After several months of developing the game, it's finally time for the first devlog. As you might have noticed, the game takes inspiration from Persona and The World Ends with You. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant about starting this devlog. The reasons are basically personal, and I wasn't exactly sure when it would be ideal to start something like this. I understand the reasoning of most people that you should market your game from the get-go, but there's no guarantee that your marketing efforts will pay off. As an indie developer, things are more complicated since you have to juggle between many things: from managing your team to actually developing the game. Time is precious, especially when you’re in your late 30s, with a kid ^ ^

Why did I start this devlog?

Despite my initial concerns, I decided that starting a devlog would benefit me. Not necessarily because of marketing, but mostly as a way of expressing what's on my mind. It makes me feel better, almost like going to a psychologist. So, I want to record the development of the game, see how things progress, and perhaps provide a helpful resource for other developers trying to make their games.

So, back to Parallel Pulse and the main concept behind it. I would characterize the game as a turn-based JRPG. Although the mechanics are closer to Persona and its story logic, it mainly takes visual inspiration from the TWEWY.

TWEWY & Persona have been my main sources of inspiration

Back in 2008, internet was limited, same went with information online, and when I bought TWEWY for the DS, I didn’t think much of it when I saw it on the shelf. I just looked at the back and decided to buy it. I wasn't expecting much, and wasn’t even sure if I’d like it, but when I first launched the game, I was immediately blown away. From the unique aesthetics to the innovative mechanics, it was a game that pushed the hardware limitations of the DS to the limit.At the same time, one of my best friends had bought Persona. Although I didn't play the game when it was first released (in 2008 in EU), I would go to my friend's house and hang out while he played. I must admit I enjoyed watching it more than playing it at the time.

And now we go fast forward to 2023 when I decided I wanted to make a game that takes inspiration from both of my favorite JPRG games. I never expected to become a game developer, let alone make one of my dream games. Although The World Ends with You had an amazing story, I decided to go with a more entertaining approach, similar to Persona. The main inspiration behind this is the character art being more extroverted and because making a game like The World Ends with You would require more time bandwidth. Let me clarify what I mean by this. Back in 2008, games weren't released in bulk as they are today. When you bought a game, you most likely made the best out of it, finishing it and dedicating a lot of hours to it. TWEWY starts with Neku, an introverted teenager who isn't the most likable character. However, as the game progresses, Neku transforms from an annoying brat to a caring person. Themes like friendship and love are explored This transformation takes a lot of story beats, with each character having their journey and dreams.

My point is that 15 to 20 years ago, stories had the luxury of more time bandwidth. Same went with books. You could start a bit slower. Nowadays, that's not the case, and you need to capture your audience's attention from the get-go. At the same time, I wanted to incorporate dating simulation elements similar to Persona.

Just a small note here: I admit that I wasn't playing Persona for its scenario; it was mostly because of the interactions with friends and romances.

Game Plot & Character Cast

Similar to Persona & TWEWY, the plot takes place in a contemporary environment where spirits exist and grant wishes by forming contracts with the living. Unfortunately, these spirits are prone to corruption if the wrong rumors spread about them. Our hero is caught in a war between spirits and the Netherborn, humans who have overused their spirit-granted powers.

The main characters of the game are Laios, Amelia, and Oliver, three schoolmates caught in this war. The player is granted powers and needs to uncorrupt the spirits of their school while surviving the trials posed by both the spirits and the Netherborn.

Design and Development Decisions I had to take early on

When I started developing the game, I wanted to create an action RPG experience similar to TWEWY; however, I soon realized that the barriers were enormous, so I quickly decided to switch to a turn-based RPG. I probably took this decision on a whim when I went to Comicson Thessaloniki 2024. There was a workshop about game design, and there I realized what I was attempting to make wouldn’t work. Some people think that action RPGs are easier to make, and this might be the case for 3D projects. For 2D projects with hand-drawn sprite sheets, the challenge increases because you have to create animations for every single attack, different VFX, and various states for enemies. It’s more efficient to go with an old-school approach with turn-based mechanics. The AI is simpler, and it's easier to prototype on paper before implementing in-game. In summary, it would have been impossible or at least way more time-consuming to complete this project as an action RPG. Fortunately, we iterated relatively quickly and switched to a turn-based RPG version and no time was wasted in developing mechanics or assets.

Development Status and Future Plans

Currently, the game is in the preproduction stage, and we're aiming to release a vertical slice at the beginning of 2025. To be honest, I didn't expect the scope to expand so quickly. When I realized it, I immediately tried to scale down, especially with the combat system. Some unexpected challenges involved the game's art. TWEWY has unique background angles, which affects sprite behavior. Another issue is creating camera bounds and adjusting the camera for internal locations. Unlike TWEWY, which takes place mostly outside, I wanted to showcase the university's interior. This created a ton of issues with collisions as well as the camera system. I must admit that I'm not planning on releasing a game of this scope in the near future. Lessons learned!

The unique mechanics of the game haven't been fully fleshed out yet, but rumors will play an integral part in both the story and the gameplay. As I mentioned before, rumors can shape reality. Imagine spreading a rumor about an enemy that changes their behavior—this is essentially what happens in our game. I can’t reveal more now, but I’ll make sure to flesh out these parts in our Game Design Document as the game is being developed.

That being said, the main sprite sheet for the hero is nearly complete, and we are in the beautification and polishing stage. We've decided on an 8-directional approach similar to TWEWY. Similar to both Persona and TWEWY, the environments will be vibrant with life, with NPCs walking around, making the experience organic. That being said, most of the backgrounds are already completed and all locations will be functional by the end of September.

Developing the initial outline for the vertical slice of the game was also a challenge because I had to consider the mechanics while they were being prototyped. The script is in good shape, but it will likely go through iterations. At least the artwork is in an advanced state, and I have most of what I need to create the dialogue system, which is the next on my list to develop.

And that’s it, I guess. Thank you for following along, and I appreciate your support and feedback as we continue this journey. Don’t forget to follow my account and like this post!

 Check out this post in my main blog: https://www.alexitsios.com/2024/08/from-inspiration-to-reality-making-of.html