This is not the first time I have started a site on this domain, nor is it the first time I have started this project or one like it. However, this is the first time that I've made enough progress, and felt like it is worth doing a proper dev log. This site will hopefully document the development of the game. This post will not be that yet.

But what is it?

The short version is, a narrative driven Metroidvania.

But what is it?

Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull off a Metroidvania, I'm more a story than gameplay kinda guy, but I'll do what I can. I have some ideas for scope creep\,^W\,^W additional gameplay features I would like to add.

But what is it?

A game, set in the X-Universe, written for a retro console. Which console? Well the Atari Jaguar of course.

I've had questions why I chose the Jaguar, and why I didn't just make it in a retro style on a modern PC. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the primary one is, I enjoy the limitations that older systems place on us, and the Jaguar is just on the edge of this I think, where the limitations can make for an enjoyable experience on its own. Plus I like the idea of using more difficult/niche hardware. I like the Jaguar. It ticks a lot of boxes for me. It also has the fact that, if I manage to complete the game, then I will be able to get a physical release, not something that I could really do with PS1.

The game is being developed largely on PC with two different emulators, BigPEmu, and VirtualJaguar. It should run with the standard setup on either emulator. VirtualJaguar RX is published under GPLv3, which means that the game could even be distributed with the emulator bundled together, in a manner similar to how games are bundled with DosBOX.

So, now let's skip back to what I was talking about before. The game itself. I said that I want to make a Metroidvania, and that is certainly true. I enjoy a lot of the features that make up a Metroidvania. I cannot really get the all-action style of a Metroidvania to fit with the X-Universe however. So I guess I might be aiming for a Metroidvania-lite. I want to have sections that you came unlock later with new abilities, and I want secrets, and I do want some combat/action in the Metroidvania style. But I am also a massive fan of adventure games, and specifically ones that are more narrative-heavy, rather than necessarily focusing everything on puzzle solving.

So I guess a description of what I want is a platforming game, with massive, unlockable sections, replayability, story, NPC dialogue, combat… oh, and a shmup… I guess I'll come back to that in a bit.

I have a game design in mind and partially documented, but it is very much subject to change based on whim, limitations, the phase of the moon, or inspiration. How I mainly see this going is a bit of a slower paced 2D platformer. The majority of the minute-to-minute gameplay will be walking around, talking to NPCs, progressing narrative, even some trading. There will be combat sections, which are currently intended to be using the same systems, so should feel integrated with the normal gameplay. They will hopefully also be somewhat open-ended, so if you particularly enjoy that, then you could spend more time doing this.

So, I mentioned a shmup… well, the X-Universe has spaceships. I feel like I kind of have to have some kind of spaceship flight in it. This is currently very much a wish-list feature and, while it is involved in a few story beats, it wouldn't hurt too much if it were dropped. If I can though, you'll be able to fly your Teladi Peregrine around, shooting down Xenon that come flying at you. Like the personal combat, this will also be mostly an optional side thing that you can continue doing if it's something you enjoy.

This is a lot for one dude to make in his free time. While I've never been diagnosed with ADHD or anything similar, I do have a habit of being distracted by other projects, so completing any significant portion of this is a pretty major undertaking. I am tackling this in a few ways, the first is that I'm working on a few features that I'm interested in (notably the dialogue/story systems), and secondly I'm streaming the development on Twitch. This seems to give me more motivation to keep on rolling.

There's a long road ahead, but nothing about the X-Universe is quick and easy.