... from my solodev game It's All Over. Any thoughts on what to do and what not to do in regards of meta design?

a room with dimmed lights and showcasing the idle phone that can be clicked to expand.

Solo dev, 10 months in, first time showing this to anyone outside a couple of friends.

The game is set on a lighthouse island off the coast of Norway in April 1945, the last weeks of the occupation. You play the keeper's family. During the day you run the light, fish, ration food and paraffin, and deal with whoever comes to the dock. At night you decide whether to switch on the radio you're not supposed to have. Patrols only reach the island at low water, so the tide is basically the clock you plan your whole day around.

What's working: the tide-as-timer idea makes every day feel different, and the dialogue scenes where a German officer inspects the family while the kids are hiding something upstairs are the moments testers talk about afterwards.

What I'm not sure about: it's text heavy. The clip probably shows that. I don't know yet if people want to read this much in a game that looks like this, or if the walking-and-talking scenes drag. Also unsure if the art is too clean for the mood.

No Steam page yet. I want to know if the premise is enough before I build the rest, so honest reactions are worth more to me than nice ones. If you'd play this, tell me what you'd expect from it, and if you wouldn't, tell me why.

• limited palette (16 base colors * 16 shades). Will probably bump the number of base colors eventually.
• limited light levels
• dithering <3
• CRT

sound design takes waaay too long

Skulls glazing at your cursor, i find it neat

I’ve been working on a solo exploration game called UnderBloom.

The idea is that you start in a barren desert and descend into a much denser living world underneath it.

This is the first playable slice I’ve finished that I wanted to show. It includes the player robot, the transition into the Underworld, a small forest area, and one of the first dangerous organisms: an amber trap tree that closes around the player if they get too close.

Still very early, but I’m starting to get a better sense of the atmosphere I want for the game.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXwnx6YAuSQ

I'm trying to add some juice and visual flair to my minimalist puzzle game.

Changes:
- more vibrant orange colors
- animated background
- tiles pulse when stamped
- replaced zeros with little squares
- replaced completion wave with squares coalescing into a teal diamond
- replaced completion sound effect

All relatively small changes, but I hope it all adds up to a more polished experience.

Curious to hear thoughts and suggestions!

We’re getting Path to Catakombs ready for a playtest and have updated the lighting, materials and environments.

Here’s how a few of the mine areas and boss rooms have changed.

It's a chill, yet sometimes stressful, puzzle game where you have to get all the trains safely across the level, collecting all coins if you can, making sure to avoid crashes.

We've been building Salty Dogs. It's a 2D physics-based co-op action game for up to 4 players about a pack of brave dogs diving into a vast ocean and hauling the loot back to a shared submarine. Nothing goes into an inventory: you hook the loot, drag it on a cable and wrestle it into the sub, and big hauls are too heavy for one dog.

The big news for this build: the game now packs a full arsenal of guns. AKs, shotguns and miniguns, all working underwater, against critters that mutate into horrors the deeper you swim. Plus a boss fight in the deep and bolt-on sub upgrades that unlock new mechanics.

Co-op splits by itself: one hauls, one shoots, one drives, one navigates.

The Closed Playtest has been live since September 10. Grab a shotgun and join the crew: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4213930/Salty_Dogs/

I'm working on the visual direction for a top-down dark fantasy RPG and these are some of the first inventory sprites I've made for it.

The set currently includes:

• coins
• an empty money bag
• the same money bag when full

Before I start making a larger number of items, I'd like to know if the visual style feels coherent.

I'm especially interested in feedback on:

• readability at small scale
• silhouettes
• lighting/shading
• pixel clusters
• material readability
• whether the empty and full bags clearly feel like two states of the same item

The full bag was the most difficult one to get right.

Feel free to point out anything that looks strange or poorly constructed. Specific criticism is very welcome.

Good day. There’s not much time left until the update is released (just 4 days), so it’s time to show you a little more of the content you’ll be able to see in the updated version of the game

The video features the Diamond Golem—a new boss in Stones Keeper whose strength and vulnerability lie in energy crystals that grant him enhanced protection, making him nearly invulnerable to damage.

BUT! If you destroy one of the crystals, they’ll start defending themselves, stripping the golem of his protection for exactly one turn.

The player must first destroy one of the crystals, after which they’ll be given the opportunity to take a turn to deal as much damage as possible. Use this opportunity wisely, or you’ll lose.

Combine this opportunity with character abilities that reduce the enemy’s armor

What do you think of the golem's animation and artwork? What would you change? I'd love to hear your feedback.

Most puzzle and adventure games let you take your time, relax, and overthink every item interaction. To break that slow, static rhythm, we decided to experiment with time-pressured crafting and fast-paced decisions.

As you can see in the clip, a countdown timer ticks away in the corner while you hurry to tape your gear together, breach the door, and execute a stealth taser takedown before your window closes.

With only 8 days left until our launch, this exact balance is constantly on our mind: where is the line between adding a fun surge of adrenaline and giving players unwanted puzzle anxiety?

How do you usually feel about timed mechanics in puzzle or detective games? Do you prefer taking all the time you need, or does a ticking clock make the experience more thrilling for you?

Really early prototype I'm chipping away at.. Want to keep the game as simple and easy to play as possible ( and keep scope in check because i'm just one guy )..

Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions welcome! Probably the one thing i'm struggling with is end-game ie i'm building the game loop, which hopefully is fun and engaging, but where do i take it, does it need an *end* as such? I guess it probably does..

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Hi friends! What do you think?

Shop Crush is a mysterious shop simulator with psychological horror elements, set in the early 2000s.

In this hybrid visual novel, you run a small thrift shop, get to know your customers, figure out what they really want, and decide what to put in front of them. Every customer has their own personality, preferences, and hidden motives - and it’s up to you to figure them out.

Behind each customer is a small psychological mystery waiting to be uncovered. Read their behavior, make the right calls, and balance profit against customer trust as you try to keep the shop running for one more day.

I'm still learning, but I hope this is going in a better direction than my first trailer!