Back To The Grind
Our event-a-thon is over!
(for now)
After Gamescom, IFA, Hero Fest, Games Ground, Unite 23, Gamesweek and many stops in between, the team is back in the lab. But before 2023 comes to a close, we are putting our feet on the gas once more, creating story levels, adding new enemies, implementing vicious hazards and boosting our 2D art prowess with an exciting new internship.
⭐ Lastly, we also have a little Christmas surprise for you :]
There’s a lot to talk about, so let’s get down to it!
Say Hi To Robert
In the coming two months, our new intern Robert will create concept art for CACTUS. Since he studied at Games Academy with the founding team of Axon Flux, this reunion feels like a throwback to cherished times.
Robert comes from a tech art background, but recently committed himself to drawing rather than coding. This is a challenge in its own right, but having previously developed two games together, we are highly confident about the cooperation.
👉 If you’re interested in these games, you can get them for free:
As a first task, Robert is sketching out the Desert Turtle. This giant enemy catapults rocks from its back and stomps onto the ground, flattening anything underneath its weight. Of course, it already looks massive on the concept piece above, however, this will be outmatched by standing in front one of these in-game.
🎟️ Support Roberts strive into concept art:
The Story Continues
The goal is clear: CACTUS should feature 14 story levels, totalling in 5-6h of gameplay on a first run.
Achieving this is Jeremy’s task. Recently, he just finished the blockouts of levels 2 and 3, which will throw you into tense combat situations while exploring ancient ruins and vast, open dunes.
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Pulling this off required mastery of our terrain tools, particularly regarding natural looking sandscapes. But it also exposed him to seemingly profane questions like “How to guide players in an open space?” and “What happens, should they venture off in the wrong direction?”.
Solving these issues calls for clear thought and careful consideration. Nonetheless, the shootouts amidst the wavy sand already provide a different experience than indoor combat and it’s good fun.
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There is still a lot of work to do on this front, but we hope to put these levels into the hands of our community testers early next year.
🥼 Want to be first to test these new levels? Just hit us up:
📽️ Check out our most recent Progress Report to see level 1 in action:
Growing The Horde
Up to now, lizards were the only type of enemy you would encounter in CACTUS. But this is about to change as we’re integrating four new foes, all of which bring unique characteristics to the table.
Let’s have a brief look at each one of them:
Pondicherry Vulture
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The vulture is our first airborne enemy. It is a ranged enemy that launches sharp feathers at you from afar. Given that it swarms the sky, this bird adds a dangerous vertical dimension to combat.
Kangaroo Rat
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This little fellow hunts in groups, forcing you to watch your back. Since the rat has limited movement and can only rotate between jumps, it can be outmaneuvered quite easily though.
🔥 Want to see the raving rodent it in action? Watch this:
Dung Beetle
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As the name implies, this big beetle rolls enormous dung balls at you, turning the battlefield into a pinball-like shitshow. Luckily, the poop steamrolls not only you, but also your enemies.
Stone Head
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This one is less of an enemy than an environmental hazard. Once its eyes glow up, the Stone Head launches darts in regular intervals. You’re only hope is evade quickly or find a pressure plate to turn it off.
One Last Trip
Of course, we don’t want to finish this devlog without showing you some impressions of our concluding trip to Berlin and Amsterdam, encompassing the Games Ground and Unite 23 events.
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In particular, we want to give a big shout to the team behind Games Ground, as this was the first edition of their new event. Not only did it exude the charm of a true indie game show, but also bolstered great talks, matchmaking sessions and an afterparty that was as Berlin as it gets.
BONUS: Rapid-Fire Questions
Lastly, the team sat down to quickly answer a set of totally serious questions about the development of CACTUS and their personal lives. So hit that play button and enjoy!
What's Next?
Until Christmas, the team will finish any level greyboxes started, implement most of the enemies showcased today and prepare our agenda for next year. After that, it’s time to wind down and decimate the piles of shame we all accumulated on Steam.
In that spirit: Enjoy holiday season and see you in 2024!
Oliver
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