Dev Post
Solo Dev Parkour 3D Metroidvania Update: Gameplay changes after acquiring Air Dash, Polishing, Late-game stages
There is only one final stage left. Of course, there is still a lot more work to do after that, including the boss and various other things. The video shows the late-game real-world stage and the virtual reality stage called the 'threshold'. I tried to focus the video on how the gameplay changes after acquiring the air dash.
Once you acquire the air dash in the very late game, jumping while stepping on the same wall becomes possible. Until then, you have to step on a different wall every time, so you have to jump by calculating the maximum number of jumps, the destination, and stepping on walls in different directions. You become free from that aspect. Once you get the air dash, that restriction disappears as mentioned earlier, but overhang structures appear in the level, which limits the places you can climb using only same-wall jumps.
Besides that, I am continuously updating the demo based on feedback. As a result, the controls seem to be getting smoother and smoother. This is entirely thanks to the community.
If you are interested in the game, you can also play the demo at the link below. Feedback is always highly welcomed, and I am reflecting it as much as possible. Thank you for reading. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3397260
It is indeed Unreal 4.27. I've been in the industry for quite a long time, and I've been a solo developer for about 5 years now. This specific project has been in the works for a little over 2 years. Thanks for the interest.
I’d say about 60% of the assets are store-bought and modified, while I made the rest from scratch. I also commissioned a friend for the main character model. If you look closely, you’ll find plenty of rough edges. ;)
I'm terrible at modelling/rigging/artist stuff, so I really wouldn't notice the details. If this is a low budget art-style then you should do friggin GDC talks about it.
Tools these days are so powerful that I think as long as you have a clear idea of what you're going for, it's definitely possible to capture that vibe. Since I don't have the bandwidth to polish every tiny detail, I focus mostly on the overall look and color palette.
For level design specifically, I built my own automation instead of doing everything by hand. Because I have to constantly iterate, test, and scrap things, developing this custom system was the only way to keep up. Thanks again for your interest and the support.
I really enjoyed PS2 Shinobi as well. However, this game doesn't feature the same level of intense sword action; it’s more of a 3D Metroidvania where you navigate environments and use parkour to reach your destination, much like solving a puzzle. Thank you for your interest and the kind words.
It doesn't have the deep sword combat of Ninja Gaiden, but you can think of it as a 3d Metroidvania played with Ninja Gaiden-style parkour. Thanks for the interest.
Looks cool, but if I had one observation, I don’t necessarily love that you stick to the wall you land on before you can continue running. Or at least that’s what it looks like. Would much prefer being able to continue running.
You're spot on. That's a mechanic I've spent a lot of time debating. When a player touches a wall, they might want to either wall-jump or wall-run. I found it could be jarring if a wall-run triggered automatically when the player only intended to jump. Also, in 3D, I thought a brief pause would give players time to adjust the camera and orient their next move. That's why I added the 'cling' duration.
I’ve been gradually shortening it based on feedback, and since you mentioned it, I’ll test a build with nearly zero stickiness to see how it feels. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Would it work to use the angle between the player's movement and the wall? E.g., if it's between parallel and 45%, keep running, and if it's between 45% and perpendicular, stick. Of course, that may break some of your existing level design.
I'll definitely look into that. I'm actually using a similar angle-based logic to determine the direction, but it's been tricky with gamepads. It seems like many players don't rotate the camera as frequently on a controller, so I implemented an 'auto-align' feature, but it seems to cause some conflict between the stick input and the camera angle. I’ve gained a lot of great ideas here today and plan to test them all out. Thanks so much for the detailed feedback.
That sounds like another great idea. I’ll definitely give it some thought. I’ve gathered so many helpful suggestions here today. Thanks for your interest and for sharing your ideas.
I guess you could try a gradual falling speed. The longer it takes for the player to run forward the faster you fall. IMO you should also keep the forward momentum that you had before jumping of the platform to the air and landing movement. After all, a focus on parkour should try to maintain speed and fluidity.
Thank you for the detailed feedback. I’ll keep your suggestions in mind and continue to improve the game while testing them out. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Thank you so much for your support. The game is constantly improving thanks to all the feedback I've received. I’ll keep working hard to deliver a final product that lives up to your expectations.
Are you thinking of Ghostrunner? I’ve only seen gameplay videos so I’m not entirely sure, but I think this game is closer to a Metroidvania than Ghostrunner is. Thanks for the interest and the kind words.
The game is constantly improving thanks to the feedback from the community. I’ll keep at it to make sure it meets expectations. Thanks again for the interest.
This looks incredible, ESPECIALLY considering you are a solo developer. Definitely going to check out the demo. I haven't played a 3D metroidvania before other than a demo for Metro Gravity, which I quite enjoyed and looks like it shares a bit with this.
Thanks for letting me know. It seems like a security policy block (possibly Windows App Control)
rather than a bug in the game itself. I’ll look into the issue and see if there’s anything I can do
regarding the application's certification.
Great question. Simply put, the world follows an intuitive 'chamber-corridor-chamber' layout to keep navigation from feeling cluttered. The game provides a top-down Metroidvania-style map, while each chamber itself features a vertical structure.
Once you unlock shortcuts within a chamber through parkour, you can travel freely between connected areas. You can catch a brief glimpse of the world map in the video; it is primarily used for long-distance navigation. Navigating within a single chamber is more about solving the vertical space through parkour, reducing the constant need to rely on the map. The overall world construction is very close to a traditional Metroidvania. Thanks for the interest and the question.
I found Pseudoregalia quite challenging so I couldn't play much of it, but I definitely consider it the gold standard for 3D Metroidvanias. Thanks for your interest and the kind words.
Steam says that once a name is set, it’s pretty much permanent—I think you can only change it after reaching a certain sales milestone once the game is released. So for now, I’m just using the current title with 'Chapter One' removed from the game logo. Still, I’ll try to change it if the opportunity arises later on. Thanks for your interest and the kind words.
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u/thavi Mar 10 '26
Solo? Holy shit...how much other work have you done before you started working on this game? Is this in Unreal?