New update! We now have all of Shael's basic mobility features, plus dash, wall jump, double jump, a secret other kind of jump, and sliding. Also, abilities can be gated behind pickups! Also some movement metrics tuning--things feel more reigned in. #indiedev #gamedev #metroidvania #godot

Progress on Shael's character controller. We've got: -Walk, Run, Jumps, Dash -Crouch, Crawl -Wall and Ledge Shenanigans -Some extra animations for funsies Starting to feel pretty slick I think. At the end of the video I do a little free-running, too. #indiedev #gamedev #metroidvania #godot

Trying to get an actual test gym going to tweak movement parameters and establish distance metrics for what feels good at Shael's scale. Current metrics definitely not quite perfect, but it feels nice to feel the mechanics on a controller! #indiedev #gamedev #metroidvania #godot

Really focusing on the things that matter here. #indiedev #gamedev #pixelart #metroidvania

Jank 🤝 Progress Still haven't attempted run, dash, tether, or some other advanced movement tech. Still haven't updated the gym to appropriate metrics lol. But we're closer to shmoovin'. #indiedev #gamedev #metroidvania #godot

Progress, baby! Ability states up next. #gamedev #indiedev #metroidvania #godot

First time since it released that Smash wasn't my most-played game. Nightreign has taken up all my "killing time" time, and I've gamed less overall this year. Silksong responsible for all of my biggest playing blocks haha. #NintendoSwitch2025

Ahh, one of the classic blunders. #gamedev #indiedev #metroidvania #godot

Started my daughter on a Scratch coding tutorial because she's interested in learning and also because I want to one day save her the pain of spending 4 hours trying to figure out why Godot's child nodes won't recognize variables in a parent node in a simple finite state machine. #gamedev #godot

Deeply, deeply ashamed of my country, and even more deeply frustrated that as a US citizen my only recourse is to pester representatives that won't do anything about the tyranny carried out in my name against my will. I'm so sorry to Venezuela, to south and Latin America, and to the world.

Post some "fire".

Straight into my veins. www.rpgsite.net/interview/19...

Just for fun, here's a lil bitta thematic #pixelart for Aidrah, Shael's mentor and Dae village elder. As a character inspired by the likes of Zero (Mega Man X), Hornet (Hollow Knight), and Impa (Legend of Zelda). Aidrah, Dae's First Light #indiedev #gamedev

You know, ever since #Silksong released, there's been a waiting-for-Silksong-shaped hole in my life. I'm glad I can count on Team Cherry to give me what I need. Excited to once again be waiting for Silksong. youtu.be/qDFEeeLy6ws?...

My commentary on The Game Awards: Congrats to Sandfall and Expedition 33, well deserved win and great story for the studio. Not nominating Silksong for audio is a crime that cannot be forgiven. Silksong was easily my game of the year. New 2D Mega Man?! 😳 In 2027 😞

Over a decade later...

🙌 Hornet just may have the best character controller ever. Such a joy to fly and fight with her. Also included are the save files for my three completions thus far. Fourth will be dedicated to 100% in under 30 hours. #Silksong

Made some general updates to the stride and adjusted Shael's proportions in general. I'm curious what folks think of bounce vs. no bounce in the step. I know having some extra motion is usually preferred, but a single pixel is a big bounce at 24px high. #gamedev #indiedev #pixelart #metroidvania

First try at the 5 hour completion achievement in #Silksong. I died a *lot*, but I did prove to myself that I can beat the game with no extra health, one needle upgrade, and minimal abilities (Swift Step, Clawline, Cling Grip, Silk Spear, Needolin). Think I might get it next try.

Silksong convinced me that I needed a walk cycle in addition to a run cycle for Shael. Being able to take more measure movements through an environment adds too much to the experience to ignore. Though their saunter is maybe TOO casual lol. #indiedev #pixelart #gamedev #metroidvania

Have a Pint, it's +2 Charisma: You often pass through quiet settlements, seeking rest but rushing to depart--the wilds of the journey always beckoning. And yet... the inn's warm glow *is* inviting. Perhaps just a pint before you're on your way. #indiedev #videogamemusic #composition #chiptune #funk

heavybreathing.gif #Nightreign

My god it's beautiful.

I think it should remain possible to work professionally on video games.

Thanks, Team Cherry, for making another of the best games I've ever played. #Silksong

There will be a follow up post when I beat the game and collect my thoughts altogether, but as I attempt the final fight of Act 3 at 100%, Silksong is an absolute masterpiece. Truly, staggeringly beautiful in so many of the ways only a video game can be. #Silksong

Skipping Stones through Sunshine: A sea of light stretches through eternity, endless colors refracting in a field of white gold. Your footsteps ripple to the horizon, universes hidden in the amplitudes between each wave. Reality is your playground. #videogamemusic #indiedev #composition #chiptune

Can confirm, I'm 11 months into a job search following a studio closure last fall. I've had a couple great recruiters, three jobs disappear out from under me as I passed their interviews, and countless automated rejections that were so humbled I was interested in their company.

Say what you will about the requirements (I think it's actually narratively pretty neat), #Silksong sure has a masterful way of transitioning the player to Act 3. Absolutely in love with the way Team Cherry plays with the game systems to communicate narrative.

I'm approaching what feels like a point of no return in #Silksong. 42 hours in, running out of map to explore in Act 2. As I prep to ascend the upper reaches of Cogwork Core, here are a few moments I enjoyed. Bonus great lore moment spoiler screenshot in the next post.

Okay, I got the clawline, and I really think that I love the feel of Hornet's kit so much because it's basically 80% of the kit I've wanted for Shael. I know grapple hook isn't exactly revolutionary, but Hornet's *feel*, the zip and flips, 🧑‍🍳👌 (Shael clip from 2024) #Silksong

Okay, not only is the Last Judge runback not that bad, it's actually really fun and 100% designed to make you practice your skills. This is a *well designed* runback, not a sadistic punishment. And I didn't even really optimize the path. (I don't know how to spoiler tag the video.) #Silksong

#Silksong theory number 2: The runbacks are designed to make you practice Hornet's movement. Longer runs requires advanced platforming mechanics to optimize, and the more you integrate, the faster you go. The desire to get to the boss faster makes you better at movement, and thus better at the game.

I have a theory that #Silksong took structural inspiration from Elden Ring, which I believe beautifully combined the physical structure of an ascent with distinct Acts (4), each act shifting goals and gameplay while the player nostalgically (and literally) looks down on their past adventures.

I'm glad Team Cherry gave me this little platform so I could get a preview of just how slick Silksong is going to be. An hour in and I'm doing these little flips all over the place.

We're a very long way from an actual character controller here, but for the first time in over a year, maybe two, I can control the character again. Shael lives! Posting to document progress. Next up: Jump, crouch, crawl, low vault, ledge vault, wall jump. #indiedev #gamedev #metroidvania #godot

Easing back into #screenshotsaturday with some very exciting and flashy work: learning how to implement animations and adjust collision shapes in #godot. Enjoy the glory of keyed attributes and my response to "why can't metroid crawl". #indiedev #gamedev #metroidvania

Alright folks, we're cookin' with gas* again. *relearning an entire new engine and starting to build a too-complex-for-a-first-timer character controller from scratch for a too-ambitious-for-a-first-timer #metroidvania project that's been slow-cooking for 5 years #indiedev #gamedev #godot

I want to live in my own... wait... no. No! #indiedev #metroidvania #gamedev

Silksong is real, I can finally retire this image after half a decade.

Do I dare to don the mask?

Iteration 3. Enjoying documenting progress. Without loops, this is now at an obscene count of 68 unique frames. I am inefficient with the pixels lol. Have a fun idea for the attack string. Taking advantage of the lore fact that the blade is energy. Next iteration! #indiedev #pixelart #metroidvania

I T E R A T I O N Needs cleaning and fancying, then a 2-3 attack string. #indiedev #pixelart #metroidvania

Early WIP: Bialis, the Duskblade. A greatsword forged of two fundamental forces of the universe, annihilation incarnate. Drawing Bialis changes Shael's melee to several crushing blows and grants the power to sunder reality. #indiedev #pixelart #metroidvania

This, along with the quoted interview, is a beautiful sentiment that must never be lost. Losing sight of this is why so many creative works fail, or fail to meet their potential. I think that's a particularly hard thing for games researchers to internalize, that imperfection can be beautiful.

For posterity, I updated this track and I think I may have deleted the original video. Also linking the new one in that thread. Some of the shapes of the lines, some of the piano hits, and some of the individual instrument volumes were bothering me as I listened back. I jumped the gun!

"As this universe passes through the last of its eras, countless stories will fade to naught. But while yours is a lonely path, flitting from world to world, know that your story will outlive this place, written in the very stardust it leaves behind." #videogamemusic #indiedev #composition

Today Microsoft is sacrificing 9000 people's livelihoods at the altar of capitalism, a boon offered to shareholders so that they might remain appeased with the paltry 22% year over year profit increase they tolerated in 2024. May this additional billion in savings be enough against the prior $88b.

Updated this to include 5/5 strikes (though I do still plan to include additional combos--this is a legendary artifact of the universe's creation myth after all). #indiedev #pixelart #metroidvania

Early WIP: Alethis, the Planar Edge. A dagger forged of two fundamental forces of the universe, capable of piercing reality itself. Drawing Alethis changes Shael's melee to a dagger flurry and grants the ability to slice through the boundaries between worlds. #indiedev #pixelart #metroidvania