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Greetings surveyors!
Im excited to announce the release date for the first free content expansion for Periphery Synthetic, titled: Wards of Andromeda. The expansion will debut on August 15 with exciting new features! Explore two evolving new worldswith fresh abilities that change how you move and progress through the EP.
Continue reading for a short teaser trailer and a breakdown of what to expect with the expansion.
The trailer begins with quick zooming cuts of portals on the familiar worlds of Alpha Periphery. Emerging from the portals, it changes focus to a new world which exists inside them, with longer shots showcasing its non-Euclidean terrain. Its focus then shifts to the new moss planet, contrasting its dynamic and colorful terrain against its explorable alien structures. A recurring theme of these shots is how both new worlds combine land and water exploration. The trailer closes with a silhouette of the moss planet on the redesigned title screen.
The trailer is set to an excerpt of the soundtrack for the new moss planet. Its music system is heavily inspired by Brian Eno (Music for Airports) and Steve Reich (Music for 18 Musicians), combining warm synth pads with the randomness of wind chimes. The result is an always-evolving, never-repeating piece of music thats unique to each play. The expansion also reimagines the EPs title screen music within the new portal world.
Periphery Synthetic is an award-nominated exploration of ambient music thats couched within a non-violent metroidvania experience. Leading up to its 2024 release, the project had spent two years in early access, expanding from a barren prototype to three massive worlds filled with unlockable abilities and intrigue. It has since been recognized for its novel approach of using generative synthesis and terrain sonification to make it fully accessible to players who are blind.
Wards of Andromeda continues its legacy of feedback and iteration. The expansion offers many opportunities to improve the EP for new and returning players alike. Here are its main design goals:
Expanded story. You became the Periphery Synthetic. By surveying the Alpha Periphery system, the EP introduced you to one side of a rising intergalactic conflict. Now its time to explore the other side.
Improved economy. You collected raw materials to expand your abilities. New worlds and abilities provide more flexibility in where and how these materials are acquired.
Improved feel. You overcame vast deserts, oceans, and mountains. Running, driving, swimming, and flying receive new playgrounds and enhancements to test their limits.
[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/42877321/7b9475416f0520177c8b2f7f9ae522484db4891c.png"][/img]
These design goals are supported by several exciting new features:
Alpha Periphery D2. This new moss planet offers a colorful world of evolving vertical challenges. Its massive terrain, dotted with aerial materials to collect, contrasts against the underwater labyrinths which drive its story.
The Interstice. This new portal world evolves in size and complexity as you level up. Acting as both the thread and mirror of your journey, it gradually becomes a hub where you can celebrate all of your abilities.
Synthesizers. This new system upends how abilities are unlocked. It introduces two new currencies to turn materials from one to another. And you can downgrade and uninstall abilities to tailor your experience.
Aerodynamics. This new system provides more control over the flying abilities. With its Trajectors you may turn any fall into a smooth glide. And you will safely land from any collision with the ground.
Aquatics. This new system provides more control over the swimming abilities. With its Spelunkers you may get navigational assistance while inside caves. And you will avoid collisions with the floor automatically.
These flagship features are complemented by a number of smaller features, enhancements, and fixes, which make it the EPs largest update yet. Here is a quick comparison between v3.2.12 and v4.0.0, which demonstrates the magnitude of the expansion:
[table equalcells="1" colwidth=",,,"][tr][th]Metric
[/th][th]Current
[/th][th]Expansion
[/th][th]Change
[/th][/tr][tr][th]Worlds
[/th][td]3
[/td][td]5
[/td][td]+2
[/td][/tr][tr][th]Materials
[/th][td]30
[/td][td]33
[/td][td]+3
[/td][/tr][tr][th]Perceptions
[/th][td]50
[/td][td]78
[/td][td]+28
[/td][/tr][tr][th]Systems
[/th][td]9
[/td][td]11
[/td][td]+2
[/td][/tr][tr][th]Subsystems
[/th][td]21
[/td][td]33
[/td][td]+12
[/td][/tr][tr][th]Max level
[/th][td]110
[/td][td]177
[/td][td]+67
[/td][/tr][tr][th]Milestones
[/th][td]49
[/td][td]54
[/td][td]+5
[/td][/tr][/table][quote]Beware! These numbers are mostly locked in, but they can still change.
[/quote]Importantly, the price of Periphery Synthetic will increase to $5 USD with the expansion release. This increase reflects the new value which these changes bring to the EP. And dont fret! Existing players will receive itand all future expansionsfor free!
[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/42877321/85a250f3766ac9d10fa078da5455eb499bdb9f78.png"][/img]
Im very excited to present the Wards of Andromeda expansion to you on August 15. Its two new worlds will nearly double the size of the EP with their dynamic challenges. Its new abilities will expand your choices and control over your journey. And its story will unveil the true purpose of the Periphery Synthetic.
In the following week, I will support it with hotfixes for any critical issues that arise. Then after a short vacation, I will start planning the future of Periphery Synthetic and support it with smaller patches as needed. Im also hoping to start prototyping a few concepts for new projects in a shared universe. These might include more strategy- or action-oriented experiences that dont make sense within the EP itself.
In the meantime, Im excited to wrap up the writing for Wards of Andromeda. Thanks for reading!
Greetings surveyors! Im excited to share the final update for Periphery Synthetic in 2024.This release brings a vertical slice of audio and graphical enhancements to polish out a year of exciting updates. Be sure to upgrade your thrusters and check out the exospheres of Alpha Periphery B and C if you havent already. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! Im excited to reveal the trailer for Side D, the first free content expansion for Periphery Synthetic. The EP launched with three musical worlds to explore as you upgrade your abilities and reveal their secrets. The upcoming expansion significantly expands your journey with two new worlds, complete with new abilities and secrets to unlock! Continue reading for the trailer and major details about the changes arriving in 2025.
Greetings surveyors! Here are a few extra improvements to share for Periphery Synthetic. These were found while storyboarding and collecting footage for an upcoming trailer that will reveal the two new worlds coming in the free Side D content expansion. I'm excited to share more about the expansion soon. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! I'm excited to share another batch of accessibility enhancements for Periphery Synthetic based on your feedback. Importantly, this release adds instructions for how to use each system, which reveal more information about them as you upgrade their subsystems. There are also some enhancements to the collectable and destination guide sounds to improve their audibility. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the number of enhancements I've made this past week to celebrate the EP's nominations for the Indie Game Awards and GAconf Awards. Your feedback makes this project better. Enjoy!
Im excited to share another round of improvements for Periphery Synthetic. These focus on improving the accessibility of its navigational audio cues by increasing their clarity, especially for extremely vertical spaces. Importantly, the filtering of many sounds now reacts to the look angle when vertical look is enabled. Similarly, there are some specific improvements if you had trouble navigating certain enclosed spaces. A few extra changes from the upcoming expansion have found their way here too. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! Im excited to share another vertical slice of improvements for Periphery Synthetic. The main objective for this release was to improve its hearing accessibility. It adds new sliders to the audio mixer for changing the stereo width and loudness of each ear. It also makes several enhancements to the audio mix to clarify important navigational sounds. These improvements are paired with a variety of smaller changes made during the development of the first free content expansion. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors!
I'm excited to announce that Periphery Synthetic has been nominated for the Notable Achievement in Accessibility category at the first-ever Indie Game Awards. It joins five other independent titles which pushed accessibility forward in 2024 by prioritizing inclusive design. The inaugural event will be livestreamed by IGN on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 6 PM CST. I'm looking forward to the final resultsand learning who takes home their prestigious Game of the Year award.
While I'm proud of my personal accomplishments with Periphery Synthetic, the EP would not have been nominated without the help of the larger community. From all of your feedback and the continuous improvements made throughout its development, to its inclusion at this year's Access-Ability Showcase and GAconf USA, it has surpassed all of my original expectations. As you might suspect, I don't care for the constant hustle of networking and marketing on social media, so it's deeply humbling when the project finds itself in places beyond my limited reach. Thank yousincerelyfor your contributions that led it to this nomination.
By the time the event airs, I will be finalizing a special trailer that I'm preparing for the GAconf Awards in January 2025. The trailer will reintroduce the EP to the award show audience, ending with a significant reveal of the two new worlds releasing with the upcoming Side D expansion. I'm excited to surprise you with the secret fifth world soon!
Cheers!
Greetings surveyors! As I work on the first free content expansion, Im continuing to make improvements to the core experience based on your feedback. Im excited to share a vertical slice of those with you today, including: a new dark mode interface, a toggle for stereo or mono audio, and many improvements to the How to Play screen. Thanks for playing!
Greetings surveyors! I was delighted to be invited to speak virtually at GAconf USA on Ocober 28, 2024. The conference was filled with a diversity of perspectives covering topics such as inclusive design, assistive technologies, and behind-the-scenes looks at accessibility in games. It was an incredibly informative experience which reminded me that people are awesomeand we have so much to learn from each other. I'm deeply grateful for the organizers who produced this must-see event. You may find more talks from the conference in the GAconf USA 2024 playlist. Im excited to share more details about the upcoming free content expansion with you soon. There is a lot more to it than Ive revealed. Enjoy! [previewyoutube=6G1qtnBUm-E;full][/previewyoutube]
Greetings surveyors! Recently I started working exclusively on the new planet and mechanics coming in the first free content expansion. This release merges a number of general improvements from my secret development branch into the public builds. I'm excited to share a larger progress update about how the expansion changes the entire game with you soon. In the meantime, thanks for playing. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! This release wraps up loose ends and the feedback that I received from you in the first week since release. I'm excited to read what folks think about the EP from Steam's Space Exploration Fest next week. Thanks again for your feedback and support. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! This release brings a vertical slice of new features, enhancements, and fixes based on your feedback from the first week since release. It includes three new milestones to gauge your progress, auto-targeting for the scanner, a new visual status bar, and a lot more! Following this larger update, I will be taking a short break from the project to recharge for its next phase of expansion development. Thanks again for your feedback and support as I work through your feedback and make performance optimizations. In the meantime, I'd love if you could write an honest review just in time for Steam's Space Exploration Fest, beginning on September 2. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! This release addresses some feedback that was collected over the weekend from folks across various channels. Thanks again for sharing your experiences with the EP and how it can be improved. With this hotfix, it's beginning to seem that I can take a step back, and focus on larger updates along the way to the first expansion. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! This build fixes the ability to earn Steam achievements. You will earn your previously-earned achievements upon starting the EP, and all future achievements moving forward. Thanks for understanding, enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! This release addresses the most commonly-reported issues on release day. If you are experiencing issues with audio performance, please try toggling off Ultra Quality and Reverb from the Audio settings screen. Thanks for your support and understanding.
Greetings surveyors! I'm excited to announce the immediate release of Periphery Synthetic for Windows, Linux, and Steam Deck. Explore a planetary system, synthesize new abilities, and uncover its past in this interactive EP that draws inspiration from your favorite metroidvania, walking simulator, and interactive fiction. This release follows two years of early access updates which saw it grow from driving a buggy in a desert to a full system of planets where you can surf waves, explore caves, climb mountains, and even visit space. I'm deeply proud of this accomplishment, and I'm excited for where this project goes next.
Greetings surveyors! Im excited to announce that Periphery Synthetic will be released for Windows, Linux, and Steam Deck on August 22, 2024. The EP offers a chill and non-violent metroidvania experience across procedurally-generated musical playgrounds, which feature purely synthesized music and sounds that evolve and react to your input in real-time. Closer to release, I'll be revealing the first look at the EP's first expansion. It has been under active development for a few weeks now. The expansion will be a free content update for all players, which includes an all-new world to explore with a variety of new features. While developing the expansion, I will continue to support the EP with smaller updates. I'm excited to reveal more soon. Thanks for playing!
Greetings surveyors! The demo for Periphery Synthetic has been updated to v3.2.0. It includes a final round of new features, enhancements, and fixes to prepare the EP for its full release this summer. Here is a summary of the 50+ changes which improve the demo:
Greetings surveyors! The demo for Periphery Synthetic has been updated to v3.1.0. It received a plethora of new features, enhancements, and fixes. Here is a summary of the changes:
Greetings surveyors! The demo for Periphery Synthetic has been updated to v3.0.0. Unlock the ability to double-jump and drive sideways! The desert planet has also received a number of enhancements. This coincides with a huge content update now available in early access. The EP is now entering its final stages of development before general release in Spring 2024. Here is the latest trailer: [previewyoutube=4-U_RKGXe7E;full][/previewyoutube] Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! I am shiftBacktick, the developer of Periphery Synthetic. I use web technologies to create accessible and interactive audio experiences. Please join me for a special livestream where you may ask me anything. During the stream, I will play the game more casually while interacting with you in the chat. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! Please join me for a special livestream where I will attempt to complete the first world as fast as possible. Depending on our progress during the stream, we may experience content from the full game as well. Although the game is intended to be a relaxing experience, it has the potential for both Any% and 100% speed runs. By visiting each world, our Any% run is complete. Then by completing all secondary objectives, our 100% run is complete. Enjoy!
Greetings surveyors! I'm excited to release the demo of Periphery Synthetic for Windows and Steam Deck. Periphery Synthetic offers a chill metroidvania experience across otherworldly musical playgrounds. It could also be described as a generative music album, walking simulator, or visual novel. In the demo, you may freely explore its first world with zero limitations. When the game is released, you may take your progress to explore its siblings. After release, their planetary family will grow with free content expansions. [previewyoutube=k_0dpr6fKbs;full][/previewyoutube] Shown in the trailer are the worlds launching in the full release:
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