Hey everyone!
Let’s get acquainted — my name is Vadim, and I’m the Game Director at ExoGenesis Studio, working on the project INAYAH: Life After Gods.
Every day, we notice that more and more people are paying attention to our game — INAYAH: Life After Gods — and that makes us insanely happy! So, in this DevLog, we decided to share more about our journey and how we got to where the game is now: stunning 2D graphics, a dynamic combat system, and the ability to juggle three different types of weapons.
How did it all start?
Honestly, if you had seen what our project looked like just over a year ago, you’d be like, “Wait, THAT’S how the game looked back then?! How did they manage to pull off so much work in such a short time before release?!”
It’s worth noting that when creating a game with 2D graphics, the main challenge is that every visual element requires manual drawing. And the more complex the element, the more time and effort goes into every detail.
Back in February, me and Alex (our Art Director) were sitting there thinking: “How do we make a game that looks absolutely insane but doesn’t turn into an endless development cycle? How should it look, and how should it play?” Some might say, “Asking these questions just a year before release?! That’s crazy…”
But game development is actually a super creative and unpredictable process. Especially when you’re striving to balance both visual awesomeness and gameplay depth.
So, we started figuring out which ideas would actually push the game forward and help it reach its full potential, and which ones we’d have to drop for the greater good. But no matter what, we never wanted to sacrifice visual aesthetics or the emotional atmosphere.
“So we don’t feel ashamed of ourselves” — that’s our half-joking but very real mantra at every stage.
2D Graphics and Thousands of Animation Frames
One of the unique features of our game is the mesmerizing animated graphics that form the foundation of the gameplay. It gives the game a one-of-a-kind vibe that perfectly complements the gameplay, immersing players headfirst into the story. We drew inspiration from Studio Ghibli’s works and classic anime (like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind).
Behind all the beauty you see in our game lies an insane amount of work. For example, just the main character, Inayah, has over 50 separate animations and more than 3,000 frames, meticulously hand-drawn.
And it’s not just Inayah — every enemy, boss, or NPC goes through the same process to make sure you feel like you’re in a world where every character feels truly alive. And there are about a hundred characters in the game… just imagine how much our artists and animators have drawn!
Boss Battles
Honestly, I’ll admit it: I love boss fights. For me, it’s crucial that every battle feels unique, tests different aspects of your gaming skills and strategic thinking, and doesn’t just boil down to mindless “running around spamming the attack button.”
Of course, this creates the risk that some players might get stuck on certain content and start feeling frustrated. Variety can sometimes lead to a loss of cohesion, so it’s important to balance on that edge without breaking the interconnectedness and overall feel of the game.
The uniqueness of each boss often feels like it disrupts the usual rhythm, as each one requires a different approach. At the same time, players want to get through them as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, our game’s build system plays a huge role, offering completely different experiences depending on the approach you take.
This creates the main challenge: to make players truly feel the benefits of the progression system, we have to increase enemy health pools so that bosses have enough time to showcase their various abilities and phases. But I also don’t want to turn them into damage sponges, so there’s still a lot of meticulous balancing work ahead.
Right now, we’re focusing on a few things:
- Thoroughly testing the content and bosses, identifying where players feel frustrated.
- Listening to feedback and planning balance adjustments even after release, so that battles feel adrenaline-pumping but not like pure torture.
Three Weapons and "Juggling" in Combat
Originally, the game was planned to have just one weapon — classic for action-platformers. But the idea of "multi-weapon" gameplay had been bouncing around in my head for a while. At the same time, I didn’t want the weapons to just look different; I wanted to create distinct combat styles that felt radically different from each other.
At some point, we tried a prototype with three weapon options: Blades, Fists, and Mace.
And the result exceeded all expectations:
- Blades: Fast combos, high mobility, and the ability to parry.
- Fists: Stationary weaponry that requires careful positioning, but attacks gain speed as you chain them. Staying in a good position is key, and you can use shields to help with that.
- Mace: A slow weapon that can take out enemies in a single hit, but requires precise timing. It can also absorb enemy projectiles.
This "juggling" of weapons opens up a ton of strategies and tactics, both in combat and while exploring the game world. As a result, the gameplay not only becomes more varied but also lets players choose the playstyle that feels most comfortable to them, without forcing them into a rigid framework.
To make sure players of different skill levels can easily switch between weapons, we implemented two methods: quick cycling (carousel) or a wheel with a pause. You decide how hardcore you want to play.
Difficulty Levels and Custom Mode
Our team is made up of gamers just like you, so we have people with completely different skill levels among us. That’s why we understand how important it is for the game to adapt to the player’s skill level, so everyone can enjoy the experience.
Our game offers three main difficulty modes:
- Easy: Double jump from the start, plenty of extra platforms in levels, and no real challenge in combat.
- Normal: Extra platforms in levels, but sometimes requires switching between weapons.
- Hard: Active "juggling" becomes critical, both in combat and while navigating levels.
But we also know that some players care more about platforming, while others want tough battles. That’s why we’ve included a custom difficulty mode — players can tweak individual aspects, like making platforming easier but keeping combat hardcore.
This way, you can create your own challenge or a relaxed adventure, like back in the day when you could just bypass any difficulty… well, almost.
Builds, Implants, and Injectors
We wanted to give players a sense of "different playstyles", so you’re not just boosting strength and health stats, but also experimenting.
Want to spin around in the air? Go for it. Love DoT (damage-over-time) builds? Be our guest. Or maybe you want gun-arms? We’ve got that too!
This is achieved through "talent trees" for each weapon’s abilities. Talents not only provide passive stat boosts but also change how those abilities function.
The game also features implants and injectors, which add new special abilities, progression options, and ways to overcome any challenge.
Main Challenges (and Why We Didn’t Get to Everything)
We’re a small team of 20+ people, and despite all our ambition, we had to prioritize. At some point, we realized: "We won’t be able to do everything we want." So, some ideas (like additional biomes or more complex mechanics) were pushed to post-release updates or DLC.
However, when we freed up a bit more time and resources, we immediately focused on implementing cutscenes to better showcase the world and characters. After all, the 2D format doesn’t always allow for a "wide" perspective, and cutscenes can add a cinematic feel and immersion. Now, when we read your warm feedback about them, we know we made the right choice.
Future Plans
We’re happy with how the game has turned out, but we’re not planning to stop here, as we’re still infinitely far from the ideal we’re striving for. Faster, higher, stronger!
Since we’re having a heart-to-heart in this letter, I think it’s only fair to give you a sneak peek at our near-future plans:
- Additional DLC (new mechanics, bosses, and biomes) that didn’t make it into the base game.
- New cutscenes to make the world of INAYAH shine even brighter.
- Ongoing work with feedback: we’ll tweak and expand the game based on your comments.
We’re thrilled that you’re reading our DevLogs and supporting the project! It’s important to us to build a deeper connection between us, the developers, and you, the players.
Any questions, ideas, or suggestions — feel free to write in the comments or on our Discord server. We’re happy to discuss and consider them for future updates. See you in the world of INAYAH: Life After Gods!
And thank you for reading this post to the end!
Sincerely,
Vadim, Game Director at ExoGenesis Studio.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3199390/INAYAH__Life_after_Gods/