Nix, the Last Songborn

"Long ago, the Bells sang.

Their echoes filled Great Chapels and towering Cathedrals, all in honor of the One Who Hears Everything. 
The One who listened, but never spoke.
But as prayers and voices rose, They could no longer hear Their own thoughts.
And so, at last, They uttered a single word—one heard by all.

Silence.

First, the Bells fell. Then the songs. Then the world itself. Muffled.
Now, only whispers remain."
And in the hush, your journey begins.

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About the Game

A 2D hand-drawn platforming adventure game, where you are Nix; a small wandering mouse, that will explore a vast fading kingdom, Whisperlight, and bring back the music and light in it. Along the way, you'll meet other travelers on their own journey, plant some trees to restore the barren land, and learn how to travel the world and how to become a Songborn.

More info to come.

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About the Build

The game is still in prototype version, so every assets can be view as placeholder. 
It's not a complete experience yet; there's only one small playable area, no story, no obstacle or major gameplay mechanics. This build serves only to test the movement and feel the vibe I'm going for. 
However, several features are already included:

• Full Day/Night cycle in game, with changing lights intensity, scene coloration, sounds, and events throughout the day.
• Smooth player movement; including jump, double jump, dash, crouch, pogo stick, wall slide, wall jump.
• Layered Background with perspective. Dynamic vegetation with wind and player interaction.
• Interchangeable holdable objects following every frame of animation; Can switch between a rechargeable lantern and the bell. More objects and power up in the future.
• Main Menu, Pause Menu and UI; Dynamic HUD with functioning multi-states Health Containers; 
• Sound Manager and Audio Crossfade reacting to the time of day.

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About the Project

This project was initially born in 2020. Starting as a proof of concept of a game mechanic based on a bell serving as a melee weapon, a ranged weapon and a means of movement.

I started the development with the intention of doing it in pixel art, since at the time I didn't had the confidence to draw so many frames by hand.

I loved the fluidity of the bell, being able to throw it, juggle, recall to yourself and pogo stick on it, while being free to move with the character.

Unfortunately life caught up with me and the project fell through.

5 years later, dusting off my old projects, I took this one out, and without realizing it I was already drawing Nix and new characters from the world.

After 1 month of work,  I fell in love with the world of Whisperlight, and would love to bring it to life. I won't be able to continue working on the project full time since I sometimes have to eat during the year, but development continues little by little.

More information will be posted in DevLogs eventually.

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Credits

• Background Music: Alison Turk 
• Animation System: Aarthificial (https://github.com/aarthificial/reanimation)
• Foundation for Player Controller: DawnosaurDev (https://github.com/DawnosaurDev/platformer-movement/tree/main)

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More Media

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Install Instructions

• Download the compressed folder on your computer
• Unzip the folder
• Launch "Nix, The Last Songborn.exe"

How To Play

Supported input methods: Keyboard & Mouse, Gamepad, PS3 Controller, PS4 Controller, Xbox Controller

• Move around
  • Keyboard: WASD
  • Controller: Left Joystick
• Jump
  • Keyboard: Space
  • Controller: South button (PS = X, Xbox = A)
• Dash
  • Keyboard: Shift
  • Controller: R2
• Attack
  • Keyboard: Mouse Left Click
  • Controller: West button (PS = □, Xbox = X)
• Select Item
  • Keyboard: Tab
  • Controller: L1
• Throw/Recall Bell
  • Keyboard: Mouse Right Click
  • Controller: L2
• Pause
  • Keyboard: Escape
  • Controller: Start/Option