Certain stages have received graphical improvements mainly from better use of color. These stages are:

• tutorial stage
  
• stage 3
  
• final stage
  
• optional west stages 2 & 3
  

Thank you to everyone who purchased Balkadia!

Some very good feedback was received regarding the difficulty of the game. After some tweaks, Balkadia is much more forgiving:

• some enemy/boss attacks are slower
  
• some enemy/boss health points are reduced
  
• the player's health is now doubled
  
• better jump control in the air (gif below)
  

After 3 years of development, Balkadia is finally ready for release. It will be releasing two weeks from now, on April 28th (Thursday). If you haven't played the demo, now would be the perfect time to try out the first 3 stages of Balkadia.



Gameplay:
A classicvania, featuring 8-directional whipping and giant bosses with multiple forms. The whip is versatile enough to serve as a shield, cut through enemies and use them as projectiles. Fluid controls will help you overcome any platforming challenge. Not a metroidvania.

Playtime:
The full game consists of 15 levels, each different from the next. While you can speedrun Balkadia in about 90 minutes, this won't be possible on your first playthrough. There are also 15 achievements included and optional upgrades which make replaying older stages fun.



Some technical details:

• ultrawide friendly: Balkadia supports 21:9 and 32:9 monitors
  
• retro friendly: Balkadia supports 4:3 and 5:4 monitors
  
• 4K ready: all graphics were designed with 4K in mind, then scaled down for lower resolutions
  
• controller support: Balkadia works with any controller detected by your OS, but requires a keyboard for the initial configuration
  

I will be live-streaming during Steam Next Fest, starting tomorrow on Sunday at 9AM EST.


This event is all about playable demos, so I will be playing through Balkadia's demo. A lot of feedback has been received about Balkadia's difficulty, so I'm excited to show you how to play the game optimally, and that Balkadia can be easier if you take advantage of all the controls.

Hope to see you there.

PS: If you miss the live, I will re-broadcast a special video in the stream with gameplay of the demo.

Balkadia's demo has received a major update. What was supposed to be the 4th level of the game has now become the 3rd.

Since the demo has always included the first 3 stages, you can now play this new level.



This stage was chosen to replace the original 3rd one as it contains the best part of Balkadia - using defeated enemies as projectile weapons.



It is also longer than the original 3rd stage, which will give a bit more playtime to the demo.



What about the original 3rd stage? It has now become Balkadia's 4th level.

Thank you for reading today's update. If you haven't, please wishlist Balkadia:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1236180

The below video is a small peak into Balkadia's first boss rush stage. Each level begins with an empty hallway where you can collect souls used for healing. Make sure to gather all of them before entering the boss' chamber. Each boss will have multiple forms so you'll need all the health you can get.
[previewyoutube=eDEllFqvLkM;full][/previewyoutube]
1ST FORM:
The boss pattern here is very 'Dracula-esque'. You'll need to dodge flame walls and fire balls, at the same time having to damage power core in the middle of the chamber. The Slavic symbol inside respresents Chernobog - god of darkness and evil.



2ND FORM:
This pattern is similar to the first one, but a lot more intense. The Slavic symbol inside the staff represents fire. Get ready for some fiery tricks once the boss' health starts dropping below half.



3RD FORM:
This boss has merged with the chamber itself, summoning black fireballs from the floor and the ceiling. The Slavic symbol represents Veles - god of water and earth!



Hope you've enjoyed this brief showcase of Balkadia's first boss rush level. If you haven't already, please feel free to wishlist Balkadia below. A playable demo of the game's first 3 stages awaits.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1236180

Development of 'The Whipper' began on December 30th 2018. The end goal, quantity-wise, is to have about 15 stages and the first 3 to be part of the free demo. Now that those 3 stages are done, I've decided to release a playable demo on Steam so I can get feedback as early as possible.

The end goal quality-wise? To create a great action game inspired by 'Super Castlevania 4'.

Stage 1
This stage is all about the whip and getting used to attacking - no platforming challenges yet. You can decapitate enemies and cut their legs off or throw their own weapons at them. Have fun.

Stage 2
This one is the opposite - no attacking, just platforming. You've got spikes on the ground and branches trying to smash you. You cannot attack to boss either, you have to trick it into damaging itself.

Stage 3
This stage finally combines attacking with platforming challenges. It is also longer than the previous levels as they don't have health recovery.

Why is it black and white? I was inspired by an episode from Samurai Jack called 'Jack vs. the Ninja'. You can hide in the light and enemies won't know where you are, but step in the dark and they will.

Tutorial Stage
Before you can play the stages, you need to pass a short tutorial - usually takes a minute.

It teaches you a lot about the controls of the game:
- 8-directional whipping
- sprinting
- shooting projectiles from the whip
- throwing objects with the whip
- using the whip as a shield

Complicated stuff - not really, but still needs a tutorial to grasp.


The tutorial stage also has some beautiful interactive trees - try hitting them, see what happens.

Going Forward
The rest of the game is still in development. As I keep developing more stages, I will write more articles on Steam, upload more devlogs on YouTube, post on Twitter & Instagram, etc. However, the rest of the levels won't be playable until the game is released.

The goal release date is October 31st 2021, as that would be exactly 30 years since the release of 'Super Castlevania 4', which is the main inspiration behind 'The Whipper'.

Looking forward to feedback from the community! Below you can wishlist the game and play the demo.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1236180