version is based on automatic tools.
If you spot any errors or have suggestions, any feedback is super welcome!

[h2]Update Notes (Playtest Build)[/h2]

🆕 NEW
• Added Japanese language
• Added “Camera Distance” option in the video settings


🐞 BUG FIXES
• The selection button in the Upgrade panel didn’t work during the tutorial — fixed
• The “Repeat” button in the tutorial end screen didn’t respond — fixed
• The “Playtest” page in the main menu kept receiving input even when closed — fixed
• Same issue for the “Levels”, “Characters” and “Shop” pages — fixed
• Removed some debug keys for the rendering systems

Thank you all for supporting the Playtest!
Every bit of feedback helps me improve the game step by step.
If you’d like to support the project, adding Knitewings™ to your Wishlist is the best way to do it.

See you soon with new builds! 🚀✨

Fabio
(Solo Developer / Profenix Studio)