Considering I haven't posted any updates on Itch.io this year, I thought I'd conclude 2022 with a big ol' devlog for Ultimate Space Escape! (This is an excerpt from my 2022 Project Reflection/Overview, which includes looks at projects I've never talked about, and extensive plans for 2023!)

(I did make some update videos over on my YouTube Channel , but those weren't advertised here on Itch, so I'll include everything from those as well!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: All Gifs in this are blurrier than the actual projects, due to size restrictions from Itch.io 😅

(Btw, make sure to follow me and join my Discordto keep up on updates, new demos and new projects!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All objects in gameplay now have white outlines, letting the graphics pop in a way they couldn't before!

You can't see them too well in the gifs, so here are some screenshots for a before and after :D

- UI Overhaul

   · All UI now sports a pixelated theme, text included! Level Completed, Game Over, as well as the Title Screen texts also have their own animations!

· Laser Brickz have charge-up bars now, as does the player! Other UI has been added to make the Laser ability more clear to the player.

· The No-Balls-Lost achievement for every level is now directly described to the player! Earn this achievement on all levels for a secret reward...

Here's a general before and after of the UI :)

- Shop Revamped!

The shop's gone through many visual upgrades this year, and now that we're at the close of it, I'd say I'm pretty satisfied!

Some new shop items have also been added. 

- 29 Levels!

Every level up to the final boss has at least been conceptualized!

The laser mechanic is the main focus of Levels 10-19, and the Teleportation mechanic is the main focus of levels 20-29.

Many levels have been play tested and edited to include more brickz and less empty space!

Level 25 is shown below, which is still a Work In Progress :)

- New Enemies!

A variety of new foes have been created in 2022. Brick Factoryz and RoboBrickz are 2 examples!

- Bosses

The Level 20 boss, Victor, has been completed and polished. I'm also planning to go back to Level 10's boss to remake it into a less buggy, better paced level.

- Combo and Charge System!

There's now an official Combo System for Ultimate Space Escape! It's a time-based score multiplier, represented by a UI element in the middle of the screen. Get the combo up high enough, and you'll even see some nice coin bonuses! Balls can now also be charged; hit the ball with momentum to bring it to lightning speeds!

- Ideas Galore!

Although I've decided to cap the game at 30 levels, at least for the main campaign ;) , I have plenty of ideas for other ways to expand the gameplay experience! Multiple new modes have been thought up, although I'm doubtful all will see the light of day.

- Characters and Voice Acting?!

Wait... Did you read that right? Yes you did! I've been experimenting with both voice acting for characters in my game, as well as a story that gives some personality to the brick-breaking paddle-ship drivers, as well as the Bean Bois in the shop.

Sprite art, some character animations as well as a dialogue system have already been made, and in 2023 these will be utilized to implement a fun, wacky story into Ultimate Space Escape's main campaign.

- Extermination!

Throughout the year, I've tackled countless bugs left and right. This makes the gameplay experience much smoother than in the demo released... Oh man, was it really over a year ago?? Time flies!

|| 2023 Plans ||

Something that's plagued me throughout the development of Ultimate Space Escape was not having the complete vision. However, I do now! Yep, final boss and story and extra modes are all sketched out and written down. This, combined with plenty of unfinished projects as well as future projects whirling around in my mind, is allowing for my work on Ultimate Space Escape to be MUCH more motivated. I have decided I won't work on any other hobby projects until USE is complete, and so I believe that Ultimate Space Escape will come out this year, both on Steam and on Itch.io.

Welp, that's about it! Hope you've all enjoyed. Keep a look out for a new demo for Ultimate Space Escape, coming soon! :)

Have a great year everyone! To a wonderful, exciting 2023,

 - TheTominator