Hello! I'm very excited to present Sunrise Alpha v2026.4.0 (previously known as v0.4.0), or Codename Tahoe. This update brings a lot to the table, but first, I'd like to talk about an update to the development cycle of Sunrise:

Development Update

If you haven't noticed already, for one, the version numbering system has been updated to reflect the current year, the current major update, and the minor / hotfix update, following the format "2026.4.0" instead of "0.4.0", which can get very confusing at times. Alongside the new version numbering system, the game will now be receiving either monthly or bi-monthly updates (unless we get a sudden motivation boost and release a hotfix early) which add new features to the game instead of the long wait for a massive game drop. This will allow us to receive feedback on various aspects instead of having to collect more beta-testers and being under the veil of "radio silence". We're hoping this schedule can work out for us, but remember, it isn't too guarantee, and to be fair, our lead developer "WushR00M" is in the midst of high school, so cut her some slack will you? (hah!). Sunrise has also migrated back to GitHub because of convenience. You should know we didn't want to make this decision, but it was necessary.

Alright, now that that's over with, let's get into the changelog:

v2026.4.0 Changelog

Additions (Features): 

• GameJolt + Achievements / Trophies Support: Sunrise has made its way to GameJolt's API system, where you can input your GameJolt username and game token, link your game to your GameJolt account, and receive a free GameJolt exclusive trophy. More features related to GameJolt support, which includes cloud backup, leaderboards, and viewing your Friends list, are coming in the long run.

• New Play Menus: There's two new pages in the Play Menu aside the "Story Mode" page, titled "Saved Levels" where you play your downloaded levels (currently in-progress), and "Multiplayer", which is coming soon as well.

• Options Screen Pages + Updates: More options have been added and the Options menu has been split off into 4 separate pages.

• Create Mode Updates: A new "Project" dropdown, replacing the previously titled "Level Properties" dropdown is now present and features the ability to run your level, "debug" your level (which is coming soon and is locked away at the moment), and stop playtesting your level. There's also a new "Setup" view, which is planned to allow you to fill out various details about a level, including level name, author, and more! The UI was also updated for more padding and there's a new Objects toolbox layout.

• Brand New Title Sequence: ​The animation that plays at the start of the game has been completely revamped alongside new title screen music that syncs up with the opening sequence. The Title Screen also requires you to click on the Sunrise logo instead of pressing any key and the logo splits in two before transitioning into the main menu, which has also gotten a few refinements.​

Additions (Gameplay):

• Revamped Platformer Engine: The platformer engine has been completely rewritten from scratch, fixing lots of issues with the previous one, such as hitboxes, adding support for slopes, which are only available in Story Levels at the moment, Sunrise Editor support will come later, among many others. Physics, speed, acceleration have also been completely changed, and skidding alongside new animations have been added.

• Boostpads: Boostpads launch you in the direction they're facing. There's standard boosts and super-boosts which launch you farther. These are designed to go on floors, walls, and ceilings, and there's a big and small variant. However, more types are coming eventually, and currently, these, like slopes, are unable to be placed down in the Editor yet. Speaking of slopes:

• Slopes: Self-explanatory. Slopes are in the game now, but currently can't be placed down in the Editor.

• Title Cards: Levels will now begin with a title card opening animation before sliding into the level. These can be disabled in the Options menu for a more "legacy" type of feel to the game, where the game will jump straight in with a level or flash transition.

Additions (Technical):

• Code + Asset Optimizations

• GLSL Color and Visual Shader Support

• Re-Organized File Structure within the YYP Project File

• Removal of Unused Assets to Save Space and Build Times

• Pre-Loading Moved to GameMaker Engine Loading Screen

• Audio Files are Now Compressed into OGG Format

• Installer File Size was Reduced to 50MB (originally 130MB)

• Game Directory Size was Reduced to 70MB (originally 150MB)

Tweaks & Changes:

• New Goodbye Lines + Video Easter Egg updated, ssshhh..

• Title Screen default background color was changed to reflect new Sunrise branding

• "CAUTION" Screen Wait Time was increased to last a bit longer, plus a fade-in and out animation was added

• Main Menu Layout was redesigned with a new randomized artwork display to replace the "Sunrise Online" media board, alongside new animations

• UI Sounds were tweaked and changed (once again)

• Controller Support has been moderately disabled in the Editor and the rest of the game for the time-being, it'll come back once the Editor and game are more polished

• Scroll Wheel now changes the Master Volume of the game instead of 5 preset increments using PgUp and PgDn (soon to be removed)

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that didn't properly clear variables upon exiting Create Mode whilst playtesting a level

• Fixed a bug that causes an extremely rare BSOD with certain NVIDIA graphics drivers on Windows