April Dev Log 🐇 — Playtesting & Artstyle Experiments

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And just like that, my second month of development is a wrap! Woo! 🥳 From a small two week prototype, to my first alpha-build, Pippin’s Mysterious Garden has already come a long way. 

Last month, my main focus was preparing the first version of the new prototype for play-testing. You can now find and play that same build here 💛

Playtesting

One of the most enjoyable aspects of formal play-testing, aside from receiving feedback, is taking a break from hardcore Unity development. It allows me to let the feedback sink in, reflect on design decisions, and avoid getting distracted from bug fixing or adding new features. 

I was thrilled to have over 10 people play-test and provide valuable feedback. The primary question I wanted to answer was whether switching from a puzzle game to a more “open-world”, metroidvania play-style was a good design choice for Pippin’s Mysterious Garden. And as it turns out, it was! Most testers thoroughly enjoyed exploring the world and discovering secrets, which has given me the confidence to continue moving forward in this direction. 

Artstyle Experiments 

While seeking play-testers and feedback, I also experimented with different art styles for the game. Currently, most assets are AI-generated in a pixel-art style, but I’m not convinced this will be the final look.

My plan is to first ensure that all systems and core content are technically solid and smooth. Then, I’ll manually reskin all of the game’s assets. So far, a fair amount of experimenting and early rough drafts have been made - here are some early concepts. They may not be final, but they provide a sense of direction I’m exploring. 

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I’m particularly interested in a hand-drawn feeling or aesthetic, where you can see and feel the brush-strokes. It’s closer to the type of art I do personally, and I don’t see enough games experimenting with this type of look, so I think it would help us stand-out. 

Goals for May 

One of our major goals this month is to launch a Steam page, so that it can further legitimize our project, and help give a bit more momentum and growth at this early stage. I’m really looking forward to getting a real feel for how Steam works, and posting updates there. 😊

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Additionally, right now the next build I’m working towards is a demo, which will showcase the first level/area of the game. I want our players to get a taste for what’s in store and generate excitement. I’m sure the first area will change a lot by the time we officially ship, but I hope to create a great experience for the demo nonetheless. 

I’ll also continue to apply for festivals and showcase our early prototype wherever possible, in the hopes of getting more exposure. 🎉

That’s about it! Thanks so much for following my little Indie game’s progress. 💛 

In case you missed it, here’s a cute trailer I made for my game. It’s going to change A LOT in the future, but I think it captures the overall vision. 🐇Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter if you want to stay updated on my progress! I’ll do my best to reward our earliest supporters however I can. 💛