Hello everyone!
It's been a month since our last update, and we've been working non-stop on the Blanco family's house, filling every corner with the secrets and atmosphere that will make Animas a truly unsettling experience. We wanted to share a glimpse of what we've been up to.
Building the atmosphere, detail by detail.
One of our main goals this month has been to make steady progress on the game's prologue. We have already locked down the structure and progression for this first experience, and we can estimate that it will have an approximate length of 40 minutes. Right now, our focus is on the details: transforming the house from a simple set piece into another character in the story. We want those 40 minutes to be packed with content and clues that enrich the narrative, making sure that every object and every shadow has something to say.
To achieve that authenticity, sometimes you have to obsess over the small details. As many of you know, candles are a fundamental element in Venezuela's religious traditions and rituals. They are a symbol of faith, a bridge to the spiritual, and in Animas, a source of light in the midst of overwhelming darkness. That's why it was unthinkable for us not to dedicate the necessary time to create a good candle system. Our goal was to have a wide variety of them, to make their flickering feel natural, and most importantly, to be able to animate them in a controlled and interesting way during the key moments when they are lit and extinguished.
But terror doesn't live on candles alone. We have also been deep into 3D modeling, creating a large number of religious statuettes. These figures will be one of the most representative visual elements of the game, anchoring the world of Animas directly in the complex and fascinating spiritual traditions of Venezuela. Each one has its own story and its own weight in the mystery you are about to uncover.
The voices that will guide us in the darkness
A fundamental pillar for immersion in Animas is the sound, and more specifically, the voices that will bring its characters to life. We are pleased to announce that we are now preparing everything to record the voice-over for the prologue in the coming weeks. We are incredibly excited to be able to work with professional voice actors who will give the story the depth and character it deserves. We hope to share some pictures and stories from the recording sessions with you soon!
What's next: a final push for the prologue
With all this progress, the announcement of the prologue's release date is getting closer and closer. And to give it that final push, we have planned a two-week "crunch" period for next month. These will be days where we disconnect from everything else to dedicate ourselves 100% to development. This means that our next update on the game's progress promises to be the juiciest and most significant one we've shared so far.
We're eager to show you the results of all this hard work. As always, thank you for your support and for joining us on this journey.
Talk to you soon,
The Apamate Studio Team