The Trials and Slimes

Note: This entry is a reupload of a devlog initially posted to itch.io

This one feels big! Not just because of the new stuff Ive been building, but because FireFly now has an official Steam store page. You can wishlist the game right now, which frankly feels surreal to even say. Thank you so much to everyone whos paid attention to this project so far, whether thats through feedback, encouragement, or even pitching in funding for our Steam page. Every bit has helped shape what FireFly is becoming today. That said, lets get into whats new this month!

The Slime Zone!!!

Slimes have been reworked! Theyre a little safer now, which means I can throw them into more dangerous setups without it feeling unfair. With those changes, I carved out a new mid-sized section of the forest that our mischievous friend Rapps has dubbed The Slime Zone.\n\n[img src=\"https://i.imgur.com/yUHJ9Qz.gif\"][/img] Within youll find some new challenges, friends, and lots of room to bounce around!

The Wisps Trials!

The glowing firefly races that used to be ambient visuals are now full-blown Time Trials. Previously, they were more of an easter-egg find, as you had to understand my cryptic hint to follow fireflies as instructions. Now, theyre marked clearly and give you concrete goals: can you beat the wisp to its destination? [img src=\"https://i.imgur.com/nPv7dVW.gif\"][/img] This adds a whole new reason to spend time in the game, and it encourages players to rush through the world the way I love to play FireFly myself, holding forward without thinking and just trying to move as fast as I can.

A Violet Cutscene!

To go along with the new trials, Violet now makes her debut in a short cutscene!\n\n[img src=\"https://i.imgur.com/ESOsLOT.gif\"][/img] She introduces the idea of racing, explains how it works to Flyph, and points you toward the caves. Its a small addition, but it makes the world feel more alive and gives Violet a stronger role as your guide.

Visual Updates + Camera Settings

After finally diving into a bit of Hollow Knight (and getting stomped by Mawlek for an hour), I was inspired heavily by their visual effects. FireFly now has new foreground particle effects that give the world a stronger sense of depth, making it feel less like a flat stage and more like a window into another place.\n\n[img src=\"https://i.imgur.com/L4hy0e2.gif\"][/img]\nOn top of that, Ive been hard at work optimizing the camera. After some light profiling, I found problem elements in the script that I resolved in order to improve performance. Now it tracks points of interest more smoothly, and Ive added settings so players can customize its behavior. Want the camera to look ahead of your movement? You can toggle that now.

And Finally: Steam!

As I said up top, FireFly has a Steam page! For those reading this on Steam, well, you know this. But for others, after a long review process, it was officially greenlit just yesterday. You can wishlist the game right now, and that button is one of the best ways to support this project. It helps more players discover FireFly and keeps the momentum going for me as a solo dev.

This also opens the door for Steam Playtests. Once [strike]Ive integrated the SteamWorks API,[/strike] Steam finishes reviewing the current build, youll be able to join playtests directly through the platform, which should make testing smoother for everyone.

Whats Next?

From here, I plan to add at least two more sub-areas to the Forest before calling it main-story ready. Once thats wrapped up, Ill begin revamping the Caves, and after that, the Mountain. Each step makes the world feel fuller and closer to the complete journey I want FireFly to be.\n\nThats the state of things this month, one more step toward release.\n\nThanks for reading, playing, and tagging along on this adventure.\n\n~ Bee\n