Devlog #3 Action Gameplay Mostly Complete! New Creature Designs and Gameplay Rev

Hello, I’m Shibuya from Studio Snowblind, the developer of Glaciered. Today, I’ll share some information on our development progress.

The core action gameplay is mostly complete, and right now I’m working on the various creatures and stages to flesh out the world of the game. In this devlog, I’ll share some of that with you all.

About the Creatures

The Diye is a type of shark that has developed a thick armor around its skull. It can’t swim very fast and moves sluggishly, but it relentlessly chases down its enemies and weakens them until it can swallow them whole. Its tough head armor deflects all kinds of attacks, and also acts as a powerful weapon.

Beware of its rock-hard headbutts and bites if you want to get out in one piece. The key to victory is to find the more vulnerable parts of its body to attack.

The Paki is a type of arthropod that evolved from Japanese horseshoe crabs and resembles sea scorpions. They usually prey on smaller arthropods attached to plankton and seaweed, but their highly territorial and aggressive nature makes them very dangerous.

It’s a swift swimmer with sensitive sensory organs that it uses to sense the vibrations in the water and detect the movements of incoming enemies. It nimbly dodges the player’s attacks and uses the poisonous spikes on its tail to fight back. If you try to chase one down without thinking, it might turn the tables on you. If you’re going to fight one, you’ll have to be extra careful in deciding when to strike.

The Iski is a creature that evolved from a relative of the sea ruffe. It’s characterized by the highly-developed spines on its tail. When stressed, the Iski’s tail muscles react and send the spines flying out of its tail at the speed of bullets.

Anyone who tries to prey on an Iski from behind will surely get a painful face-full of spines. The Iski is a pretty fragile creature, but it will try to quickly swim away from the player, making it harder to land attacks on it.

Apart from the above, there are many more creatures from the future that will appear in this game. And even though I’ve only shown hostile creatures so far, there are other non-hostile creatures that live in the same sea. They might be able to help you on your journey if you know how to use them well.

All of the creatures I've introduced today appear in an area called the Sea of Tranquility. It’s an area with a rich and varied ecosystem which serves as the first place the player will explore when they start the game. We’ve been going through a lot of trial and error for the level design of this area, so we can’t show you anything just yet, but we’re working hard to make it a sea worthy of exploration.

New Features Revealed in Special Indie Game Livestreams

Watch on YouTube
I’ve gotten the help of some streamers to further showcase these new features.

In this fei CHANNEL livestream, you can see battles with the new enemies such as the Diye and Paki, as well as some new abilities that I couldn’t go over in this article. What’s more, this stream features an interview between me and fei, where I talk a bit about the world of Glaciered, so please check it out.
(Note: The livestream is in Japanese)

Furthermore, Glaciered was featured on Iseijin Channel’s ""1st INDIE GAME INTRODUCTION LIVE"", a two-day event featuring several indie game creators. I talked about my inspirations and the parts I’m working hard on, so please give it a listen if you’re interested!
(Note: The livestream is in Japanese)

TOW Joins the Music Team!

Lastly, I’m excited to announce that the Japanese acoustic band TOW will be working with us on the soundtrack of Glaciered!

Watch on YouTube
TOW is an acoustic band with a distinctive Oriental style and powerful vocals that has been gaining attention from around the world. As the producer of Sumire, I’ve known them ever since they wrote the music for that game back in the day, and I’ve had the chance to listen to them perform in live concerts. There, I was blown away by the range of expressions in their music; besides the gentle, melancholic feeling of the music in Sumire, they also expressed the strength and harshness of life through their music, and that is why I approached them again to ask if they could compose for Glaciered.

I believe that TOW is one of the only bands that can capture this world set in the distant future, where various creatures desperately fight for survival in a place unlike Asia, or Europe, or any other place in our world. Please look forward to their music as well!