Hello everyone!
Well, where were we?
It's been a while since we've shared any news about the development of this game, but we can finally make some announcements.
The fact is that in 2020, when development began, we had specific ideas and mechanics planned, but over time, also following the various feedback we received on social media, we entered a so-called "development hell" that would have made the one that Terry Gilliam's suffered for his Don Quixote a piece of cake.
The main character was supposed to be entirely customizable by the player, and for the first two years we kept this mechanic, only to realize that it involved too many compromises in animation management, and above all, it didn't seem particularly interesting to the public. So we abandoned that idea, replacing the customized protagonist with a fixed, well-defined character, and from there Lyn was born, who boasts a high number of animated frames and has her own very specific background within the narrative.
We weren't even convinced by the aesthetic presentation, especially since the indie teams' skill was growing day by day, risking making our results appear obsolete. Even though our budget was running low, we looked at each other, rolled up our sleeves, and decided to revamp the entire graphics, and I can assure you that there isn't even the slightest hint of AI in anything you see. By hiring artists to join the core team, we enhanced both the 3D environments and the 2D animations, striving to reach a level that wouldn't risk appearing obsolete by the time of release.
The core gameplay mechanics, however, have remained more or less the same.
The game still is mainly inspired by the Metroidvania genre, maintaining the characteristics that define this plot:
One big open world to explore
New parts of the world can be accessed by gaining new skills
Non-linear progression, the player is free to solve each separate game section in the order he prefers
Shortcuts to reduce backtracking are found by progressing in the game
Buying and using specific items will tremendously help you progress
The player increases his skills through searching the world
Gameplay is primarily 2D (with some 3D exceptions, even in the environments)
And then there's the added mechanics related to modern social networks. You'll have an in-game cell phone to stay in touch with all the NPCs you meet in the cities, who will give you valuable advice on how to solve certain puzzles in the game. Hence, we took the liberty of cloning the term "SocialVania" to describe the mix of the two archetypes.
There are two special gameplay features: the first concerns the talent show sections, special events where you'll compete in car races, cooking contests, fashion contests, singing and dancing contests, and fashion contests. Clues to how to win these competitions will be hidden throughout the game, so exploration will be more crucial than ever.
The second takes up an old genre that's becoming increasingly niche: graphic adventures. You'll find many items with specific uses, but you'll have to figure out where and when to use them if you want to progress. It's something that adds a pinch of nostalgia for all fans of this genre that was so popular in the 80s and 90s.
Our plan is to release the game this year. In these months we are polishing levels and combat, improving the social apps and talent shows, and fixing UI and controls so everything feels smoother to play.
Together with this post we are also sharing a new trailer for Fantasy Network. We hope it gives you a better idea of the mood of the game, the characters and how the “socialvania” part works.
We also want to be more active here on Steam again: small dev updates, character and location spotlights, and some looks at the social media features. If everything goes well, we would like to invite some of you to a Steam beta playtest later on.
If you are interested, please wishlist and follow the game, join our Discord https://discord.gg/7eSz9y67, and let us know in the comments if you’d like to take part in testing.
Thank you for your patience and support!
Paolo
Raven Travel Studios