Hello Triangles!
It’s time for another Developer Journal! If you missed our last developer update, definitely go back and read it over here.
Kicking things off this time, we’re going to explore some uncharted territory. Everything we reveal today will be brand new content that not even those who have played the demo will know about. So buckle up and get ready to discover The Forest. 🌳
Trees tower above, their thick canopies weaving together, giving cover to the threats that lurk within. You’ve escaped the Prison, yet you’ve somehow ended up venturing deep into a lush, dense forest. The atmosphere seems serene at a glance, yet the further you go, the once peaceful surroundings now feel charged with an ominous energy. Welcome to the darkest parts of The Forest.
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Once you successfully journey through the Prison, your next major destination is going to be the Forest. The air is thick here with the scent of pine and damp earth. Listen closely, you’ll be able to hear the soft rustling of the leaves and gentle breeze moving through the branches. As serene as this place may seem compared to where you were before, it is not the sanctuary you hope it will be.
This area is one that will connect you to even more areas of Void Sols. Hear the sound of rushing water? A river cuts through the dense woods, serving as a lifeline to help navigate your journey through the dimly lit paths. The river is narrow and the bridges are well-worn but there are new things to discover here and even more lessons to learn.
Formidable Foes
Of course with a new area comes more unknown enemies. You’ll find yourself coming face-to-face with various new hostile shapes and forms.
We want you to fully immerse yourself in the experience of these new opponents, so for now we’ll share some sneaky screenshots to give you a taster of what you can expect.
Warning: the flowers here are not your friend.
Despite these new hurdles, you’ll also have the chance to discover new items along the way. Upon leaving the Prison, you will be able to start experimenting with Usable Items: items with limited uses that always replenish when you rest. Be sure to experiment with these, you never know what might happen if you use these in the right context…
Is it even an RPG if there is no fishing? Find the nifty little Fishing Rod and then the world truly is your oyster!
Level Design
Every zone in Void Sols has distinct enemies, layouts, and mechanics. We wanted players to experience a game that would constantly surprise and delight them, and to do so, we took great care to rarely repeat content. Instead of creating a massive world with the same enemies, just with more health, we opted to create a dense and diverse experience full of variety.
Each area created goes through many iterations as we design, refine, and playtest to uncover these spaces that are fun to explore and challenging to overcome.
After the game releases, see if you can figure out what area this was a WIP sketch of!
As we playtest and design spaces, we look at the empty spaces between areas and find secrets to fill them in. Many of the areas you may have previously thought to be empty will have entire zones to discover later in the game.
Pay close attention to the maps you collect, they’ll show you shortcuts and secrets alike!
We can’t wait to see how you navigate the lush environments we have created and how you tackle each of the unique enemies you are bound to encounter in them.
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That was it for this chapter of this month’s Developer Journal! We hope you enjoyed taking a peek into The Forest and a look into our level design process. In our next instalment we will be diving into even more areas that are currently in development. So definitely stay tuned! 👀
Remember to wishlist Void Sols as this really helps us out, and join the official Void Sols Discord server to chat with fellow adventurers, share tips, discuss builds and keep up to date with all news about the game.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2736690/Void_Sols/
Until next time! 👋
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