In Zelda NES, level 1 is cyan, and level 2 is blue. This is narrative. It was a story to 5-year-old me, watching in awe as my mom reached that new, mysterious, colorful place. Colors, music, aesthetics inform how you respond emotionally on these journeys. "Aesthetics as narrative." #indiedev

Labyrinth Memoria is my comfort game. There's been countless times when I've pulled it out when I was depressed or anxious, and it helped me feel better. That's something that keeps me going, the thought that the things I make might be someone else's comfort when they need it. #indiedev #pixelart

Acheron is a place of reflection, a place of despair... It also has a very nice beach! Acheron Island is a Remix zone, taking aesthetics and themes from an older zone and mixing things up. The layouts are totally different, and the difficulty's a bit higher, too. #indiedev #indiegame #gaming

Sparks fly in this week's zone showcase: Power Cell! Use buttons to divert electric currents to light the way and open doors. But the electricity makes otherwise simple paths a challenge. What does a Labyrinth power plant power, exactly? Don't think too hard about it. #indiedev #gamedev #indiegame

Here's one example. I agree with the sentiment of the post, incidentally.

Psykid is a psychic-powered youth whose look and abilities might seem a little familiar. His Electron spell can be controlled and steered into enemies, while Freeze explodes in a burst that freezes foes. His Strong Psi trait boosts a handful of energy-based spells. #gamedev #indiedev #gaming

I've been putting burrowing mechanics in zeldalikes years before Mina the Hollower was a twinkle in someone's eye. Surely this means they stole the concept from me. (It doesn't. And don't call me Shirley.) #gamedev #indiedev #gaming

It's funny that the Steam store recommends games based on play time in your own unreleased games. But this one is on point, since it's a very similar genre.

WIP demonstration of a new push block effect. It needs a visual cue that it's about to explode, like shaking or something. Effects like this are cool because they mesh well with existing mechanics, creating a chemistry kit for custom levels or my own level design. #gamedev #indiedev

In Poisonous Corridor, pools of corrosive poison cover much of the floor. Standing in them too long damages you, so you'll have to be quick-footed to survive. Watch out for witchrobes! A shader gives the poison pools a nice sheen. With its jazzy music, this zone is a lot of fun. #indiedev #gamedev

Last summer, I threw together a test character in the character creator. He resembles a built-in character, but with green skin and red eyes. Today, Zombie Cal went on a big adventure to Steam's Workshop, then back home to my laptop. We've been through a lot together. #indiedev #gamedev #pixelart

The official art for the Spectral Web: Yuurei is here! Credit goes to the excellent @satrathai.bsky.social. #indiedev #solodev

Today's episode of "Things Going Very Wrong."

In my mobile RPG side project, Labyrinth Memoria, tool items are used for opening barriers and playing minigames. Here's the Stygian Keys. Symbols and colors help with accessibility. "Simple" mode is all you'd need to progress, but there's a full mode just for playing around. #indiegame #indiedev

I've been working on poses for character portraits, and just couldn't resist... Still needs some work, but it's been a good learning exercise for drawing hands. Oh, and if Eli is representing you in court, you've got big problems. #indiedev #AceAttorney

Testing some mechanics with the new Beam spell. There's still some cleanup to be done, and juice to add, but the mirrors and prisms are pretty fun! #indiedev #indiegame #gaming

One of the fun things about Yuurei is the variety of different spells and characters. Here's Will utilizing his flame form signature and other abilities to claim a new attack spell. #indiegame #indiedev #solodev #zeldalike

As part of making a nicer level editor, I built a list of enemies that happens to serve as a neat mini bestiary. #indiedev #gamedev #pixelart

The Spectral Web: Yuurei's Machine Tower features four floors based on different metals. Welcome to the gold floor! Gold is great for making machines ... right? #gamedev #indiedev #GodotEngine

As a solo game developer, I'll soon be sharing all kinds of development updates, including gameplay videos and screenshots, music, art, and more! In the mean time, here's a picture of my cat, Nori. I hear you guys like those.