After a sudden realization, I have made significant revisions to the game’s early-stage UX. Now, players will acquire the Wall Jump (C9 Leap) suit program right from the start.
Ever since my previous project, whenever I heard comparisons to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance or Ninja Gaiden, I had no choice but to repeatedly explain that my game is not a “spectacle fighter.” However, the thought suddenly struck me: if I want to clearly establish that this is a game about exploring various places using wall jumps, I must provide this ability at the very beginning. Rewards that were previously obtainable only through backtracking using the wall jump can now be acquired immediately. It should have been obvious that the most important feature of the game needs to be presented first, but perhaps I lacked the confidence until now. I had been struggling to define the game beyond the somewhat vague label of “3D Metroidvania,” but a clearer definition also came to me out of the blue.
I remembered playing the classic Tomb Raider games in my youth and how much I enjoyed them. I can’t recall exactly if it was up to the third or just the second entry, but I played them with incredible intensity. Even with the awkward camera and frustrating controls, I would stay up for days on end playing those games.
I’ve always loved the Metroidvania genre and wanted to try making one, so I built that characteristic structure in 3D. The flow involves solving puzzles within individual chambers to open shortcuts, connecting those chambers, gaining new abilities, and then using those abilities to access previously unreachable areas. However, the intent behind the chamber puzzles was not to demand high physical execution from the player, but rather to encourage them to analyze the space, figure out which skills to use to reach a destination, and then execute that plan. My goal was to allow for logical failure, but not failure due to a lack of physical dexterity. Because of this, the wall jump was originally restricted to specific locations, functioning almost like an automatic elevator. Following user feedback, I changed the wall jump to be usable anywhere, and that became a major turning point for the gameplay. The freedom to wall jump anywhere made the game much more flexible and fun.
I had been immersed in the “Metroidvania” label, describing the game vaguely as a “3D Metroidvania.” Now, I feel I can describe it as “Classic Tomb Raider + Metroidvania.” Looking back, the way action is used like seasoning feels similar, as does the way players must understand the logical structure of a space (e.g., using wall-running to connect two distant points) before applying a skill. I’m not sure if “Classic Tomb Raider + Metroidvania” is the definitive answer—especially since the protagonist’s actions differ—but I’m sure as I continue development, other inspirations will surface.
Regardless, I am heavily revising the demo and preparing a new trailer. I’m taking the feedback from the last trailer into account, adding footage of newly created sections, but I plan to completely remove all action sequences.
Action sequences were essentially a poisoned chalice when explaining my game; while they functioned as an effective hook, the more I showcased them, the more they misrepresented the game’s true essence. There are far too many people who insist it’s a Metal Gear Rising clone just because they see a character with white hair and a black bodysuit holding a sword.
In reality, the white hair reflects the immense hardships Kei has faced—alluding to the East Asian sentiment that one’s hair turns white after enduring great suffering. The use of a sword is also a tactical choice rooted in the lore of my previous game: rather than lugging around heavy anti-bot artillery, it is far more efficient to utilize a high-mobility suit paired with a blade made of metal that reacts to bot armor. Some even mistake the protagonist’s name for Maria, but regardless of these misconceptions, I am profoundly grateful for even this misplaced interest.
I’m planning to spend the next couple of days putting together a trailer that highlights the game’s identity as a parkour exploration game. I will also remove every single combat screenshot from the Steam assets and descriptions, replacing them with several parkour screenshots. I hope these efforts will help in accurately communicating the true identity of the game.