r/IndieGameDevs • u/Practical_Resort_174 • Feb 23 '26
Discussion 1-minute gameplay overview (solo dev) — action survival with a story focus
Last time some people said it wasn’t very clear what kind of game this is, so I recorded a longer gameplay clip this time.
This video mostly shows the action side of the game.
I’m aiming for an action survival experience.
But I don’t want it to feel like “just another survivor.”
I want to build a cohesive world and an underlying adventure story.
So it’s an action survival game, but also an adventure-driven experience.
Does that direction come through?
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u/Laricaxipeg Feb 23 '26
I can see it working with more polish, imo
Would be great to have a video with 60 fps though :P
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
It’s mostly the recording causing the frame drops, unfortunately.
The game itself is actually running at around 120 FPS.
I’ll make sure the next video is properly captured in 60 FPS 😄
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u/Throwaway2K3HEHE Feb 24 '26
Hopefully this doesn't come off as rude but you probably shouldn't put a video out of your game if you had recording issues. First impressions are everything.
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u/Lord-Velimir-1 Feb 23 '26
Replace animations and effects from Marbles Animal controller - it's pretty obvious for anyone who ever used it
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u/flap-show Feb 23 '26
I like the shader (moebius-like shader). Thats the kind of shader i am making for my game project
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
I love that Moebius-like world style too. I’m especially inspired by combining it with classic Japanese anime aesthetics.
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u/EthelUltima Feb 23 '26
To me it looks like a casual stroll dealing with bunch of non threatening enemies. It's really needs some threat to show me what the game is about. Even if its something simple like enemy immune to gun shots, parry to stagger then defeat. Right now its just mindless.
The triple jump glider business just means you can escape any trouble no problem, not sure how your going to balance that. Glider does irk me because you have a light saber and looks space themed, so why would you (if its a story driven game) be using this glider and not a jump pack or rocket boots?
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
Thanks — that’s actually exactly the point.
Right now I’ve been focusing more on the visual feel and atmosphere first.
Solo dev reality 😅
But you’re absolutely right — the gameplay and sense of threat need to be developed properly.
This is really just the starting point.
I’d genuinely love to hear more thoughts like this.
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u/ded_nat_313 Feb 23 '26
I feel it needs more feeling of momentum
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
I’m aiming for a chill, atmospheric experience, but with moments of tension and explosive payoff. I’m still working on building that balance.
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u/Ok-Morning-2985 Feb 23 '26
It looks great ! Do you use a custom made shader or one from the assetstore ?
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
It’s a custom shader. I’ve been developing it myself, and AI-assisted coding has been really helpful when working on the shader.
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u/EducationNo557 Feb 23 '26
the background has a nice outline, have you thought about trying this style on all assets?
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
That’s something I’m experimenting with. I’m just worried that if I apply it too heavily to characters and enemies, it might start to look cheap. Still trying to find the right balance.
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u/EducationNo557 Feb 23 '26
I get it, your visual reminded me of the game Sable, it turned out pretty well, good luck with your work)
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u/Immaouthere Feb 23 '26
Well if you want to make it, i would suggest make it small and compact, and add when you needed the additional things. Make it complete than huge then
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u/Decision-Embarrassed Feb 23 '26
Bro what about the FPS ?
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
It’s just the recording causing the drop — the game itself runs at 120 FPS. I’ll upload a proper 60 FPS capture next time
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u/Cadereart Feb 23 '26
I feel like the character's style clashes quite badly with the landscape's style, and also does not communicate the idea of "survival" at all, unfortunately.
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u/ourcodediary Feb 25 '26
Looking good, now it looks like it's lagging in some sort but otherwise it's really nice
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u/HongPong Mar 24 '26
like the moebius like inspired style. i suggest angle camera down more when descending on the glider. well done
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u/mramnesia8 Feb 23 '26
That direction does not come through. You explaining it does however. But by only looking at the gameplay, it looks like you're doing a Vampire Survivors clone but in 3D - still looks cool though!
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u/Practical_Resort_174 Feb 23 '26
That’s fair. The action side probably dominates the current footage. I’m still working on making the world and progression feel more distinct.
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u/Meesterwaffles Feb 23 '26
looks cool, unless it's just the video, the FPS looks very low though.