So instead of a post telling you about the game, I figure today’s post would be more about what I’ve been working on this past week.

I’ve started doing what I call “playthrough testing”. I’ll start up the game and play until I find something missing or broken. I’ll fix that, and start over again. This means I’ve been doing work on the menu and the game’s opening.

One of the goals I have for this game is for it to have “A retro feel with a modern simplicity”. I want that for my menus too.

I want The Ballad of Lone Phoenix to be a balanced blend of the games from our past and the games we play today.

That’s also the philosophy behind the way the game opens. Older games tended to throw you into the world without much instruction, but some modern games tend to over-explain things and treat you like you’ve never touched a controller or keyboard before. I hope to find the perfect balance between leaving the players completely alone, and treating them like babies.

Thanks for reading. I’m still planning on releasing a public demo on November 5th (2 weeks!) so stay tuned here on GameJolt.