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December Dev Update Demo, Voices & Whats Coming Next

December was a milestone month for the project, focused less on new rooms (but that number is not zero!) and more on preparing the game for players first real hands-on experience.

Ive officially applied for Steam Next Fest in February, which also means something important:

February will mark the first public demo release.

Demo Direction & Polish

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I made the decision to turn the entire first room into a fully free, open demo.

The goal is simple:\nplayers should know exactly what the game looks like, feels like, and asks of them before committing to the full experience.

Because of that, most of this month went into:

• Polishing the first room

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• Improving pacing and clarity

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• Refactoring and cleaning up underlying systems

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• Making sure the demo stands on its own as a complete experience

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If you enjoy solving the puzzles and the atmosphere of the first room, youll know the rest of the game is for you. If not thats totally fine too.

Full Dialogue Voice Acting (AI)

All dialogue in the demo is now fully voiced.

On top of that, both the dialogue files and voice lines are fully exposed:

• You can freely modify the dialogue

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• Translate it into languages not officially supported

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• Even record and implement your own voice acting

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This is the first step toward making the game as Workshop-friendly as possible.

Looking Ahead

• February: Steam Next Fest + public demo release

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• Accessibility settings: currently in progress and planned for a future update

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• March: Early Access release

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As a late Christmas gift, I can finally say it out loud:\nThe game is planned to release in Early Access in March.

This is a solo project, and Early Access will allow me to work closely with you spotting bugs, refining puzzles, and shaping the game into something you truly enjoy.

Thank you to everyone whos wishlisted, followed development, or simply checked in on the project. Your support genuinely means a lot and Im excited to finally let you play it very soon. See you in 2026.

Happy New Year!

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November Dev Update A Room of Heritage

Hey everyone!

This month was all about digging deep into one of the biggest steps in the game so far expanding the world with a brand-new room and continuing to refine core UI systems.

While November didnt have a long list of small changes, it had one big one: a new room (area, level, whatever you want to call it) thats roughly five times the size of the first room, filled with fresh interactions and puzzle logic.

Lets dive in.

UI Improvements

• Inventory Overhaul Inventory items can now be selected individually and viewed up close. This makes examining clues, details, and object shapes much easier especially useful for the puzzles ahead. This completes the tie with the 3D item viewer created last month.

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Gameplay & Worldbuilding

• New Room: The Room of Heritage A brand-new major area has been added. Its significantly larger than the first room and was built with big scale puzzles and long-term progression in mind.

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• The option to enter this room becomes available after completing the Astronomy Puzzle.

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• All puzzles in the new room are now fully implemented and functional.

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A Note on Development

This month I focused heavily on bigger, slower, deeper work:

building out a large environment, wiring up multiple interconnected puzzles inside it, and upgrading the inventory system so it supports the more complex interactions ahead.

These types of additions take more time on the development side, but they form a major part of the games foundation.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone following the development and wishlisting the game your support genuinely motivates each step of progress.

More updates coming soon as I expand the world further.

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October Dev Update Shadows, Blood & Beyond

Hey everyone!

Ive been hard at work this month bringing new systems, story moments, and a touch of darkness into the world of Shattered Vault.

Before we dive in spoiler warning!

This post contains story and gameplay details from the latest development build.

If youd rather discover everything naturally, feel free to stop here and just know:

the game is alive, in active development, and moving forward fast!

For those who want to peek behind the curtain read on.

New Features

• Save, Autosave & Load System Your progress is now safely preserved between sessions.

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• Shadow Companion A mysterious ally now follows you in the dark both helpful and haunting.

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• Improved Inventory Managing your items feels smoother and more intuitive than before.

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Gameplay Changes

• New Puzzle: Astronomy Gaze into the stars to uncover what they are hiding.

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• The Bone Mechanic Use a bone from the pile to replace your lost leg.

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Story Additions (Huge spoilers!)

• Interacting with the pipe now unleashes a spider family, followed by a grim narrator remark.

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• The pipe begins leaking blood, which can be collected in a chalice.

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• You can drink the blood or feed it to the chest to receive a parchment that teaches you how to use your companion.

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• The Shadow Companions introduction is now complete, tying these moments together.

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Visual Improvements

• Added pipe unclogging animation and leaking blood effect.

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• Added hotkey cue for the companion.

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• Player can now extinguish torches.

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• New Shadow Companion entrance animation and effects.

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• Player changes color after drinking from the goblet.

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• Added 3D item viewer rotate and inspect items up close.

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Audio

• Added burning sounds for torches.

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• New companion theme music.

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• Modified bat flying sounds for better atmosphere.

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Thank You

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has wishlisted and followed the project.

Your support keeps me going through the long nights of development.

If you havent yet, add Shattered Vault to your wishlist to stay updated on future builds and story reveals.