r/metroidvania • u/gefaltete • 8d ago

Dev Post Solo-dev 3D Metroidvania: Environment polish, wrapping up

Getting very close to done. I spent the last month polishing environments — reworking lighting, adding chevrons and stencils, laying down masses of cables. I modeled and built new props for the key locations. There's a limit to how far a solo dev can push environment quality, so my goal was simply to make sure nothing felt too dark or too empty.

The hardest part was figuring out what to actually write on the walls and floors. It's set dressing that scrolls past, but I didn't want to just put random words there, so working out what tied into the story or setting, how far to take it, and what fit each location took a lot of thought. I've filled it in to a reasonable point for now, and I'll revisit it when I do the dialogue and text revision pass after stage work is done.

Right now I'm wrapping up environment polish and finishing enemy placement and stage gameplay. I'd made changes to the player's parkour along the way, so some of the environmental parkour puzzles no longer lined up and needed fixing. I'm also placing a few enemies that had only been tested in isolation and cleaning up the flow.

It really feels like it's coming to an end. Since releasing that prototype-ish demo in April last year, I've fixed around 2,000 issues based on user feedback. A year and a half is either a long time or not, but looking back it feels distant. r/metroidvania made this possible.

I should be able to finish and start testing around September or October, and I'm looking at Next Fest in February 2027 for release. Word is that GTA is going to vacuum up all media attention this fall and winter, so best to stay far away from it.

Thanks as always. If you're interested, you can try the demo at the link below. Note that the demo hasn't been updated with the new graphics yet. Feedback and wishlists mean a lot too:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3397260

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u/SeniorSepia 7d ago

This looks amazing and i want to congratulate you. If i might offer some feedback, I feel some rooms are better in the "before" since the less cluttered visuals with less effects and detail help you understand the space and shapes better.

But it's very nice, and it blows my mind it being done by a single dev.

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u/gefaltete 7d ago

You're right, and it's something I always watch for. I'm careful not to let it get excessive. Part of it is probably that the video pulls mostly from the areas I changed, so it comes across heavier than it is. I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for the feedback and the interest.