Physio · published
Hey everyone! 👋
Hope you're all doing great since the last update!
Today, I'm super excited to share a massive overview of what I've been working on for Physio. This update focuses heavily on brand-new, highly original core screening mechanics that you won't find anywhere else (I think?), alongside shop upgrades, a new map, overhauled party playlists, controller support, and an important look at how the game mirrors real-world sociopolitical realities.
Let's dive right into the key mechanics!
I'm introducing four original screening mechanics that completely transform how you inspect people at the door.
A fully manual, tactile search system:
Manual Body Searches: Pass your hand along a character's arms, torso, and legs to physically locate drugs or other items.
Reputation & Boundary Management: Inappropriate contact or touching intimate parts triggers immediate dynamic reactions, severely damaging your reputation and causing permanent consequences with bosses, law enforcement, and future venue staff.
Checking identity cards has gone high-tech and sleek (in my opinion at least):
Hand Camera Tracking: Launching the VerifyID app transitions your smartphone into a full camera view displaying target biometric points around the pedestrian's face. You must move your crosshairs around to scan and cross-reference every target point on their face to complete their biometric verification.
Dialogue UX : To eliminate tedious smartphone menu navigation during fast-paced screening, a dedicated VerifyID shortcut button is now built straight into character dialogue menus.
Testing blood alcohol levels isn't just a static menu click! It's an active mini-game as well:
Dynamic Head Tracking: Customers won't stand still! They continuously move and sway their heads while you attempt to test them.
Active Precision: You must physically guide your hand, bring the breathalyzer up to their mouth, and continuously track their erratic head movements to complete the reading. If you lose tracking, the gauge starts to reset, adding a pressure during peak hour lines.
Unmasking substance use requires dexterity under pressure:
Swab Sampling vs Head Movement: Just like with alcohol testing, customers constantly shift their heads around. You must maneuver the cotton swab precisely inside their mouth sampling area while compensating for their movements.
Chemical Reaction: Once sampled, shake your mouse to agitate the vial's fluid. The chemical reaction turns purple for positive drug presence and green if negative, giving you instant visual confirmation.
To keep screening fluid as your nights get busier, you can now purchase specialized equipment and tools in the in-game shop:
Faster Testing Tools: As you master the controls, you won't want routine alcohol or drug tests to drag on. Upgraded equipment significantly reduces the required duration of these mini-games.
Visual Hint Aids: Purchasing visual detection upgrades provides subtle visual cues on drunk/drugged customers, allowing you to identify potential red flags instantly without having to systematically perform full drug or alcohol checks on everyone in line.
I'm expanding the game's locations with a brand-new environment:
Gabriel Péri (Tier 1): Step into a gritty, high-tension working-class district filled with an urban suburb of Paris.
Understanding the Tiers: To structure your progression up the social ladder, venues and maps are split into three distinct tiers:
Tier 1: Ghetto and working-class zones. More volatile and violent, but populated by lower-power individuals where mistakes won't immediately trigger government-level consequences.
Tier 2: Underground Parisian-style venues featuring alternative music scenes and more complex social dynamics.
Tier 3: Ultra-luxurious establishments frequented by government elites and high-ranking officials. Here, errors carry massive financial penalties, strict oversight, and real risks of death by white-collar criminal.
Jobs now completely revolve around the atmosphere you curate:
Music Playlists & Vibe Control: Each job now features distinct party themes driven by different music playlists.
Tailored Crowds & Unique Risks: These playlists directly attract guests with completely different visual styles, clothing trends, and attitudes. Depending on the playlist, your risk profile shifts entirely, exposing you to sudden outbreaks of violence, coordinated revenge plots from rejected customers, and specific behavioral reactions.
High-Stakes Consequences: Your actions (such as conducting invasive body searches or handing out unjustified refusals) will trigger distinct, dynamic repercussions based on the type of crowd you are hosting.
I've revamped the settings menu to give players more control over comfort and motion:
Invert X
Invert Y
FOV
Head Bob Amount to prevent motion sickness
Hand's Movements Sensitivity for body search, breath analyzer, drug test
Following feedback from Steam Deck users during the demo, controllers are now fully supported! And honestly, the experience is very good with a controller, I'm very proud of it!.
Icons are also adapted to your controller's type (Xbox or Playstation).
Building upon my custom node-graph traffic network:
Emergency Pull-Overs: Traffic AI now recognizes sirens. When an emergency vehicle (such as a police cruiser) approaches, surrounding cars dynamically pull over to clear a lane.
Road Graph Upgrades: I expanded the roadside node logic, enabling smooth pulling-over maneuvers in narrow urban areas where cars previously couldn't yield.
U-Turns: Cars are now capable of doing U-Turn, which stops them from making a huge detour when police cars parks and resume their route.
I'm expanding player agency, allowing you to handle conflict on your own terms:
Emergency Hotline Apps: New smartphone "Contacts" app let you contact law enforcement directly for specific disruptions, such as noise complaints or fights outside.
Non-Violent Playthroughs: If you prefer avoiding physical brawls, you should be able to run a completely peaceful playstyle. Avoid dangerous fights, keep your distance, let bystanders report incidents, or call the police yourself to let the authorities clear the street.
To make the world feel more dynamic and immersive without aiming for a hyper-realistic simulation, I'm breathing new life into the characters walking the streets:
Blinking: NPCs now feature natural eye-blinking animations, giving them a much more grounded and organic appearance during encounters and static moments.
Hands in vest pockets and Head Movements: Characters can now dynamically adopt casual stances, such as putting their hands in their pockets while waiting, observing, or wandering around the district.
New Reactions: I'm trying to find the time to add more animations and routine actions to enhance daily interactions and make the crowd feel more and more alive and reactive.
What’s next on my roadmap?
First Three Nights Focus: I'm gearing up for exclusive, closed playtests with a small group of testers covering the game's opening three nights.
Evaluation: These tests will evaluate narrative pacing, police interaction dynamics, and player immersion to ensure the storyline and atmosphere resonate properly. Moreover, it will be a first validation step for my tutorial explanations and new core features enjoyability.
Physio uses dark humor and night-club satire to explore state control, privilege, and institutional bias, and I want those themes to reflect real-world data:
Statistically Grounded Discrimination: Police stop-and-search mechanics targeting characters perceived as Black and Browns are directly tied to official 2025 statistics on racial profiling in France.
End-Game Data Breakdown: At the end of your run and in the credits, the game displays a detailed statistical breakdown comparing your in-game encounters with real-world statistics. While the game presents these dynamics through a satirical lens, it serves as a reminder of systemic daily realities.
The Dark Side of Nightlife: As you progress to high-end, lucrative venues, you will face increasingly uncomfortable moral compromises in exchange for hefty paychecks.
I've also integrated exciting new visual engine features, including dynamic fire systems, explosions, and high-intensity atmospheric effects. However, because these visuals are tightly bound to major story events, I'm keeping them under wraps for now! I'll showcase these features in my next devnote once playtests wrap up and scenario beats are confirmed.
Thank you all for your continuous support and feedback!
Be sure to add Physio to your Steam Wishlist if you haven't already!