Hey everyone,

It's me again, writing you another Weekly Devlog for NIRAVASI. Last week, I spoke a bit about the Lotulanda Demo, the Aruvi District (and creepy Crawlers), and some quality-of-life changes for the previous levels. This week, we're going to talk a bit more about that, as well as talk about some more details regarding Mura's past. Without further ado, let's get straight into it.

Updated Visuals

As I mentioned before in last week's Devlog, working on Ishani Bazaar and Lotulanda made me realise that there was a big discrepancy in the quality of the game's visuals between those two levels and the first three (Tutorial, Old Hanirr and the Stepwell of Dhara Hanirr). When I began working on this project, my knowledge of the RPG Maker MV3D Plugin was fairly rudimentary. I had a clear idea on how I wanted the style of the visuals to look and feel (akin to games like Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and some PlayStation-era Japanese RPGs), but as work continued for Ishani Bazaar and Lotulanda, I noticed these beginning three levels didn't really have much of a "WOW" factor in their visuals. As such, I wanted to rectify this during the two-week period I mentioned before, where I would spend time moderating and going over player feedback regarding the Lotulanda Demo. Nothing big in particular was changed with these levels (save for a few additional scare moments) and it was all mainly just revamping the visuals of the previous areas like the Temples in Old Hanirr, the Swampland, and certain rooms within the Stepwell. 

I'm happy to announce that after a few weeks of work, I've finally managed to do just that and gotten the game's beginning areas to look rather fancy for an RPG Maker Horror game. Take a look and see for yourself:

Future Characters

Now that work on the Aruvi District is going full-steam ahead, let's talk a little bit about the new characters you'll be coming face-to-face with during your adventures in this waterlogged hellhole. But be warned, there's gonna be some big spoilers up ahead. If you just want to experience it for yourself, or are still waiting for the full release to come before giving it a try, feel free to skip this segment of the Devlog.

Clovis: For those of you that don't know him, this mysterious figure is the one that's been helping our little kitty cat, Mura, escape AEON's clutches and venture deeper into the city of Niravasi. While his reasons for being there are unknown, players will come to find out a little more about this distant ally at the final area of the Aruvi District level. Expect some heartfelt moments being shared between Mura and this lovely boy when the time comes.

MOMO: Originally created by the illustrious TEKMO company, this lovely little fella is also here to help. As you near the end of your journey throughout the Aruvi District, you'll come face-to-face with this adorable little artificial intelligence and learn a little more about AEON himself and why he's so eager to rip your face off.

Desert Thugs: I don't want to spoil too much details in regards to these nasty folks, but know that they play a pivotal part in Mura's story and how he became the man (Cat?) he is today.

That's all I want to say in regards to these characters. You'll find out more as development of the game goes on, but know that they certainly aren't the last of the characters you'll meet within this dark adventure.

A Dark Melody

Way back in the project's development, I made the announcement that NIRAVASI was going to include its own soundtrack, rather than reuse the already-existing songs made for my previous game, BLANK. Well, considering that the game is now over 50% complete, I thought it appropriate to get my hands on what the Main Theme of Niravasi would sound like. I'm not quite ready to give you all a taster, as I'm still sorting out financial matters in the background (it's always lovely to pay a composer the rates they're worth, after all). But what I can say is that it's being taken in a REALLY good direction. If you would like a reference for how I'm envisioning the majority of the game's soundtrack to sound like, please take a listen to an amazing artist by the name of Tigran Hamasyan:

Crazy, right? When StygianWhite (the composer I'm working with) showed me this artist, I absolutely fell in love with Tigran's style. His work really emulates the kind of vibes I want the soundtrack for the game to evoke (Alien/Artificial/Ancient), so using it as an inspiration makes absolute sense here. I'll have more details regarding the game's soundtrack in the future, but for now, know that it's in very good hands.

That's about it for this Week's Devlog for NIRAVASI. Next Week, I'll likely have a sit down and begin talking about the game's origins and how I thought about making a game involving an anthropomorphic cat archaeologist, escaping from a killer robot in an ancient human city. Until then, keep trying the Demos out and as always, let me know what you think of NIRAVASI as a whole... down below.

Kind regards,
Angus (Sangos)